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Every SNL Host Who Pulled "Double Duty" as Musical Guest
From Paul Simon to Dua Lipa — and five The Voice Coaches! — these talented folks were SNL Host and Musical Guest in the same episode.
Between the frantic pace of a table read, late-night writing sessions, rehearsals, and actually performing comedy on live TV, being a Saturday Night Live Host is as much a challenge as it is a privilege. And that's twice as true for those who've been Host and Musical Guest in the same episode — a feat that's known as pulling "double duty" on SNL.
Like the SNL Five Timers Club, the celebrities who've pulled double duty on Saturday Night Live are an elite crew. Since the show's premiere in 1975, less than 50 stars have done it. When you consider the fact that over 900 episodes of SNL have aired over 49 seasons, it's a truly rare occurrence, and one that takes a lot of guts to pull off.
As the list below reveals, two Host-Musical Guests are also members of the Five Timers Club (hint: One of them won several Emmys for their R-rated musical collaborations with Andy Samberg). Five have been Coaches on The Voice. And three have returned as recently as Season 49 to "only" perform as the Musical Guest.
RELATED: Every Celebrity in SNL's Five Timers Club
From Paul Simon to Britney Spears, The Rolling Stones (yes, the entire band) to Dua Lipa, here is every celebrity who's been Host and Musical Guest in the same episode. You'll notice a few here — such as Deion Sanders — who technically welcomed another artist as Musical Guest. But if they also performed at least two songs on the Studio 8H stage while they were Host? It's on this list, because we're completists.
Every celebrity who has done double duty on SNL
Paul Simon
SNL double-duty dates: October 18, 1975; November 20, 1976; May 10, 1986; and December 19, 1987
Musician Paul Simon was the second-ever Host of Saturday Night Live. He's also the fourth person to host SNL five times, first pulling double duty in the show's experimental 1970s era before it settled into the format we know today (back when the show was still called NBC's Saturday Night).
Like many early double-duty SNL Hosts / Musical Guests, Simon was joined by fellow musicians for several performances, such as Art Garfunkel in 1975, ex-Beatle George Harrison in 1976, and Graceland collaborators Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 1986.
Lily Tomlin
SNL double-duty dates: November 22, 1975 and January 22, 1983
Comedy icon Lily Tomlin's 1975 SNL debut found her singing with Howard Shore & the All Nurse Band (she was one of the Nurses), and returned for double duty again in 1983 when she performed as a singer named Pervis Hawkins.
Desi Arnaz
SNL double-duty date: February 21, 1976
The musician and former I Love Lucy star performed his hit "Babalu" with Desi Arnaz, Jr., his son with Lucille Ball.
RELATED: Why the First SNL Cast Were Called The Not Ready for Prime Time Players
Kris Kristofferson
SNL double-duty date: July 31, 1976
This one is a teeny bit of a technicality, as Kristofferson's then-wife Rita Coolidge was officially billed as musical guest. But Kristofferson performed a duet with Coolidge followed by a solo performance of his own — that's double duty in our book.
Ray Charles
SNL double-duty date: November 12, 1977
Seeing Ray Charles perform "What'd I Say?" and "I Got a Woman" live in Studio 8H back in 1977 must have been incredible. Comedians Buck Henry and Franklyn Ajaye were also on hand to add levity.
Art Garfunkel
SNL double-duty date: March 11, 1978
Paul Simon's former musical partner got his own double-duty stint in 1978, with singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop as a special guest performing "On and On" (there were WAY more musical performances in the first few seasons).
Garfunkel covered Sam Cooke's "(What A) Wonderful World" in his monologue, later delivering "All I Know" and a solo version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair."
The Rolling Stones
SNL double-duty date: October 7, 1978
The Rock Hall of Famers performed now-classics "Shattered" and "Beast of Burden," plus "Respectable," in an episode where the monologue was delivered by then-Mayor Ed Koch. While the band wouldn't host again, it was just the beginning for Mick Jagger, who's appeared on SNL as recently as Season 49.
Frank Zappa
SNL double-duty date: October 21, 1978
The eclectic musician had been a Musical Guest in 1976 during Season 10, and returned as Host and Musical guest two years later. Zappa performed "Dancin' Fool," "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing," and "Rollo" — and starred in a Coneheads sketch.
Gary Busey
SNL double-duty date: March 10, 1979
This one's another technicality, as jazz composer Eubie Blake and actor, singer and tap dancer Gregory Hines, who was starring in a musical about Blake's life at the time, were billed Musical Guests. But Busey, who'd just starred in The Buddy Holly Story as the titular rocker, also performed the song "Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer)" in the night's fourth musical number.
Debbie Harry
SNL double-duty date: February 14, 1981
Musician and sometime actor Debbie Harry's episode is historic, though not for Harry's sketch performances.
While the Blondie frontwoman performed the songs "Love T.K.O." and "Come Back Jonee," she also welcomed hip hop group Funky 4 + 1 — and their now-classic "That's the Joint" was the first-ever rap performance to be aired on television.
