Saturday Night Live's 15 best double-duty hosts

Show dates: October 18, 1975; November 20, 1976; May 10, 1986; December 19, 1987)

There have been several musicians who also hosted SNL multiple times, but Paul Simon holds the record for most times pulling double-duty with four appearances. (Technically, it’s five if you count the show’s 100th episode in 1980, but many SNL enthusiasts discount that one because of its non-traditional structure.) His first time hosting, on October 18, 1975, was only the second episode of the show. Simon came in and established himself as an early favorite with creator Lorne Michaels, and his willingness to laugh at himself made him an easy scene partner for the cast. The next year, he came back for a Thanksgiving-themed episode in a turkey costume, which has become one of SNL’s most famous moments.

Simon performed a whopping six songs in his first double-duty episode (the format was a lot looser back then), five in his second episode, three in his third (he opened the show with an exceptional “You Can Call Me Al”), and just one in his fourth (The Mariachi Vargas did the other performance). [Jen Lennon]

Show date: February 14, 1981

Debbie Harry had been on SNL once before as a musical guest with her band Blondie in 1979, and by 1981 she was topping the charts, embarking on a solo career, and exploring more acting roles. Unfortunately for Harry, her next appearance came during season six, widely considered one of the worst seasons in SNL’s long history. Still, she gives some solid performances in a couple of film shorts, as well as a surprisingly progressive sketch about a lesbian who gets an unexpected visit from her relatives, the Waxmans (played by Denny Dillon and Gilbert Gottfried). Her sexuality isn’t played for laughs; the joke is on her clueless aunt and uncle. The best bits, of course, are her cover performances of the Teddy Pendergrass hit “Love TKO” and Devo’s “Come Back Jonee.” [Cindy White]

Show date: May 7, 1983

Stevie Wonder showed up to host and perform toward the end of SNL’s eighth season. By that time, Eddie Murphy had already done his Wonder impression on the show several times, so it’s not much of a surprise that the writers put the two of them together in a sketch in a quasi-face-off. That was fun on its own, but the real standout moment from this episode is the digital short about Kannon cameras. Wonder also performed “Go Home” and “Overjoyed,” which he, of course, knocked out of the park. Wonder appeared in six sketches during the show, which is a lot, and he brought something unique to each of them. Given how good he was at hosting, it’s kind of surprising he never got asked to do it again. [Jen Lennon]

Show date: April 15, 1989

Always game for having a little fun, even at her own expense, Dolly Parton showcased her folksy charm as both the host and musical guest in this episode from season 14. Though she’s not known for comedy or improvisation, Parton takes to it quite naturally here. Even when a joke involves a cameraman dangling from a rope to get a shot of her famous cleavage in her opening monologue, or being exiled from the Planet of the Enormous Hooters, she genially plays along like the queen she is. During the musical breaks she also treats us to rousing renditions of “Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That” and “White Limozeen.” In one sketch her “down home spirit” spreads across Manhattan, leading to a final gag that’s unintentionally even more hilarious now—the renaming of Trump Tower to “Don & Ivana’s Cheap Lodgins.” [Cindy White]

Show dates: May 13, 2000; February 2, 2002

Britney Spears has hosted and performed in the same SNL episode twice. The first time, she carried the monologue all by herself; the second time, her then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake showed up in a surprise cameo. But we’ve gotta be honest: her first episode was much better. It’s surprising, given that Timberlake became one of SNL’s most beloved guests, but when he shares the stage with Britney, it just feels like he’s trying to steal the spotlight from the real star. Both episodes are good, but the first one proved that Britney doesn’t need anyone else’s help to shine. She’s got this all on her own.

In her first appearance, she performed “Oops... I Did It Again” (introduced by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who only cameoed for that one small moment), and “Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know.” In her second appearance, she performed “I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman” and “Boys.” [Jen Lennon]

Show date: April 10, 2004

Though Maya Rudolph made numerous appearances as Condoleezza Rice during this season, Janet Jackson took over for her in the role during the cold open, for the purpose of a pretty funny “wardrobe malfunction” punchline referencing Jackson’s infamous Super Bowl mishap just a few months before this episode aired (it’s not the only time it’s mentioned on the show). Opposite Finesse Mitchell’s character Starkisha, Jackson plays a Janet Jackson fan complaining about how expensive Janet Jackson tickets are, and later does a pretty good Paula Abdul impression. During her musical segment, she still finds the stamina to perform “All Nite (Don’t Stop)” and “Strawberry Bounce” with full choreography. But the most memorable moments from this episode happen during the “cork soakers” sketch, where Jackson can’t seem to get the tongue twister out without cracking up. [Cindy White]

Show dates: October 11, 2003; December 16, 2006; March 9, 2013

One of just two recurring musical guest hosts to be a member of the “Five Timers Club” (the other being Paul Simon), Justin Timberlake was so good at hosting his first time around that he was invited back twice more to do double duty. That’s not even counting the times he was pulled into sketches when he was just the musical guest. Timberlake always manages to match the energy of even the most seasoned cast members, since he’s equally capable of playing it straight or over-the-top. He can do impressions (Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Simpson, Michael Bolton, Elton John), and even has his own recurring characters, including the Dancing Mascot, who ended each scene with a jingle, “Bring it on down to [insert name of establishment].” And of course, there’s the instantly iconic “Dick in a Box” video, one of the most popular SNL digital shorts ever. Is there anything Timberlake can’t do? Maybe go a full episode without breaking character, but other than that he’s always a welcome presence on the SNL stage. [Cindy White]

