Paul Rudd is officially part of the five-timers club.
Opening up the latest episode of Saturday Night Live with a slightly different monologue, Rudd is now one of the few celebrities who’ve hosted the show five or more times in their careers. And to celebrate on his big night, he brought the at-home crowd some special surprises.
Tom Hanks, a noted five-timer, kicked off the show. “I came here from California and if you think I was going to fly 3,000 miles and not be on TV? Well, you got another thing coming,” he joked. Then he brought out Tina Fey, another five-timer who came to induct Rudd into the club.
Hanks and Fey actually welcomed the longest tenured member of SNL, Kenan Thompson, to the stage. Thompson did the honor of giving Rudd his five-timers jacket. Hanks cut to a special recorded message for Rudd by none other than Steve Martin.
Rudd’s opening came during an unconventional night for the show, where New York’s current COVID-19 spike—and more specifically, an outbreak in the NBC Studios where “four actors” have tested positive, per the New York Post—led to the cancellation of the show’s live studio audience. While this may have helped Rudd with any nerves, the current state of New York has reportedly left some cast members concerned for their health and opting against attending.
“Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight’s taping of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and the show will have limited cast and crew,” a show rep told the Post. “The show continues to follow all government safety guidelines in addition to a rigorous testing protocol.”
As a result, Charli XCX—who was intended to be the night’s musical guest—will not be performing tonight due to a “limited” amount of crew on site, the pop star announced to her fans before the show.
“It can’t happen this time but I’ll be back,” she wrote. “I am currently safe and healthy but of course very sad. Please look out for yourselves out there and make sure you get vaccinated if you haven’t already.”