Olivia Newton-John
SNL double-duty date: May 22, 1982
In the Season 7 finale, the English-Australian Grease star sang her hit, "Physical," during her SNL monologue, later performing album cuts "Make a Move on Me" and "Landslide." And yes, there was a Grease parody.
Stevie Wonder
SNL double-duty date: May 7, 1983
The iconic singer-songwriter performed "Fingertips" in his monologue as well as "Overjoyed" and Go Home," and appeared in several sketches with Eddie Murphy, who'd played him on the show previously.
"Dion and Blair: Stevie Wonder"
Willie Nelson
SNL double-duty date: February 21, 1987
Country legend Willie Nelson was Host and Musical guest in Season 12, during which he paid a visit to The Church Lady (Dana Carvey) and performed "The Boyfriend Song" with cast member Victoria Jackson.
"The Boyfriend Song (ft. Willie Nelson)"
Dolly Parton
SNL double-duty date: April 15, 1989
Dolly Parton's Season 14 double-duty SNL was to promote her role in 1989's Steel Magnolias, and she brought that Dolly magic to sketches and her performances of "Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That" and "White Limozeen."
"Dolly Parton Monologue"
Quincy Jones
SNL double-duty date: April 15, 1989
The renowned producer (and father of The Office alum Rashida Jones!) brought a large contingent of performers to help with the performances in the Season 15 episode, including Tevin Campbell, Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane, Melle Mel, and Al Jarreau.
Sting
SNL double-duty date: January 19, 1991
Sting has plenty of experience on the Studio 8H stage, as he's been Musical Guest four times and hosted for a second time on March 15, 1997. His double-duty stint was the perfect '90s SNL episode: There was a Wayne's World cold open, and it was the debut of three iconic sketches: "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey," Mike Myers' "Coffee Talk," and Rob Schneider's "Richmeister" office guy.
MC Hammer
SNL double-duty date: December 7, 1991
Toward the end of the height of the "U Can't Touch This" rapper's fame, he was a Season 17 Host and Musical Guest—and his performance of "Addams Groove" was introduced by stars Christina Ricci and Jimmy Workman in character as Wednesday and Pugsley Addams. Hammer was also an extremely good sport about his real-life hairstyle in the sketch "Bad Haircut Support Group."
"Bad Haircut Support Group"
Deion Sanders
SNL double-duty date: February 18, 1995
...And speaking of MC Hammer, this next double-duty host released an album on Hammer's Bust It Records in 1994 — but his music career places an extremely-distant third to his fame as a professional football and baseball player and coach.
In another technicality, Sanders was *a* musical guest on his episode, with Bon Jovi officially billed. Yet Coach Prime also pulled up to perform two songs from his Prime Time release. Iconically, then-rapper Sanders also starred with Adam Sandler, Tim Meadows, and Michael McKean in a sketch titled "Simple Rappers" where they played...well, the title says it all.
"Simple Rappers"
Garth Brooks
SNL double-duty dates: February 28, 1998, and November 13, 1999 (as Chris Gaines)
Not everyone can say they've performed at a presidential inauguration and pulled double duty on SNL twice, but Garth Brooks can. Brooks' second episode in two years found him performing music not as country star Garth Brooks, but as his emo-ish rock persona, Chris Gaines (the '90s were wild).
Britney Spears
SNL double-duty dates: May 13, 2000; February 2, 2002
Like her former Disney costar Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears absolutely crushed it as a thoroughly-committed SNL Host in her two double duty turns. Her second time served as promo for Spears' starring movie vehicle Crossroads, and she starred in sketches with Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, and Tracy Morgan in addition to performing "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman."
"Inside Barbie's Dreamhouse: Skipper"
Jennifer Lopez
SNL double-duty dates: February 10, 2001; February 27, 2010
Triple-threat Jennifer Lopez first pulled double duty in 2001, the year she starred in The Wedding Planner. She returned in Season 35 to do it again, a standout being her turn in the recurring sketch "Eternal Spark of Love" opposite Jason Sudeikis.
"Eternal Spark of Love: Office Romance"
Justin Timberlake
SNL double-duty dates: October 11, 2003; December 16, 2006; March 9, 2013
Timberlake, a member of the Five-Timers Club, earned his first Emmy win for "Dick in a Box" from his second double-duty episode (his work on SNL has earned him 8 noms in total). He's hosted two additional times and was Musical Guest three times, most recently in Season 49.
RELATED: D*** in a Box: A History of the SNL Musical Sketch
Janet Jackson
SNL double-duty date: April 10, 2004
Ten years after her debut as musical guest in 1994, the inimitable Janet Jackson graced the stage as Host and Musical Guest, reviving her Good Times character, Penny, in a parody and playing Paula Abdul in a "Prince Show" sketch starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen as Beyonce and Prince.
"Janet Jackson Monologue"