SNL's Two Most Frequent Hosts Poisoned Each Other in This "Platinum Lounge" Sketch
The pair were waited on by future Five-Timer Martin Short — and Paul McCartney showed up!
The battle for Saturday Night Live Host supremacy once took a dark turn in the Platinum Lounge.
Only a select few Hosts — three, to be exact — are allowed to enjoy this exclusive club, because it's only for those who have hosted more than 12 times. Alec Baldwin remains the show's most frequent Host ever with 17 episodes under his belt, but 16-timer Steve Martin was once in the lead. So when Baldwin hosted for his 13th time in Season 32, SNL decided to up the stakes of their "rivalry" in the "Platinum Lounge" sketch.
"Steve, what are you doing here?" Baldwin asked.
"Are you kidding? I'm here to see you, man," Martin said. "It's great, you're hosting, it's fantastic."
That's when Martin Short, who at that point had only hosted twice, arrived with the two scotches Martin had ordered.
"Sad," Martin says as Short walks away.
Watch the clip below.
RELATED: Every Celebrity in SNL's Five-Timers Club, from Buck Henry to Martin Short
Martin pretends not to know that Baldwin is about to tie Martin's hosting record, and then distracts Baldwin with a fake Paul Simon sighting to poison his drink. The two then play "switch the poison back and forth" until Baldwin declares their toast should be made with champagne. The poison reacts a little differently in the champagne, and Baldwin punches Martin to the ground.
"I...was in...Schweddy Balls!" he yells as he does a few kicks before busting out a classic Martin catchphrase. "And I've tied your record, 13 shows, so excuuuuuse me."
That's when Martin remembers that he's actually hosted 14 times already, and then Short shows up with Paul McCartney to tell Baldwin he's needed on stage. (And no, McCartney was not the Musical Guest that night. That was Christina Aguilera, who performed "Ain't No Other Man" and "Hurt.")
Steve Martin was the most frequent SNL host until Alec Baldwin surpassed him in 2011
Martin hit 15 episodes on January 31, 2009, while Baldwin reached 14 on February 14, 2009. Martin didn't host again until 2022, so Baldwin finally surpassed his record in the Season 37 season premiere on September 24, 2011. Baldwin's most recent episode as Host was on February 11, 2017, though he's made more than 30 cameo appearances since then.
The real "platinum lounge" crew includes John Goodman, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin, who graduated from the Five-Timers Club long, long ago.
Short finally got to join the Five-Timers Club in Season 50, and Scarlett Johansson became the most frequent female Host with seven episodes. Slowly but surely, other stars are making their way toward Baldwin's throne.
Watch "Platinum Lounge" from Season 32, Episode 5, above, and stream every episode of SNL anytime on Peacock.
