Over the course of its 45 seasons, Saturday Night Live has been the recipient of a staggering 71 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most for any television program. Many of them were in the technical categories, while Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner and Dana Carvey were the only regular performers to earn Emmys in the now-defunct Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program category. Since moving to the Comedy Supporting categories, the show has won Emmys for Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon.
Surprisingly, the hosts went by largely unrecognized until 2009, when Justin Timberlake became the first to be nominated, and eventually awarded the statuette. Since then, 18 actors and 12 actresses have earned nominations in the Comedy Guest Actor and Actress categories, with Eddie Murphy winning in 2020. Aside from him, only eight others have managed to claim the Emmy.
Eddie Murphy – 2020
After rising to fame during his stint as a regular performer on SNL from 1980 to 1984, Eddie Murphy went on to become one of the greatest stars in Hollywood. He earned Emmy nominations for his work in SNL in both the Supporting Actor in a Comedy and the Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program categories but failed to win any.
It wasn’t until 2020, with his anticipated return to Studio 8H after last hosting in 1984, that Murphy finally won the Emmy, in the Guest Actor category. He faced competition from two other SNL contenders, Brad Pitt for playing Anthony Fauci, and Adam Driver for his second time hosting.
Tiffany Haddish – 2018
Following her breakthrough, star-making performance as Dina in 2017’s Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish quickly rose to prominence. She had several high-profile appearances, including the November 11 episode of SNL, becoming the first Black female stand-up comedian to ever host the show.
Despite airing shortly after Emmy season had wrapped, Haddish’s episode stayed in voter’s minds and made her an early favorite to win. She held on to her lead for almost an entire year, and when the time came, she finally claimed the statuette. Haddish faced tough competition, including Emmy darling and perennial nominee Tina Fey, who was up for hosting SNL herself. In the end, though, Haddish came out on top.
Dave Chappelle – 2017
Unfiltered stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle earned the first of his four Emmys for hosting SNL the same weekend it was announced that Donald Trump won the 2016 election. He addressed the win directly in his opening monologue, ending it with a poignant, direct demand for Trump to give “the historically disenfranchised” a chance.
Chappelle’s performance earned rave reviews, making him the absolute favorite to claim the 2017 Guest Actor in a Comedy Emmy. Up against two more SNL hosts, Tom Hanks and Lin Manuel Miranda, Chappelle still claimed the victory, and deservedly so. A year later, while filming an episode of Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Chappelle donated the Emmy to his former high-school.
Melissa McCarthy – 2017
The same year that Chappelle won his Emmy, the Guest Actress in a Comedy category also awarded an SNL host: Melissa McCarthy. Her fifth nomination for hosting, McCarthy earned the distinction of winning her Emmy for the same episode that got her into SNL‘s Five-Timers Club. At the end of her episode, long-time member of the club, Steve Martin, appeared to officially welcome her in.
McCarthy faced competition from only one other SNL host, former regular cast member Kristen Wiig, who was on her fifth nomination for appearing on the show and who has yet to win a single Emmy.
Amy Poehler – 2016
Perennial nominee Amy Poehler finally won an Emmy Award on her 17th try. Nominated alongside her BFF Tina Fey, the two hosted the December 19th, 2015 episode, receiving acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
Poehler was the recipient of two Supporting Actress in a Comedy nominations for her last two years as a regular SNL cast member. For her work in Parks & Recreation, she received six consecutive Lead Actress in a Comedy nominations, as well as nominations as a producer and writer for the show. Furthermore, she earned three writing nominations for her stints as a host of the Golden Globe Awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Tina Fey – 2016
Tina Fey has won nine Emmy Awards, thanks to her work in both SNL and 30 Rock. Fey’s first Emmy for SNL came in 2002, in the Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program category. In 2009, she claimed another one, however, it wasn’t for hosting. Instead, she won the statuette thanks to her famous impersonation of Alaska governor Sarah Palin, over the course of the entire 2008 Presidential Bash.
Her third and final win was the one she shared with Poehler in 2016, her only one for actually hosting the show. Fey’s other six Emmy were awarded to her for her multiple roles in 30 Rock, as a producer, writer, and lead actress.
Jimmy Fallon – 2012 & 2014
Before he got his own talk-show, Fallon was a regular SNL cast member from 1998 until 2004. He rose to prominence thanks to his popular imitations of Adam Sandler, Robert De Niro and Howard Stern, before he was given the reins of Weekend Update, which he co-hosted alongside Tina Fey.
Fallon returned as a host on the December 17, 2011 episode, winning the 2012 Guest Actor in a Comedy Emmy. Two years later, he went back to the show, hosting the December 21, 2013 episode and claiming the 2014 Guest Actor in a Comedy Emmy. He’d returned one final time to host, in April 15, 2017, but failed to earn a nomination.
Betty White – 2010
Television icon Betty White is no stranger to the Emmy podium. In a career spanning over 80 years, her roles in classics such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls and The John Larroquette Show have earned her five Primetime Emmy Awards, out of a total of 21 nominations.
Her most recent victory came thanks to her hosting of the May 8, 2010, SNL episode. At the age of 88, she was the oldest person to ever host the show, receiving critical acclaim for her spectacular performance.
Justin Timberlake – 2009 & 2011
The first performer to ever win an Emmy for hosting SNL, Justin Timberlake did so on his second time on the show and won again for his third time. He hosted two more times and appeared as a musical guest twice, once as part of N’Sync and once as a solo artist.
A member of the Five-Timers club, Timberlake actually won his first Emmy as a writer of the viral hit “D*ck in a Box,” which he performed alongside Andy Samberg. He has received a total of eight Emmy nominations, as both a host and a writer, winning four times.
Honorable Mention: Maya Rudolph – 2020
The latest performer to win for appearing on SNL, Maya Rudolph won the Guest Actress in a Comedy Emmy for her portrayal of Vice-Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, during the 2020 Presidential Bash. Unlike Tina Fey, however, Rudolph didn’t win for the entire series and was instead rewarded for her performance in the Eddie Murphy episode.
Rudolph received a previous Emmy nomination for hosting back in 2012. However, she lost against Kathy Bates’ portrayal of Charlie Harper in Two and a Half Men. In 2020, Rudolph was actually competing against herself, as she was also nominated for her performance as Judge Gen in The Good Place.
