Kristen Wiig's Five-Timers Club monologue: Her connection to every cameo
By Matt Moore
Kristen Wiig padded her already impressive Saturday Night Live resume over the weekend, joining the illustrious Five-Timers Club. The former cast member got her members' jacket (sort of) with help from an impressive cast of cameos.
Cameos are a staple of the Five-Timers Club sketch dating back to its creation by Robert Smigel and Conan O'Brien. Recently, stars like Steve Martin, Tina Fey, and Candace Bergen have popped up. But Wiig's celebration went all out.
Paul Rudd, Paula Pell, Matt Damon, Fred Armisen, Jon Hamm, Will Forte, Lorne Michaels, Martin Short, and Ryan Gosling all appeared during Wiig's monologue. Not since the infamous "Imagine" video have we seen (or laughed at) Wiig surrounded by such talents.
But the monologue wasn't just filled with A-listers to make a splash. While none of them co-star with Wiig in Palm Royale, they each have a unique history with the former SNL star.
Lorne Michaels
We'll get the obvious one out of the way. Lorne Michaels hired Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live back in 2005. Part of the audition that convinced Michaels to give Wiig the gig included the famous Target Lady character.
Michaels has also served as a producer on several of Wiig's movies. The list includes Masterminds, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, and MacGruber.
Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd and Kristen Wiig both know what it's like to lead a Ghostbusters reboot, albeit with different results. But when the two have shared the screen, the success has been undeniable.
The list of collaborations between Wiig and Rudd includes Knocked Up, Sausage Party, Walk Hard, Anchorman 2, and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.
Paula Pell
Paula Pell made a point during Kristen Wiig's Five-Timers Club monologue to tell the crowd she used to be an SNL writer. But any Saturday Night Live fan should be familiar with Pell both on-screen and her work in the writers' room.
Pell worked at SNL from 1995 to 2020, overlapping with Wiig during the cast member's entire run on the show. The two have also co-starred in Big Mouth, Anchorman 2, and Bless the Harts.
Matt Damon
Matt Damon earned a massive ovation when he appeared in Wiig's monologue. He joked that he'd earned membership to the Five-Timers Club despite not hosting enough times. In fairness, his Kavanaugh cameo should be enough to get him in.
Outside of SNL, Damon co-starred with Kristen Wiig in The Martian and Downsizing.
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig worked together on one of Saturday Night Live's best casts of all time. The two helped bring a new era of comedy to SNL and continue to be among the brightest stars of their generation.
Outside of Saturday Night Live, the pair have shared credits in Big Mouth, Last Man on Earth, Portlandia, Zoolander 2, and Bless the Harts.
Jon Hamm
Count Jon Hamm among the SNL hosts who could have been cast members in another life. It's not hard to imagine him alongside Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig.
At least there's Bridesmaids, in which Hamm and Wiig played FWBs. You can also put Big Mouth, Last Man on Earth, and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp on their shared projects.
Will Forte
Will Forte was another key player in the Saturday Night Live cast during Kristen Wiig's tenure. The two shared countless sketches together and went on to collaborate on movies and TV shows.
Of course, there's the cult classic MacGruber movie and the sequel TV series. There's also The Last Man on Earth and the upcoming miniseries Sausage Party: Foodtopia based on the 2016 movie.
Martin Short
When you've been in comedy for as long as Martin Short has, you're bound to work with just about everyone from Saturday Night Live. That's certainly true regarding Kristen Wiig.
The Big Mouth and Last Man on Earth connection continues, as both Wiig and Short have appeared in the two series. Short and Wiig also crossed paths during her time as an SNL cast member when Short either hosted or made one of his countless cameos.
Ryan Gosling
Last but not least, there's Ryan Gosling. The Barbie star appeared near the end of Kristen Wiig's Five-Timers Club monologue to deliver her the iconic jacket.
Gosling follows in Wiig's footsteps by hosting Saturday Night Live after her, scheduled for April 13. The two also appeared in the film All Good Things together.