Richest Saturday Night Live Five-Timers Club Hosts
The Five-Timers Club on “Saturday Night Live” may be a fictional lounge created for comedy, but the achievement behind it is very real. Since SNL premiered in 1975, only a select group of celebrities have been invited back to host the show again and again.
These repeat “Saturday Night Live” hosts are often more than famous names. Many are beloved by the cast, trusted by producers and adored by audiences. Their long careers in film, television, comedy and writing have also helped them build impressive fortunes over the years.
10. Buck Henry
Dima Gavrysh / AP Photo
Number of SNL appearances: 10
Net worth: $3 million (deceased)
Bottom line: In the early years of “Saturday Night Live,” Buck Henry was one of the show’s most dependable and admired hosts. The actor, writer and director brought dry humor, sharp timing and understated wit to every appearance.
Henry was already a respected Hollywood figure before becoming closely associated with SNL. He co-wrote the classic film “The Graduate” and co-created the television series “Get Smart” with Mel Brooks. He appeared on “Saturday Night Live” multiple times between 1976 and 1980, helping define the tone of the show’s early era.
Henry died in 2020 at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy as one of SNL’s original recurring hosting favorites.
9. Elliot Gould
Chris Pizzello / Invision/AP Photo
Number of SNL appearances: 6
Net worth: $10 million
Bottom line: Modern audiences may recognize Elliot Gould as Reuben in the “Ocean’s 11” film franchise alongside Brad Pitt and George Clooney, or as Ezra Goldman on Showtime’s “Ray Donovan.” Long before those roles, however, Gould was one of the defining leading men of the 1970s.
His film credits include “Bob, Carol, Ted and Alice,” “M*A*S*H,” “The Long Goodbye” and “California Split.” He was also famously married to Barbra Streisand. Gould’s relaxed screen presence and offbeat comic style made him a natural fit for “Saturday Night Live.”
He returned to the SNL spotlight in February 2022 during a sketch that welcomed John Mulaney into the Five-Timers Club.
8. John Goodman
Richard Shotwell / Invision/AP Photo
Number of SNL appearances: 13
Net worth: $45 million
Bottom line: John Goodman has been a powerful presence in movies and television for decades. He is best known to many viewers for his role in “Roseanne” and “The Conners,” while film fans know him from “Barton Fink,” “Raising Arizona,” “The Big Lebowski” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Goodman’s size, voice and comic instincts made him a natural fit for SNL sketches. Among his memorable appearances were characters such as “Monologue Cop,” who interrupted opening monologues to enforce time limits, and “Big Daddy” in the “Killer Bees” sketches.
His many appearances on “Saturday Night Live” helped establish him as one of the show’s most reliable and popular recurring hosts.
7. Christopher Walken
Dima Gavrysh / AP Photo
Number of SNL appearances: 7
Net worth: $50 million
Bottom line: Christopher Walken has built a career on unforgettable performances and a truly distinctive delivery. His film roles range from “The Deer Hunter,” for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, to “Pulp Fiction,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “True Romance” and “Hairspray,” where he played Wilbur Turnblad.
Before becoming a celebrated actor, Walken was also a dancer, and that background often finds its way into his performances. He famously showed off his moves in Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” music video.
On “Saturday Night Live,” Walken is remembered for sketches such as “The Continental,” in which he played a smooth but awkward ladies’ man, and “More Cowbell,” where he portrayed a music producer obsessed with adding more cowbell to Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”
6. Chevy Chase
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Number of SNL appearances: 8
Net worth: $50 million
Bottom line: “Hi, I’m Chevy Chase, and you’re not” became one of the signature lines of SNL’s earliest years. Chase was an original member of the “Saturday Night Live” cast and helped define “Weekend Update” during the show’s first season.
After leaving SNL, Chase became a major film star with leading roles in National Lampoon’s “Vacation” movies, “Fletch” and other comedies. His deadpan delivery and physical humor made him one of the most recognizable comedy actors of his generation.
