10 Greatest Double Duty Hosts On Saturday Night Live

Season 51 of Saturday Night Live is ending, capping off a year of sketch comedy that saw the rise of MVP Ashley Padilla and the return of veterans like Amy Poehler. Like any season, three musical artists pulled double duty as host and musical guest for an episode, a club that’s almost as exclusive as the number of celebrities who have hosted SNL at least five times.

Knowing the schedule that Saturday Night Live employs to turn around an episode within a week, it’s all the more impressive when a performer can prove that they’re able to deftly balance comedy acting with show-stopping musical performances. Some incredibly talented figures in the entertainment industry have pulled double duty before: legendary musicians like Mick Jagger, Olivia Newton-John, and Janet Jackson, and even the rare actor like Lily Tomlin and Timothée Chalamet.

Of the 50 performers who have worn both hats in a single episode of Saturday Night Live, only 10 of them have ever made it look like second nature. For them only, we remember their most iconic SNL skits like we remember the words to their biggest songs.

Paul Simon / Paul Simon & George Harrison

Season 2, Episode 8 – Originally Aired November 20, 1976

Paul Simon is a legend in the halls of Studio 8H, despite the singer-songwriter having the weirdest Saturday Night Live hosting record. While he notably hosted the second-ever episode of SNL in 1975, the more iconic of his appearances was a year later, when he hosted and played musical guest, albeit not alone in the latter: he was joined for two songs by a Beatle, George Harrison.

The episode contains one of Simon’s most memorable SNL moments, begrudgingly singing “Still Crazy After All These Years” in a turkey costume. Though his sketch performances are scarce, Simon shines, singing “Here Comes The Sun” and “Homeward Bound” with Harrison. Add in a 1976 cast including all-time greats like John Belushi and Gilda Radner, and it’s easy to see why this episode helped make Simon such a favorite of the show throughout the years.

Dolly Parton

Season 14, Episode 17 – Originally Aired April 15, 1989

How a charismatic singer and actor like Dolly Parton only hosted Saturday Night Live once is a mystery. That being said, her sole appearance on the show was with a cast including Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, and Dana Carvey. Nevertheless, it’s hard to outshine the genre-defining country queen herself, especially when her monologue satirizes the media’s obsession with her… erm… assets.

In addition to performances of “Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That” and “White Limozeen,” the episode also features the debut of Mike Meyers’ recurring sketch “Sprockets” and a sketch in which Parton plays a convenience store cashier whose ice-breakers can turn any customer’s frown upside down. It’s not surprising that Dolly made such a great SNL host, but proving herself the MVP of her own episode shows how deserving her icon status is.

Garth Brooks / Chris Gaines

Season 25, Episode 5 – Originally Aired November 13, 1999

In case you weren’t aware, Garth Brooks isn’t just one of the best country music singers of all time, but “Chris Gaines,” a persona he invented to explore other musical genres, including an SNL musical guest spot on the same episode Brooks hosted. Pulling double-duty for the second time, this episode from 1999 sees Brooks share memorable screen time with Tracy Morgan and Chris Kattan’s Mango.

Among the episode’s best sketches is “Devil Can’t Write a Love Song,” in which Brooks plays an aspiring songwriter who makes a deal with the devil to have a hit, only for Lucifer, played by Will Ferrell, to pitch incredibly corny songs. It’s an all-around great episode in which Brooks not only shines as both host and musical guest but also elevates everyone else on the show in the process.

Justin Timberlake

Season 32, Episode 9 – Originally Aired December 16, 2006

It doesn’t matter if you’re a diehard SNL fanatic or not; you know this episode. Timberlake had already been a double-duty host in 2003, but his 2006 appearance would secure his Five-Timers’ Club jacket. There’s a lot of great stuff from Timberlake here, in addition to performing his hit songs “My Love” and “What Goes Around,” like the always-funny “Homelessville” and incredibly dark “Hip-Hop Kids.”

However, this episode famously includes one of the best SNL holiday sketches: “D–k in a Box.” After this home run of a sketch kills, the episode immediately follows it up with a fan favorite: “The Barry Gibb Talk Show,” with a surprise Jimmy Fallon. It simply doesn’t get hotter than this within a single episode of Saturday Night Live.

Taylor Swift

Season 35, Episode 5 – Originally Aired November 7, 2009

Long before Taylor Swift’s career-defining Eras Tour, she was host and musical guest of Saturday Night Live, fresh off her first big controversy: getting interrupted by Kanye West at the VMAs. Thankfully, she addresses the elephant in the room with her sarcastic “Monologue Song,” poking fun at her dating life, her young age (she was 19 years old here!), and her love of girly things.

