If you are a fan of Saturday Night Live, you may have heard of something called the Five-Timer’s Club — an exclusive organization reserved only for the great SNL hosts who have taken the stage at Studio 8H as a headliner at least five times. While, this “club” is really just a fun recurring bit used to poke fun at the long-running sketch comedy’s legacy and for celebrities to poke fun at themselves, being inducted as a member is truly nothing to take lightly either. We will explain why below, but first, a little introduction for anyone unfamiliar.
What Is The Saturday Night Live Five-Timer's Club?
While the first person to be inducted into the Five-Timer’s Club was former cast member Chevy Chase in 1985, the first mention of it occurred on December 8, 1990, when the actual creator of the bit, Tom Hanks — who has hosted enough times now to have his own recurring characters — toured the exclusive members lounge, where he socialized with the likes of Steve Martin and Paul Simon. The club has since been referenced numerous times in the monologues of subsequent inductees and in sketches that return to the lounge — most recently when John Mulaney joined in 2022. The Five-Timer’s Club gained its newest members when SNL Season 48 host, Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson, took the stage with musical guest Jack White on February 25, 2023.
Who’s In The SNL Five-Timer's Club?
Woody Harrelson and Jack White became the 24th and 25th people to be inducted into the Five-Timer’s Club. See the full list of members — including the date of their first hosting gig, the date of their induction, and their total number of times headlining a show so far — below.
| Host | First Gig | Fifth Gig | Total Gigs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alec Baldwin | April 21, 1990 | December 10, 1994 | 17 |
| Steve Martin | October 23, 1976 | April 22, 1978 | 16 |
| John Goodman | December 2, 1989 | May 7, 1994 | 13 |
| Tom Hanks | December 14, 1985 | December 8, 1990 | 10 |
| Buck Henry | January 17, 1976 | November 19, 1977 | 10 |
| Elliott Gould | January 10, 1976 | February 6, 1980 | 6 |
| Paul Simon | October 18, 1975 | May 10, 1986 | 4 |
| Chevy Chase | February 18, 1978 | November 16, 1985 | 8 |
| Candice Bergen | November 8, 1975 | May 19, 1990 | 5 |
| Danny DeVito | May 15, 1982 | January 9, 1993 | 6 |
| Bill Murray | May 7, 1981 | February 20, 1999 | 5 |
| Christopher Walken | January 20, 1990 | May 19, 2001 | 7 |
| Drew Barrymore | November 20, 1992 | February 3, 2007 | 6 |
| Justin Timberlake | October 11, 2003 | March 9, 2013 | 5 |
| Ben Affleck | February 19, 2000 | May 18, 2013 | 5 |
| Tina Fey | February 23, 2008 | December 19, 2015 | 6 |
| Scarlett Johansson | January 14, 2006 | March 11, 2017 | 6 |
| Melissa McCarthy | October 11, 2011 | May 13, 2017 | 5 |
| Dwayne Johnson | March 18, 2000 | May 20, 2017 | 5 |
| Jonah Hill | March 15, 2008 | November 3, 2018 | 5 |
| Will Ferrell | May 14, 2005 | November 23, 2019 | 5 |
| Paul Rudd | November 15, 2008 | December 18, 2021 | 5 |
| John Mulaney | April 14, 2018 | February 26, 2022 | 5 |
| Woody Harrelson | November 18, 1989 | February 23, 2023 | 5 |
| Jack White | October 19, 2002 | February 23, 2023 | 5 (as musical guest) |
You may have noticed that Paul Simon’s total number of hosting gigs is only four. However, he has still been depicted as a member of the Five-Timer’s Club in multiple sketches and that might have to do with his numerous musical guest appearances (with Art Garfunkel or solo) and the fact that he is close friends with SNL creator, Lorne Michaels.
Why It’s A Big Deal
Die-hard SNL fans know that there is no actual club in which multi-time hosts like Steve Martin or Candice Bergen sip scotch in custom-made robes in a lounge backstage, but the Five-Timer’s Club does symbolize an achievement of notable importance. Hosting a cultural landmark like SNL is widely recognized as a sign of “making it” -- including for those who do not regularly act -- and being asked to come back at least four more times is a surefire indication of one’s impeccable performing skills, grand sense of humor, compelling onstage charisma, and reliability. Not everybody receives the chance to come back and some people have even been banned from the show, so being a Five-Timer is, most definitely, an honor to be proud of.
If you cannot catch the next induction ceremony as it airs or if you want to relive previous mentions of the Five-Timer’s Club, you can stream Saturday Night Live with a Peacock Premium subscription or even check out some of the show’s most popular sketches on YouTube, as well.
