Most people don’t realize that Emma Stone is actually the youngest person to ever join the Five-Timers Club. Yeah, you’d think it would be some veteran like Steve Martin or Tom Hanks holding that specific title, but no. At 35, she grabbed the jacket and basically cemented her status as one of the most reliable anchors the show has.
She isn't just a guest. Honestly, the way she slides into the 30 Rock hallways makes her feel more like a stealth cast member who just happens to win Oscars in her off-time. It's kinda wild to think her first time hosting was way back in 2010. She was only 21 then, fresh off Easy A, and she looked genuinely terrified during the monologue. Since then? She’s hosted in 2011, 2016, 2019, and her big milestone 2023 episode.
The Five-Timers Club Induction That Actually Felt Real
When she finally hit that fifth-host mark on December 2, 2023, the show didn't just give her a jacket and a pat on the back. They brought out the heavy hitters: Tina Fey and Candice Bergen.
It wasn't just a gimmick. You could see the actual tears in her eyes. Emma Stone in SNL has always felt like a "fan-turned-pro" success story. She famously used to make her own PowerPoint presentations as a kid to convince her parents to let her move to LA to act. So, standing there with Tina Fey—who joked that she herself was the "second-youngest" member at 53—felt like a full-circle moment for a comedy nerd.
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The sketch itself was gold. Candice Bergen talked about the "Women’s Section" of the club, which apparently started as a "small quiet place to cry" but eventually turned into a "big luxurious place to cry." They even did a bit where Emma found a joint in the jacket pocket, leading Candice to assume it belonged to Woody Harrelson. Then she found a vaccine card, and Tina quipped, "Oh, then it's definitely not Woody's."
Why Emma Stone in SNL Works So Well
A lot of movie stars come on the show and they're... stiff. They read the cue cards like they’re hostage notes. Emma is the opposite. She has this "theatre kid" energy that can't be faked.
Take the "Les Jeunes de Paris" sketches from her early years. These were high-energy, French-language dance parodies. Most actors would feel too cool to do that. Emma went full-tilt, dancing with Taran Killam until she was visibly out of breath. She doesn't protect her "movie star" image. If a sketch requires her to play a dim-witted poster model or a woman losing her mind over a hot dog, she’s in.
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The Dave McCary Connection
You can't really talk about her relationship with the show without mentioning her actual life. She met her husband, Dave McCary, at SNL. He was a segment director for Please Don't Destroy and other digital shorts. Specifically, they met when she hosted in 2016 and starred in the "Wells for Boys" sketch, which Dave directed.
That sketch is a masterpiece of niche comedy. It's a fake commercial for a plastic well for "sensitive boys" who just want to whisper their secrets into it. It’s quiet, weird, and perfectly written. It showed that she wasn't just there for the big, loud laughs—she understood the alt-comedy side of the show, too.
Every Time Emma Stone Hosted (The Timeline)
It’s easy to lose track of the years, so here is the breakdown of the Emma Stone in SNL era.
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- October 23, 2010: The debut. Musical guest: Kings of Leon. This is where we got the first "Les Jeunes de Paris."
- November 12, 2011: The sophomore slump? Nope. Coldplay was the guest, and her then-boyfriend Andrew Garfield even made a cameo.
- December 3, 2016: The "Wells for Boys" era. This was the episode where she met Dave. Shawn Mendes was the musical guest.
- April 13, 2019: She hosted with BTS. The energy in the building was insane. She did a great "Posters" sketch where she played an airheaded model for a science poster.
- December 2, 2023: The Five-Timers induction with Noah Kahan. This featured the "Question Quest" game show and the weirdly catchy "Fully Naked in New York" musical number.
The Sketch That Stole the Internet
If you haven't seen the "Posters" sketch from her 2019 appearance, go find it. She plays Krissy Knox, a model on a physics poster. While the other posters (like David Beckham, played by Mikey Day) are trying to help a student study, she’s just obsessed with her "big stinky hot dog."
It’s a stupid premise. On paper, it shouldn’t work. But her delivery—that raspy, committed voice—makes it one of the most quoted bits of the modern era. People still comment on her "Life in Looks" videos for Vogue asking about that hot dog.
Actionable Insights for SNL Fans
If you’re trying to deep-dive into the best of Emma Stone in SNL, don't just stick to the YouTube "Best Of" compilations. Those usually miss the weird stuff.
- Watch the Digital Shorts: Her work with the Please Don't Destroy guys in the 2023 episode (the AI episode) is a masterclass in self-deprecation.
- Look for the Cameos: She doesn't just show up to host. She’s popped up in the 40th and 50th Anniversary specials and made a legendary cameo during Andrew Garfield’s monologue in 2014.
- Check the "Cut for Time" Clips: NBC often leaves the weirdest, most experimental Emma Stone sketches off the broadcast. The "The Actress" sketch, where she plays a bit-part actor taking a 1-line role in a gay porn way too seriously, is perhaps her best performance on the show.
Emma Stone has basically become the modern gold standard for what an SNL host should be. She’s not there to promote a movie; she’s there because she genuinely loves the chaos of live television. That’s why, 14 years after her debut, we’re still talking about her.
To get the full experience of her evolution, start by watching her 2010 debut and jump straight to the 2023 Five-Timers episode. The growth in her confidence is staggering, but that weird, frantic energy is exactly the same.