Who holds the SNL record for most times hosting, with 17 appearances?

Alec Baldwin holds SNL’s record for most hosting appearances, with 17 episodes hosted since his first appearance in 1990. His frequent returns made him one of the show’s most recognizable celebrity hosts, even though he was never a regular cast member.

Baldwin first hosted on April 21, 1990, and reached his fifth hosting appearance in December 1994, making him a member of the informal Five-Timers Club. He eventually passed Steve Martin, who had hosted 16 times, to claim the record. Baldwin’s hosting appearances have included sketches across several decades and different eras of the cast.

Tom Hanks, John Goodman, and Steve Martin are common mix-ups because all are frequent SNL hosts. Martin is especially easy to confuse with Baldwin because he held the hosting record before Baldwin surpassed him. Baldwin’s later appearances also included his widely recognized parody of Donald Trump, but that impersonation is separate from his hosting record.