Hosting Saturday Night Live is one of those honors that celebrities in the entertainment industry covet. Many see it as a recognition of talent, and with the history of hosts, it is easy to see why.
Alec Baldwin has been the show’s host 17 times, Steve Martin has hosted the show 15 times, and Chris Rock has hosted it three times.
One fan-favorite is Paul Rudd, actor, comedian, and recently PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive. He is scheduled to host the iconic comedy show this holiday season on December 18, and many fans are excited to see what he will bring to the Christmas episode. But it will not be his first rodeo, so how many times has Rudd hosted SNL anyway? Let’s find out.
Rudd Is Set To Host For The Fifth Time
The final SNL episode of 2021 will be Rudd’s fifth appearance as a host on Saturday Night Live and musician Charli XCX’s second appearance as a musical guest. His first time as a host on the show was in 2008, and the musical guest for that episode was Beyonce. It was a hit episode that included cast members Will Forte, Bill Hader, and Fred Armisen.
His second appearance was in 2010, and the musical guest was the iconic Paul McCartney of the Beatles. The third time Rudd hosted was in 2013 with the famous boy band One Direction, and the fourth time was in 2019 when he introduced SNL fans to musical guest DJ Khaled.
The episode received high praise and reviews from SNL audiences and fans every time Rudd hosted. They have clamored for him to host more episodes, and now, their wish will be granted with his fifth appearance this December.
How Does The SNL Hosting Work?
The first SNL host was the late George Carlin, and he created the now-iconic phrase “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” on the first episode on October 11, 1975. That night was the start of a new wave in American television, and the show paved the way for the several sketch shows that came after it.
Saturday Night Live is the longest-running live sketch comedy show in America, and it just gains more fans as the years go by. Fans of SNL today have stars like Gilda Radner, John Belushi, and tons of comedians and entertainers to thank for the amazing show.
The hosting and guest format of SNL hasn’t changed much over the years. There is always a host to run the episode, a weekly update news segment, and a famous musical guest who appeared a minimum of two times during the episode. There have been hundreds of hosts and musical guests, and almost any big star you can think of has made an appearance.
Which Other Hosts Are In The Five-Timers Club
Like we said earlier, Alec Baldwin easily holds the record for the highest number of host appearances on SNL, with a whopping 17 times. After him, we have John Goodman and Barton Fink, who have held the post 13 times each. Next in line is another tie between Buck Henry and Tom Hanks, who have hosted ten times each.
When Rudd hits the five-time mark on December 18, he will become a member of the coveted Five-Timers club, an unofficial association of entertainers who have hosted the show five times or more.
The first time the club was mentioned on-air was when Hanks hosted on December 8, 1980, and over time, it formed into a real thing. Other SNL hosts who are members of this club include Steve Martin, Paul Simon, Elliot Gould, etc. Simon is actually at four times, but according to The Wrap, he was included because he has performed as a musical guest.
Other Celebs Aside Rudd Who Have Hosted SNL
SNL tradition is that once an entertainer has hosted an episode, they don’t return to host a second time. However, there are occasional exceptions to this rule. Here are some celebrities who have hosted Saturday Night Live more than once and how many appearances they have.
Chevy Chase from “National Lampoon’s Vacation” has been a host eight times, Candice Bergen from Murphy Brown has hosted SNL five times, Drew Barrymore has hosted six episodes, and Scarlett Johansson has been an SNL host six times.
Another celebrity member of the Five-Timers Club is Will Ferrell. Bill Murray from “Ghostbusters” joined the show’s cast in season two and left after season five. He returned as a host five times between the 1980s and 1990s.
