A star-studded group of veteran âSaturday Night Liveâ guest hosts were on hand this evening to welcome Kristen Wiig into the âFive-Timers Club.â But much to Wiigâs chagrin, most of them havenât matched her feat of actually hosting âSNLâ five times.
The former âSaturday Night Liveâ cast member made her fifth appearance as host â having previously hit the stage in 2013, 2016 and twice in 2020.
The stolen âSNLâ valor actually began with a legit five-timer: Paul Rudd, on hand to welcome her from the audience. (Also welcoming Wiig: Her former colleague Paula Pell, a one-time âSNLâ writer).
âAs a former cast member, it is very special,â Wiig said. âIâm really excited about getting my jacket tonight⊠they donât just hand the jackets off to anyone.â
Well, not quite. Soon more stars came out: Matt Damon, Jon Hamm, Martin Short, Will Forte, Fred Armisen, Martin Short and Ryan Gosling. None of whom haven actually hosted five times yet.
Damon, who has only hosted twice, noted, âLorne [Michaels] said the first time I hosted was so good, it accounted for three â and then second time not quite as good that only counted for two,â Damon said. âBut by my math, thatâs five. Maybe.â
Said Hamm, who has hosted three times â âthe last time was in 2010 but Iâm sure the fourth one is coming up, right Lorne?â
Responded Wiig: âWhat is going on here? I mean, I was really excited about being in the Five-Timers Club but now it just seems like I donât know. Itâs not even that special.â
Then came Gosling â who also hasnât hosted five times, but actually was showing up a week early (heâs set to serve as next weekâs host). When Wiig protested at Goslingâs premature Five-Timers jacket, Michaels nodded at Gosling not to worry about it.
The guests werenât just there for cameos in the open; Hamm appeared in a sketch parodying 1960s office culture â not playing Don Draper, but definitely revisiting the old âMad Menâ vibe. In a retirement party sketch, Rudd showed up as part of the cheesy âGits & Shigglesâ group while Armisen played a creepy co-worker, Damon apeared as himself (identifying himself the star of âThe Legend of Bagger Vanceâ) and Forte was seen in character as the creepy âstep-nephew of the events coordinator.â
âSaturday Night Liveâ opened this weekâs episode with a bit of March Madness fever â in particular, the womenâs tournament. This weekâs cold open started out with a parody of TBSâ NCAA basketball team of Ernie Johnson (James Austin Johnson), Kenny Smith (Devon Walker) and Charles Barkley (Kenan Thompson). Also appearing in the sketch: Heidi Gardner, as LSU coach Kim Mulkey.
âIâm just gonna admit. I am not an expert on college basketball,â Thompson-as-Barkley admitted. âI am much more comfortable on my other show, you know, the one on CNN with Gayle King. Where I talk about immigration and the war on the Ukrainian.â The group all then agreed that this yearâs womenâs tournament was more exciting than the menâs brackets.
Wiig, who was a âSaturday Night Liveâ cast member from 2005 to 2012, currently stars in and executive produces the new Apple TV+ series âPalm Royale,â which premiered on March 20. Sheâs also back voicing Lucy in âDespicable Me 4â and can be seen in Target commercials playing her âSNLâ character Target Lady.
The musical guest on Saturday night is Raye, a British singer-songwriter who in 2024 set a record by winning six Brit Awards in one year. This marks her âSNLâ debut.Â
Wiig is the third former âSNLâ cast member to host this season, following Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon. (Wiig also made an appearance earlier this season, on McKinnonâs episode in December).
Wiig joins the roster of Season 49 hosts that include Pete Davidson (Oct. 14), Bad Bunny (Oct. 21), Nate Bargatze (Oct. 28), Timothée Chalamet (Nov. 11), Jason Momoa (Nov. 18), Emma Stone (Dec. 2), Adam Driver (Dec. 9), Kate McKinnon (Dec. 16), Jacob Elordi (Jan. 20), Dakota Johnson (Jan. 27), Ayo Edibiri (Feb. 3), Shane Gillis (Feb. 24), Sydney Sweeney (March 2), Josh Brolin (March 9) and Ramy Youssef (March 30).
Besides Raye, music guests this season include Ice Spice (Oct. 14), Bad Bunny (Oct. 21), Foo Fighters (Oct. 28), Boygenius (Nov. 11), Tate McRae (Nov. 18), Noah Kahan (Dec. 2), Olivia Rodrigo (Dec. 9), Billie Eilish (Dec. 16), Reneé Rapp (Jan. 20), Justin Timberlake (Jan. 27), Jennifer Lopez (Feb. 3), 21 Savage (Feb. 24), Kacey Musgraves (March 2), Ariana Grande (March 9) and Travis Scott (March 30).
Next up, Ryan Gosling is set to host the April 13 episode of âSaturday Night Live,â with musical guest Chris Stapleton.