In addition to “Monologue Song,” Swift impresses in sketches like “T.R.A.P.P.E.D.,” playing a teen raising awareness about her parents’ driving, “Roomies,” playing an obnoxiously affectionate roommate, and “Firelight,” a Digital Short parodying Twilight. Though she would impress over a decade later on SNL with a performance of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” this episode was enough to keep us hoping she comes back to pull double duty sometime in the future.

Miley Cyrus

Season 39, Episode 2 – Originally Aired October 5, 2013

When Miley Cyrus pulled double duty for the first time in 2013, it was her second time hosting ever, but the first as a newly minted pop star. Gone were the days of Hannah Montana music, with the very first sketch of the night lampooning her VMAs controversy. The rest of the episode heavily centers on Cyrus as a singer, and not just with performances of “Wrecking Ball” and “We Can’t Stop.”

There’s, for instance, a parody of Cyrus’ song spoofing the government shutdown, “We Did Stop,” with Cyrus as Michele Bachmann. Cyrus also fits right in with a cast that included newcomers like Kyle Mooney and Noël Wells, with sketches like “Mornin’ Miami” and “Miley Sex Tape” showing she hadn’t lost her comedy chops amid all the changes to her brand.

Donald Glover / Childish Gambino

Season 43, Episode 19 – Originally Aired May 5, 2018

Donald Glover hosted Saturday Night Live in 2018, supporting his 4-season TV masterpiece Atlanta. Glover’s SNL episode also featured his rap persona, Childish Gambino, premiering the soon-to-be-hit “This is America” live on air. However, as fans of Glover know, he was no stranger to sketch comedy.

Glover spends his monologue singing about his own failed audition for SNL, but his sketch performances make the better argument. In “Jurassic Park,” he’s a lawyer defending the theme park in court, while “Razz P. Berry” has him playing an R&B singer following his cheating girlfriend. Maybe Glover’s due for a return gig sometime soon, or maybe he knows from experience it’s hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice.

Halsey

Season 44, Episode 12 – Originally Aired February 9, 2019

Despite only being a one-time musical guest before 2019, Halsey’s double-duty stint quickly proved naysayers wrong by delivering two incredible musical performances of “Without Me” and her song with Benny Blanco, “Eastside,” singing the latter whilst simultaneously painting a self-portrait of herself live on stage in one of the show’s most ambitious musical spots.

It would’ve been impressive enough for Halsey to kill her musical guest performances, but her sketch work was great as well. “Phone Call” showcased great chemistry with Beck Bennett as guilt-tripping parents, and “Virginia State Capitol” is a timely group sketch lampooning politicians who have done blackface in their Halloween costumes. Hopefully, Halsey can someday join the list of artists who have played SNL five or more times.

Bad Bunny

Season 49, Episode 2; Originally Aired October 21, 2023

Bad Bunny’s journey from his debut album to the Super Bowl Halftime Show has been remarkable to watch, especially knowing how influential Saturday Night Live has been to his image. After his first time as host and musical guest in 2023, it’s clear Bad Bunny has found a second home at 30 Rock.

In addition to surprise appearances from Pedro Pascal (who reprises his “Protective Mom” sketch), Bad Bunny has some memorable performances in “Rap Battle,” as an overly respectful MC, “Telenovela,” as a Spanish-speaking TV villain, and a Please Don’t Destroy short in which he goads the writers into acting out a new Shrek movie starring himself in full ogre makeup.

Sabrina Carpenter

Season 51, Episode 3 – Originally Aired October 18, 2025

Given that she opened the 50th anniversary special with Paul Simon, it’s hard to believe that Sabrina Carpenter has only hosted Saturday Night Live once. She’s the kind of pop star perfectly made for a show like SNL, and not just because of her Disney Channel background. Shortly after the release of Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album, she hosted and played musical guest in the third episode of the most recent season 51.

It wasn’t just her music video-esque live performances of “Manchild” and “Nobody’s Son” that made the episode great. Carpenter also clearly meshed well with the current cast, like in “Surprise,” playing a co-worker who mistakenly embarrasses Ashley Padilla’s character, and in the debut of “Snack Homiez.” Of course, the Saturday Night Live episode also couldn’t resist a new “Domingo” sketch.

Release Date

October 11, 1975

Showrunner

Lorne Michaels