‘SNL 50′: Only 6 Women Have Made It Into the Male-Dominated Five-Timers Club
As Saturday Night Live gears up for its 50th anniversary celebration, one of the show’s most elite groups—the Five-Timers Club—remains overwhelmingly male. Despite the late-night sketch comedy series’ five decades of groundbreaking male and female-led comedy, only six women have achieved this milestone.
What is the ‘SNL’ Five-Timers Club?
The SNL Five-Timers Club is an exclusive group of celebrities who have hosted the show at least five times. A 1990 sketch featuring Tom Hanks officially introduced the club. Subsequent sketches humorously portray the group as a secret society with a luxurious lounge, special robes, and elite membership.
Five-Timers always receive the club’s coveted jacket. Thus, when a host reaches their fifth hosting gig, past members often make surprise appearances to welcome them.
The 6 women who made the cut
To date, only six women have hosted SNL five or more times in the series 50-year history. Candice Bergen was the first female SNL host, leading the series five times between 1975 and 1990.
Following, Drew Barrymore made history as the youngest entertainer to ever host SNL in 1982 at just 7 years old. She went on to host five more times, cementing her place in the Five-Timers Club.
Scarlett Johansson reached five-time status in 2017. Her frequent hosting gigs were often tied to her appearances in Marvel films. Johansson is married to SNL cast member Colin Jost.
Melissa McCarthy hosted five times between 2011 and 2017. She’s known for her hilarious recurring characters such as former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and Sheila Kelly.
Emma Stone entered in 2023. During her monologue, she was given her velour jacket by Candice Bergen and Tina Fey. She’s married to former SNL segment director and writer Dave McCary.
Kristen Wiig created unforgettable characters as an SNL cast member during her seven-year run on the series including Target Lady, Gilly, Dooneese Maharelle, Penelope, Sue the Surprise Party Lady, and Mindy Grayson. She reached five-time status in 2024.
Who are the male members of the ‘SNL’ Five-Timers Club?
SNL‘s Five-Timers Club is overwhelmingly dominated by male celebrities. From music to movies and television, these stars have hosted an astonishing number of times.
First on the list is Alec Baldwin, who holds the record for the most hosting appearances at 17. Following right behind Baldwin is Steve Martin at 16.
John Goodman has led the series 13 times, and Buck Henry and Tom Hanks have each hosted 10 installments.
Original SNL cast member Chevy Chase returned to host eight times. Christopher Walken has taken the reigns at seven.
Elliott Gould, Danny DeVito, and former SNL writer John Mulaney have logged six hosting gigs each. The remaining actors have all hosted five times: Ben Affleck, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jonah Hill, Woody Harrelson, Justin Timberlake, Paul Rudd, John Malkovich, and former SNL cast members Will Ferrell, Bill Murray, and Martin Short. There are also two honorary members; musicians Paul Simon and Jack White.
To honor SNL’s 50th anniversary, the series will air a series of celebratory shows beginning on Valentine’s Day. SNL50: The Homecoming Concert aired on Peacock on Feb. 14.
Viewers can tune into the series’ regular time slot, 11:30 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 15 to catch the show’s first episode from Oct. 11, 1975. The installment will air on NBC and Peacock.
SNL50: The Anniversary Special airs on NBC and Peacock on Sunday, Feb. 16, starting at 8 p.m. ET.
