The season finale of Saturday Night Live is always a nice time to tune into the program. But this season there are two gigantic draws: musical guest Paul McCartney, and host Will Ferrell.
Ferrell is the top comedic box office draw of the 21st century and a former SNL cast member. We have him ranked as the third greatest cast member in the history of Saturday Night Live. McCartney is a former member of the Beatles, and as part of that groundbreaking group, is the top-selling recording artist of all-time. When you add in his solo career and time with Wings, McCartney has close to one billion records sold.
This will be the fifth time McCartney will be musical guest. He has never hosted. The last time he was musical guest was in Season 38 when Martin Short hosted.
Ferrell will make his sixth appearance as host. He last hosted in Studio 8H in Season 45. He spent seven seasons as a cast member, anchoring one of the greatest eras of the late night show.
The pairing of Ferrell and McCartney creates a duo that has mass headliner appeal. Are they the two most iconic stars to appear as the host/musical guest of an SNL episode?
Below I’ve identified the top host/musical guest duos in SNL history. I tried to base these on the fame the individual had at the time. But that’s not always the case, as we see with McCartney, who is like royalty in the entertainment bsuiness.
Paul Simon & George Harrison
November 20, 1976
Had this been the “other Paul,” it may rank first all-time for host/musical guest duo. But as it is, the Simon/Harrison episode is one of the biggest draws ever, and it happened way back in Season 2.
Harrison was called the “serious Beatle,” but that was not particularly accurate. He was the Beatle who funded the first Monty Python movie. George loved comedy, and he was a big fan of SNL.
This episode stands out as one of the best actual episodes among those listed here.
Steve Martin & Paul McCartney
May 17, 1980
This isn’t a list of just Beatles. I promise. But, you can’t deny that teaming McCartney with Steve Martin forms a powerful tandem. This was 1980, when Martin was the unquestioned superstar standup comic in America. He had hosted SNL many times, producing many of the best episodes of the show in those early years.
McCartney appeared with his wife Linda, and the duo performed two songs. At the time he had won 10 Grammy Awards. He’s since added nine more.
Johnny Cash & Elton John
April 17, 1982
This episode aired during the Dick Ebersol years, when Lorne Michaels was no longer associated with SNL, during Season 7. Cash was then, and remains now even after his death, one of the legends of country music. But his greatness transcended genres.
Elton John was at the tail end of what would be considered his peak fame, but still a tremendously popular entertainer in pop music. This program was not noteworthy, but the star power was.
Robin Williams & Paul Simon
November 22, 1986
In the mid-1980s, few comedic actors were hotter than Williams. Though he was a year away from his big screen breakout role in Good Morning, Vietnam, Williams was a back at SNL for his second stint as host. His musical guest was Simon, returning to Studio 8H at the invitation of his famous neighbor, Lorne Michaels.
Tom Hanks & Bruce Springsteen
May 9, 1992
At the time of this hosting gig, which was Hanks’ sixth, he was on the precipice of a legendary run of film success. Hanks was nominated and won back-to-back Oscars in 1993 and 1994. He is arguably the most successful and popular SNL host, having appeared in that role ten times.
This Season 17 episode was the first time Springsteen appeared as musical guest. He would make three more appearances.
Alec Baldwin & Paul McCartney
February 13, 1993
Another iconic SNL host paired with McCartney, this time in Season 18. This was the episode where McCartney appeared in a sketch with Chris Farley.
I don’t know if Lorne Michaels has ever asked McCartney to host. He probably has. But Macca never has. The only Beatle to host Saturday Night Live is Ringo Starr, who did it in Season 10. George Harrison appeared as a musical guest once (in tandem with Paul Simon), and McCartney will be making his fifth appearance in that role in Season 51.
Mike Myers & Aerosmith
March 22, 1997
Amazingly, this is the only time Mike Myers has hosted Saturday Night Live. It came about two months before his life changed with the debut of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Even without that film franchise yet established, Myers was a wildly popular former cast member, and a star thanks to the hit movie Wayne’s World, which came out in 1992.
Aerosmith is definitely the least iconic (or legendary, if you will) musical act on this list. But they were big, and remain very popular. The episode is one of the best of Season 22.
Jerry Seinfeld & David Bowie
October 2, 1999
If we ranked this list by riches, this duo may be No. 1. Seinfeld created and starred in the most successful and profitable scripted TV show in history. Bowie wrote and performed many of the best-selling albums ever released.
This was the third and final time Bowie appeared on SNL. He died in 2016. This was the second and final time Seinfeld hosted, coming about a year after the finale of his legendary program.
Steve Martin & Prince
February 4, 2006
Who would you rather see? Martin with Macca or Martin with Prince? That probably depends on how old you are. This isn’t peak Steve Martin the comic or SNL host, but few have ever handled the gig better. Price famously blew the roof off the studio, and legend has it that he played an even more amazing set at the after-party following this Season 31 episode. At the time it felt like this might be the only time Prince appeared as musical guest, but he came back for Season 41 when Chris Rock hosted.
Justin Timberlake & Lady Gaga
May 21, 2011
This is sort of the 21st century version of Steve Martin and Paul McCartney. For a younger generation, Timberlake is like Martin: a multi-talented performer who seems designed to host SNL. He could very easily have been a cast member. Lady Gaga is as big, and maybe bigger than any musical entertainer in modern music. Their episode, from Season 36 rates among the best of all-time.
