Kristen Wiig was inducted into the esteemed “Saturday Night Live” five-timers club with grandeur this weekend. Hosting the iconic NBC sketch show for the fifth time, she was joined by an array of prominent celebrities.
Matt Damon, Ryan Gosling, Jon Hamm, Martin Short, Paul Rudd, Will Forte, Fred Armisen, and the iconic “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels – who seldom appears on-screen – all graced this week’s episode. Together, they presented Wiig with her exclusive dark blue velvet members-only jacket.
As Wiig anticipated receiving the accolade, Rudd, sporting one of the jackets himself, playfully interrupted. He mentioned hearing a rumor about Wiig potentially participating in a “five-timer sketch featuring remarkable celebrity cameos” and inquired about the existence of a script for it.
Wiig bashfully responded, “Apologies, I don’t believe we’re planning one of those…”
Paula Pell, a veteran former “SNL” scriptwriter, also showed up, jesting that she finds Wiig's excitement over the jacket amusing, comparing it to something as commonplace as “free maxi pads.”
Damon then entered the scene adorned in a five-timer jacket, causing Wiig confusion since he's only hosted twice. However, he quipped, “Lorne mentioned my first hosting was so stellar, it counted thrice,” and his second stint, though not as remarkable, still counted double – according to Lorne's calculations, “that’s five, baby.”
Wiig teased that it “hardly seems just” for Damon to receive a jacket with just two hosting gigs. “I earned this, right? Doesn’t this jacket hold any significance anymore?”
Hamm, Forte, Short, and Armisen subsequently materialized, all donning five-timers club jackets, encircling Michaels. This further frustrated Wiig as none of them have hosted five times.
“Yeah, but together we’ve hosted five times,” Forte said.
Feeling disheartened, Wiig expressed that her induction didn’t seem particularly "exceptional" anymore. But Damon returned, reassuring her, “You truly should be proud of yourself.” With a touch of humor, he claimed Wiig as the youngest to join, which she refuted, noting Emma Stone's recent induction. Damon nonsensically asserted Wiig as the first woman to join.
Eventually, all of Wiig’s esteemed guests gathered onstage for a heartfelt song. “One thing I know is true, I owe it all to each of you,” Wiig sang before being interrupted once more, this time by next week’s host, Gosling.
The "Barbie" lead, bewildered by his own jacket, stood beside Michaels on stage. “Are you certain?” he queried Michaels, who nodded. “I haven’t even hosted thrice yet, seems rather unfair,” he remarked.
Rushing over, Gosling bestowed upon Wiig her own jacket, even meticulously lint-rolling it for her.
Wiig now joins Rudd, Stone, Hanks, Martin, Fey, Ferrell, Affleck, and McCarthy in the esteemed club.
The “Palm Royale” actor spent seven years on “SNL” between 2005 and 2012. After departing as a regular, she returned to host in 2013, 2016, and twice in 2020.
Gosling is slated to helm the upcoming episode of “SNL” on April 13, featuring Chris Stapleton as the musical guest.