Show date: November 7, 2009

When Taylor Swift hosted SNL in 2009, she was just beginning to take over pop music. Her musical monologue reflects the public perception of her at the time—a young, talented singer whom it was basically impossible not to like. Throughout the episode, Swift dives into her roles, including a surprisingly on-point impression of Kate Gosselin. She also appears in nearly every sketch, which is a pretty good sign the writers and cast were impressed with her. Though Swift has come back as a musical guest several times since, she’s never hosted again, which is a shame. She performed “You Belong With Me” and “Untouchable” on her one double-duty showcase. [Jen Lennon]

Show date: April 2, 2011

In Elton John’s first appearance on SNL in nearly 30 years, he came back to host and perform. It was a step up from his previous appearance, when he was just the musical guest. The really wonderful thing about John’s 2011 double-duty performance is that he knows exactly who he is, and there’s none of the performative gamesmanship that you sometimes get with younger hosts who feel like they need to prove themselves. He leans into the dad jokes in his opening monologue, and he even holds his own in the sketches where he performs with Tom Hanks, who showed up for a guest cameo. He probably could’ve sung nursery rhymes for his musical portion and gotten away with it, but instead, he performed excellent renditions of “Hey Ahab” and “Monkey Suit.” [Jen Lennon]

Show date: October 20, 2012

In his opening monologue, Bruno Mars confesses that he’s nervous about his role as host, then breaks into an upbeat, confident musical number that sets the tone for the rest of the episode. If that insecurity was real, he got over it pretty quickly. His likable persona translates well from the concert stage to the comedy stage, and he seems to have a blast taking on a number of characters, including a Pandora intern who can do spot-on singing impressions of everyone from Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong to Michael Jackson. In a surprisingly touching digital short he gets a chance to act opposite Jason Sudeikis as a sad guy in a patriotic mouse costume wandering around Times Square. In his segment as musical guest he performs his hits “Locked Out Of Heaven” and “Young Girls,” reminding us of his day job as a superstar singer/songwriter, in case we’d forgotten. He was just that good. [Cindy White]

Show date: November 16, 2013

Lady Gaga had already been the musical guest on SNL twice before she was asked to host and perform in 2013. She’d just had a small part in Machete Kills the month before, but hadn’t yet taken on any major acting roles, so it was a surprise to see her pull off a pretty spot-on impression of Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. Gaga didn’t appear in many sketches, but she nailed the ones she was given. She also performed “Do What U Want” with R. Kelly (she later apologized for the collaboration) and “Gypsy.” [Jen Lennon]

Show dates: January 18, 2014; May 14, 2016

Drake got a chance to be both a host and musical guest twice within two years, a feat accomplished by only one other performer so far (that would be Britney Spears in 2000 and 2002, of course). The show used him sparingly, but effectively. Many of his sketches involved music or rap, and he pulled out a few pretty good impressions of other rappers, but he was also funny playing characters like a goofy dad, a talk show host, and a contestant on Black Jeopardy! That’s not too surprising, considering the Canadian performer got his start as an actor on Degrassi: The Next Generation. He even pokes fun at his own image. In his second monologue he sings a hilarious song about how he’s “More Than A Meme.”

His numbers during the official musical segment include “Started From The Bottom,” “Trophies,” “Hold On We’re Going Home,” and “From Time” (a duet with Jhené Aiko) in his first outing, and “One Dance” and “Hype” in his second. Killing it once would have been enough, but by coming back and doing it a second time Drake proved it wasn’t just a fluke. [Cindy White]

Show date: March 12, 2016

Ariana Grande’s standout “Tidal” sketch might just be Bruno Mars’ “Pandora” with a slightly different skin, but it’s hard to get mad about the semi-recycled material when she’s so damn good at impressions. She’d shown off her vocal talents on late-night shows before, but something about this environment really amps up the difficulty level—and she absolutely rises to the challenge. As with other musicians who got their start acting (like Drake), it wasn’t too much of a surprise that Grande adapted to sketch comedy so well. But the energy she brought made her one of the best double-duty SNL hosts—and it didn’t even throw her off when Larry David flubbed her name as he introduced her performance of “Dangerous Woman.” Later in the show, she also performed “Be Alright.” [Jen Lennon]

Show date: May 5, 2018

Unlike many of SNL’s musical guest hosts who were musicians first and comedians second (sometimes a very, very distant second), Donald Glover was already a well-established actor before he hosted SNL. His musical persona Childish Gambino was less well known, but he was given the opportunity to show both sides in this episode from 2018, timed to the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story. It was a full-circle moment for Glover, who had auditioned for the show twice in the past and been rejected both times. If he was out to prove what a mistake it was not to hire him back then, mission accomplished. He spoofs his Star Wars role as young Lando Calrissian, asking “Where the hell are all the Black people in space?” There are also a handful of superb digital shorts, including “A Kanye Place,” based on A Quiet Place; “’80s Music Video,” in which he played R&B singer Raz P. Berry; and “Friendos,” a sendup of Glover’s pals Migos that featured a cameo by A$AP Rocky. But his savviest move of the night was using the show as a platform to debut two powerful new Childish Gambino tracks, “Saturday” and “This Is America.” In the wake of those past rejections, it was Glover who got the last laugh. [Cindy White]

Show date: April 16, 2002

Lizzo brought her endless charm and positivity to SNL when she pulled double duty in 2022, even introducing her own performance of “About Damn Time.” (In a very cute moment, her mom introduced her second performance, “Special.”) She twerked and played the flute in the “Orchestra” sketch, and gamely appeared in several others, including the “Lizzo Has Writer’s Block” digital short from Please Don’t Destroy. While she did break a few times, it was clear that Lizzo was up for everything SNL threw at her. [Jen Lennon]