Kristen Wiig Joins SNL’s Five-Timers Club with Cameos from Ryan Gosling, Matt Damon, Paul Rudd and More

Jon Hamm, Martin Short, Fred Armisen, Will Forte and Kaia Gerber also made guest appearances as Wiig hosted the show for the fifth time over the weekend

Kristen Wiig Five-Timers Monologue - SNL
Photo:

Saturday Night Live/YouTube

Isn’t that “classic” Kristen Wiig

The Bridesmaids actress and former Saturday Night Live cast member, 50, hosted the late-night comedy show this weekend for her fifth time, joining the ever-growing ranks of stars who have also hosted the sketch show five times or more in its 48-year history. 

And as well as musical guest RAYE — who performed tracks "Escapism," and "Worth It" — she had plenty of guest stars on hand to help her celebrate!

During Wiig's monologue, for which she wore a chic black, corset top and black pants, the host was joined by a raft of celebrities, from Paul Rudd, to Matt Damon, Jon Hamm, Martin Short, Fred Armisen, Will Forte and none other than Ryan Gosling.

The actress and comedian began by telling the audience she was "so happy to be back" and "so excited" to be hosting SNL for the fifth time as it meant she was "officially in the five-timers club." However, it wasn't long before her excitement about the achievement was somewhat dimmed by a series of starry interruptions.

After greeting the show's band, Wiig continued, only to have Rudd, 55, chime in from the audience, to reveal to the actress that she would be getting her "five-timers jacket." The actor himself wore one of the special robes, which had with the number five on the breast, to mark having also hosted the show five times. Wiig began to explain that she was excited about getting her jacket before she was interrupted again by an audience question, this time from Paula Pell.

Next up came a query from Damon, 53, who appeared to the delight of the audience and told Wiig he "grew up watching" her on SNL. Wearing a "five-timers" jacket, the actor explained that he'd hosted twice but that show creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels had deemed the first gig worth three and the second worth two, meaning he had technically hosted a total of five times.

An increasingly disgruntled Wiig then threw to Michaels, asking if everyone was getting a five timers jacket, regardless of how many times they had hosted the show. A quick camera cut showed Michaels, 79, on stage with Hamm, 53, Short, 74, Armisen, 57, and Forte, 53, all wearing the same jackets as Rudd and Damon as Forte explained of the actors on stage: "together we've hosted five times."

A somewhat dejected Wiig then told the audience that being in the five-timers club seemed "not even that special," before Damon offered her his jacket, which she politely declined. The actor then tried to comfort Wiig by incorrectly claiming she was the youngest and first female five-timers club member — actress Emma Stone being the one who holds both of those titles.

Ryan Gosling in Kristen Wiig Five-Timers Monologue - SNL
Ryan Gosling and Lorne Michaels on the April 6 episode of 'Saturday Night Live'.

Saturday Night Live/YouTube

The group of guys then began to serenade Wiig together, though as she joined in, Forte interrupted proceedings to point out Gosling, 43, on the side of the stage, being given a "five-timers" jacket by Michaels despite only hosting twice. The actor then joined the group on stage to deliver Wiig's jacket to her, as the monologue concluded with the whole group singing, "This is your night!"

Elsewhere in the show, model Kaia Gerber made a surprise appearance in a skit named "Pilates," a trailer for a mock horror about going to pilates class, described as "a chilling new look at girl horror." Wiig plays a slightly terrifying instructor in the dimly lit exercise studio, while Gerber, 22, appears to say that the apparently difficult moves are "randomly so easy."

Rudd, Damon, Forte and Harmisen also appeared again in a sketch with Wiig and other SNL cast members about a retirement party that goes awry, while Hamm popped up in a skit titled "Secretaries," which saw him as a businessman alongside Wiig's secretary character, Tooty, as chaos ensued in their office.

Wiig's latest SNL hosting gig means she now finds herself in good company. There are 25 other Saturday Night Live Five-Timers, including Tom Hanks, Bill Murray and the club’s youngest inductee, Stone. 

Hanks officially introduced the Five-Timers Club on air for the first time during a 1990 episode he hosted, in which he was “inducted” to the club by Steve Martin, Paul Simon and Elliott Gould, according to NBC. In the episode, Hanks received a now-famous Five-Timers club “robe,” emblazoned with a crest aptly featuring a golden number "five."

Kristen Wiig attends PaleyLive - Kristen Wiig & Carol Burnett: A Night With Apple TV+'s Palm Royale at The Paley Museum on March 26, 2024 in New York City.
Kristen Wiig attends PaleyLive - Kristen Wiig & Carol Burnett: A Night With Apple TV+'s Palm Royale at The Paley Museum on March 26, 2024 in New York City.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Wiig was also a cast member on SNL from from 2005 to 2012, appearing as a regular on the show’s 31st through 37th seasons. 

During her time on SNL, Wiig received rave reviews (as well as a few Emmy nominations) for playing a wide range of quirky characters, like bubble-haired Gilly, a rambunctiously mischievous elementary schooler known for causing classroom commotion and Judy Grimes, a nervous travel writer who’s always “just kidding!”

Earlier this week, before her appearance on the show, Wiig revisited one of her most beloved characters — the one who landed her a spot on SNL — the Target Lady, in an ad for Target’s Circle Week and the retailer's Target Circle membership. 

In a series of 12 new ad spots for the company, created in partnership with former SNL writer James Anderson and director Tom Kuntz, Wiig is “on the clock and ready to rock” as she pesters customers and uses a checkout counter as a treadmill, all while spreading her obsessive excitement for Target. 

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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