15 Stars Who Have Hosted SNL The Most Times

Hosting "Saturday Night Live" must be a lot of fun, because these celebrities have come back to do it a whole bunch of times.

NBC's sketch comedy institution wrapped up its 51st season this past week, with former cast member Will Ferrell returning to host for the sixth time. That puts him in some very select company, even more select than the vaunted "SNL" Five-Timers Club. Only 15 performers have hosted "SNL" six times or more across its half-century history, and that list includes both the mega-stars of today and comedy icons of yesteryear.

With another season of "Saturday Night Live" now in the books, we thought we'd see who "SNL" head honcho Lorne Michaels must have on speed-dial and look back at the stars who've hosted the show the most times. Read on to see who made the top 15, ordered from the least times hosting to the most, and then hit the comments below and tell us: Who's your favorite "SNL" host from this group?

Ferrell had a leg up on other "SNL" hosts: He already knew how to get to Studio 8H. Ferrell joined the show as a cast member in 1995 and became a instant favorite with impressions like Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray and U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. He remained with "SNL" for seven years, departing in 2002 for a movie career that included hits like "Old School," "Elf," and "Anchorman."

Ferrell returned to host "SNL" for the first time in 2005, earning Five-Timers Club status with his 2019 stint. He most recently hosted this month's Season 51 finale, with musical guest Paul McCartney.

It's hard to remember sometimes that McCarthy was never actually a cast member on "SNL," maybe because her hosting appearances have been so memorable. (In fact, she won an Emmy in 2017 for her "SNL" hosting gig.) McCarthy debuted as "SNL" host in October 2011, just a few months after her breakout film role in "Bridesmaids." Since then, she's become such a staple that she even has her own recurring characters, like volatile women's basketball coach Sheila Kelly.

Her six times hosting don't even count the numerous cameos she's made on the show, including a string of appearances as White House spokesman Sean Spicer in 2017. McCarthy most recently hosted "SNL" in Season 51, with musical guest Dijon.

The stand-up comic was never a full-time "SNL" cast member, but he knows the hallways around Studio 8H very well by now. Mulaney was a writer on "SNL" from 2008 to 2013, even co-creating the iconic Weekend Update character Stefon with Bill Hader.

Mulaney first hosted "SNL" in 2018 and has become a frequent presence on the show ever since, with his surreal musical sketch "Diner Lobster" turning into a recurring gag with multiple variations. Mulaney joined the Five-Timers Club in less than four years, with his most recent hosting stint coming in Season 50, with musical guest Chappell Roan.

Like Will Ferrell, Fey is more than familiar with the inner workings of "Saturday Night Live." Fey began working for "SNL" in 1997, first as a writer and then as a cast member. She worked her way up to the position of head writer and also served as Weekend Update anchor, first with Jimmy Fallon and then with Amy Poehler, before leaving the show in 2006.

Buoyed by the success of her NBC sitcom "30 Rock," Fey returned to host "SNL" for the first time in 2008, also making more than a dozen cameos — including her famous stint as VP candidate Sarah Palin — as well as appearing on the show's 40th anniversary and 50th anniversary specials. Her most recent hosting gig came in May 2018, with musical guest Nicki Minaj. Plus, she has the distinction of being the very first guest host of "Saturday Night Live UK" when it debuted on British network Sky earlier this year. (We'll give her bonus points for that.)

Barrymore got started earlier than any other "SNL" host in history. She first took on the hosting gig in November 1982, when she was just seven years old (!), while her movie "E.T." was a box-office smash. It took a decade and a half for her to get invited back, but she did return to the "SNL" stage in 1999 and earned a spot in the Five-Timers Club in 2007. Most recently, she hosted in 2009 with musical guest Regina Spektor.

Back when he was still playing loudmouth Louie De Palma on "Taxi," DeVito made his "SNL" hosting debut in 1982. (The following year, he co-hosted an episode with his wife and "Cheers" star Rhea Perlman.) He hasn't returned as host this century, though, with his most recent hosting stint coming in 1999, with musical guest R.E.M. But he did make a cameo in a 2011 episode hosted by his "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" co-star Charlie Day.

Today's TV fans might know Gould best as Ross and Monica's father Jack Geller on "Friends." But back in the '70s, Gould was a certified leading man in the movies, with starring roles in "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," "M*A*S*H" (which inspired the hit TV show), and "California Split." He first graced the "SNL" stage in 1976 as host during the show's very first season.

He became a regular presence at Studio 8H, racking up six hosting appearances in the next four years. He hasn't hosted the show since 1980, but he did make a cameo in a 2022 episode to welcome John Mulaney — his co-star on the Fox sitcom "Mulaney" — to the "SNL" Five-Timers Club.

Johansson made her "SNL" debut back in 2006 when she was still an indie film darling, starring in Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" and Woody Allen's "Match Point." Then she entered her Marvel era, playing Black Widow in the "Avengers" movies and returning to the "SNL" stage multiple times in the 2010s. With her most recent hosting stint in 2025, Johansson set a record for the most appearances by a female host in "SNL" history.

It also helps that she's married to "SNL" cast member and Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost, with the two getting hitched in 2020. She's made several non-hosting cameos on "SNL" in recent years, too, often to play President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka.

