#John Mulaney Joins Five-Timers Club As SNL Host In February

For some, the decision to have Mulaney as an “SNL” host while he’s still facing fan backlash and scrutiny for having kind of a messy personal life may seem controversial; however, it makes perfect sense when you consider that Mulaney was an “SNL” writer for four seasons, from 2008 to 2012. Additionally, “Saturday Night Live” hasn’t exactly shied away from allowing polarizing figures to host the program before, as evidenced by the much less understandable choice to have Elon Musk host an episode back in May 2021. That decision was met with backlash from both “SNL” viewers and cast members alike, as Musk is known for being an eccentric billionaire CEO who shares horrible takes on Twitter and lacks any of the desirable qualities typically associated with entertainment hosting, such as charisma, comedic ability, and relevant experience.

On the other hand, Mulaney still has all of these qualities — despite the betrayal some fans may feel over how his on-stage persona and the reality of his life fail to match up as seamlessly as they would have liked.

Mulaney’s episode of “Saturday Night Live” will also feature the return of musical guest LCD Soundsystem, whose first appearance on the show was in 2017, with Chris Pine as the host. Before Mulaney, Paul Rudd was the most recent Five-Timers Club inductee.