Chase’s history with the show has also been controversial. Reports described difficult behavior toward cast and crew members during some of his hosting appearances. During a 1997 dress rehearsal, he slapped cast member Cheri Oteri and later said it was meant as a joke. SNL creator Lorne Michaels banned him from the show afterward.
5. Alec Baldwin
Jordan Strauss / Invision/AP Photo
Number of SNL appearances: 17
Net worth: $60 million
Bottom line: Alec Baldwin has one of the longest and most visible relationships with “Saturday Night Live.” While he is not the wealthiest celebrity on this list, he has hosted the show more times than almost anyone else.
Baldwin’s SNL run began in 1990, and he quickly became one of the program’s most trusted celebrity hosts. Over the years, he has impersonated several political figures, most notably former President Donald Trump.
He is also remembered for original sketch characters, including the soft-spoken Pete Schweddy, the proud proprietor of Schweddy Balls. Baldwin’s mix of theatrical confidence and willingness to be ridiculous made him a favorite in the SNL universe.
4. Danny DeVito
Danny Moloshok / Invision/AP Photo
Number of SNL appearances: 6
Net worth: $80 million
Bottom line: Danny DeVito first became widely known for playing Louie De Palma on the classic sitcom “Taxi,” a role that earned him both a Golden Globe and an Emmy in the late 1970s. He later built a successful film career with roles in “Batman Returns,” “Throw Momma from the Train” and “Twins.”
DeVito’s compact energy, expressive face and fearless comic style made him an excellent “Saturday Night Live” host. His appearances were mostly during the 1990s, and both audiences and critics responded warmly to his work on the show.
He last appeared on SNL in 2011 alongside Charlie Day, his “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” co-star, who was hosting that episode.
3. Drew Barrymore
Matt Sayles / AP Photo
Number of SNL appearances: 6
Net worth: $125 million
Bottom line: Drew Barrymore is one of the few women associated with the SNL Five-Timers Club. She first hosted “Saturday Night Live” when she was only 7 years old, following her breakout performance in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
Barrymore later returned to host five more times as an adult, including one appearance with then-husband Tom Green in 2000. Her lifelong experience in entertainment gave her the confidence to handle live sketch comedy with charm and ease.
On SNL, she has portrayed figures as different as political commentator Ann Coulter and Marilyn Monroe, showing a wide comic range. Her repeated invitations back to the show reflect both her star power and her ability to connect with live audiences.
2. Steve Martin
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Number of SNL appearances: 17
Net worth: $140 million
Bottom line: Steve Martin began appearing on “Saturday Night Live” in the late 1970s and quickly became one of the most important non-cast performers in the show’s history. In 1978, he performed “King Tut” on SNL, turning the comedy song into a major pop-culture moment. The record sold a million copies and reached the top 20 on the Billboard singles chart.
Martin also teamed with Dan Aykroyd as the Festrunk Brothers, better known as “two wild and crazy guys.” The sketch remains one of the best-known pieces of comedy to come from the show.
In addition to hosting, Martin has written for “Saturday Night Live.” His latest appearance came in December 2022 with his “Only Murders in the Building” co-star Martin Short, who is also a former SNL cast member.
1. Tom Hanks
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Number of SNL appearances: 10
Net worth: $400 million
Bottom line: Tom Hanks has been one of Hollywood’s most successful and respected actors for decades. His starring roles in “Forrest Gump,” “Cast Away,” “Philadelphia” and “Saving Private Ryan” helped make him an award-winning A-list performer with broad appeal.
Hanks has hosted and guest-starred on “Saturday Night Live” several times, and his appearances are often warm, funny and memorable. While he has played many characters on the show, one stands above the rest: David S. Pumpkins.
As David S. Pumpkins, Hanks wears a pumpkin-covered suit and dances beside two skeletons, played by Bobby Moynihan and Mikey Day, during a haunted elevator ride. The joke is that nobody can understand what is supposed to be scary about him.
They never figure it out. David S. Pumpkins is, after all, his own thing.