Got a fever? The only prescription is more Christopher Walken, and "SNL" has thankfully kept us on a steady regimen of Walken hosting gigs since the Oscar winner made his debut on the show in 1990. Walken has become one of the more memorable hosts in "SNL" history, giving us unforgettable roles like Blue Oyster Cult producer Bruce Dickinson (who insisted on "More cowbell!") to the seductive gentleman at the center of "The Continental."

Walken's distinctive manner of speaking has inspired a number of "SNL" parodies over the years as well, leading to a 2008 sketch where Walken himself attended a "Walken family reunion" with cast members all doing their best Walken impressions. He most recently hosted in 2008, with musical guest Panic! at the Disco.

Why has this guy returned to his old "SNL" stomping grounds so many times? Simply put, because he's Chevy Chase, and you're not. Chase was one of the original Not Ready for Prime-Time Players when "Saturday Night Live" debuted on NBC in 1975, and he quickly became a breakout star with his Weekend Update one-liners and his pratfall-prone impression of President Gerald Ford.

Chase left "SNL" midway through its second season to pursue a film career that led to hits like "Caddyshack" and "National Lampoon's Vacation." But he returned to Studio 8H to host, starting with a February 1978 episode. (Legend has it that he and Bill Murray, who replaced him in the cast, got into a physical fight right before that episode began airing.)

Chase was a regular "SNL" host throughout the 1980s, but he hasn't hosted an episode since February 1997. He has made several cameos since then, though, including an appearance at the 40th anniversary special in 2015.

Back before all the Oscars and acclaim, when he was still just the star of "Splash," Hanks made his "Saturday Night Live" hosting debut in December 1985, with musical guest Sade. The actor then did a speed-run on his way to the Five-Timers Club, earning the accolade in just five years with a December 1990 episode that saw the first-ever "Five-Timers Club" sketch. ("SNL" veterans Steve Martin, Paul Simon, and Elliott Gould welcomed Hanks to the club.)

Hanks has been on "SNL" so many times, he has his own recurring characters like the infamously not-scary Halloween ghoul David S. Pumpkins ("Any questions?") and red hat-wearing "Black Jeopardy!" contestant Doug — both of which sprung from the same October 2016 episode, for the record. He hit double digits with his most recent hosting gig in April 2020, with the whole show being performed remotely over Zoom due to the COVID pandemic.

Young "Saturday Night Live" fans may not be familiar with Henry's work, but he's a comedy legend, co-writing "The Graduate" with Mike Nichols and co-creating "Get Smart" with Mel Brooks. Henry debuted as "SNL" host during its first season and soon became something of an honorary cast member, hosting 10 times in the first five seasons. (He also had the honor of hosting the "SNL" season finale each year from Seasons 2 through 5.)

Henry made his last "SNL" hosting appearance in 1980, and he passed away in 2020 at the age of 89. But late in life, he did appear alongside "SNL" vet Tina Fey on her NBC sitcom "30 Rock," playing Dick, the father of Fey's character Liz Lemon.

Goodman actually auditioned for "SNL" back in 1980, so it's no surprise that he eventually found himself back on stage at Studio 8H. He made his hosting debut in 1989, a year after he landed his breakout role as hubby Dan Conner on ABC's "Roseanne."

Since then, he's hosted the show more than a dozen times, not including the multiple cameos he made in the late '90s to play Lewinsky scandal figure Linda Tripp. Goodman most recently hosted "SNL" in 2013, with musical guest Kings of Leon.

If you actually think Steve Martin was an "SNL" cast member at one point, it's an understandable mistake. Martin is as much a part of "SNL" history as any Not Ready for Prime-Time Player, first hosting the show in Season 2 and teaming up with Dan Aykroyd a year later to play the party-loving "Wild and Crazy Guys." He also debuted the novelty song "King Tut" on "SNL," which became an unlikely hit in 1978.

Martin logged seven "SNL" episodes as host during the '70s alone and remained a fixture in the decades that followed, returning to host multiple times in the '80s, '90s, and '00s. He popped in for many cameos over the years as well, including delivering the opening monologue in last year's "SNL" 50th anniversary special. He most recently hosted "SNL" in 2022 alongside his "Only Murders in the Building" co-star Martin Short.

We've arrived at the Big Kahuna: the all-time leader in "SNL" hosting gigs. Alec Baldwin may not seem like an "SNL" natural — he first made a name for himself on the big screen in dramas like "The Hunt for Red October" and "Glengarry Glen Ross" — but he fit right in with the cast when he first hosted in 1990 and hasn't looked back since.

Baldwin has provided as many memorable "SNL" moments as nearly any full-time cast member, with iconic characters like Pete Schwetty (of "Schwetty Balls" fame) and impressions like classic crooner Tony Bennett. In fact, he practically became a cast member in 2016 playing then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, appearing in nearly every episode that season and winning an Emmy for the role. Baldwin's ease as "SNL" host led to another Emmy-winning role for him as well, starring with "SNL" alum Tina Fey on the NBC sitcom "30 Rock." 

It's been nearly a decade since Baldwin hosted the show, last doing so in February 2017, with musical guest Ed Sheeran. But as of now, he still sits at the mountaintop of all "SNL" hosts.