On February 25, 2023, Woody Harrelson hosted Saturday Night Live for the fifth time, becoming the newest member of its famed Five-Timers Club. He brought the roster total to 24, though one entry does come with an asterisk: Paul Simon has technically only hosted four times. But he’s been the musical guest nine times and showed up in special appearances another five times, so he’s widely considered a card-carrying FTC member. He even helped induct two other hosts—Tom Hanks and Justin Timberlake—into the exclusive circle.
As People reports, it was Hanks who first “revealed” the existence of the Five-Timers Club during his 1990 monologue, which, in addition to Simon, also included Steve Martin and Elliott Gould. They both had hosted the show five times at that point, but they weren’t the only ones: Buck Henry, Chevy Chase, and Candice Bergen had already reached the milestone, too.
Since then, nearly 20 others have joined them. The performers range from former cast members like Bill Murray, Tina Fey, and Will Ferrell to celebrities who just keep getting invited back. Alec Baldwin has taken center stage 17 times and appeared as a special guest in several other episodes.
If someone’s coming up on their fifth hosting gig these days, you can pretty much count on cameos from at least a couple existing FTC members in the episode. Fey and Martin pop up fairly frequently, dressed of course in the club’s trademark smoking jackets. Harrelson received his jacket from 2017 FTC inductee Scarlett Johansson.
Explore the full list below, complete with “induction” sketches and other highlights from the hosts’ SNL tenure.
Joined the club: November 19, 1977
Number of times hosting: 10
Joined the club: April 22, 1978
Number of times hosting: 16
Joined the club: February 15, 1980
Number of times hosting: 6
Joined the club: May 10, 1986
Number of times hosting: 4
Joined the club: December 6, 1986
Number of times hosting: 8
Joined the club: May 19, 1990
Number of times hosting: 5
Joined the club: December 8, 1990
Number of times hosting: 10
Joined the club: January 9, 1993
Number of times hosting: 6
Joined the club: May 7, 1994
Number of times hosting: 13
Joined the club: December 10, 1994
Number of times hosting: 17
Joined the club: February 20, 1999
Number of times hosting: 5
Joined the club: May 19, 2001
Number of times hosting: 7
Joined the club: February 3, 2007
Number of times hosting: 6
Joined the club: March 9, 2013
Number of times hosting: 5
Joined the club: May 18, 2013
Number of times hosting: 5
Joined the club: December 9, 2015
Number of times hosting: 6
Joined the club: March 11, 2017
Number of times hosting: 6
Joined the club: May 13, 2017
Number of times hosting: 5
Joined the club: May 20, 2017
Number of times hosting: 5
Joined the club: November 3, 2018
Number of times hosting: 5
Joined the club: November 23, 2019
Number of times hosting: 5
Joined the club: December 18, 2021
Number of times hosting: 5
Joined the club: February 26, 2022
Number of times hosting: 5
Joined the club: February 25, 2023
Number of times hosting: 5
A version of this story ran in 2022; it has been updated for 2023.
Ellen Gutoskey
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