Nate Bargatze's SNL appearance puts him in historic company (here's why)

Nate Bargatze is hosting Saturday Night Live on October 5. The comedian rolled out a charming promo for his episode, which is the second of the hallowed 50th season, but it failed to point out the rare feat that he is about to pull off.

Bargatze is hosting SNL for the second time in less than a year. He debuted as an SNL host on October 28, 2023, aka the Halloween episode for season 49. This is not only an indicator of how much fans enjoyed him, but it's a feat that very few hosts have pulled off over the last five decades.

Nate Bargatze is hosting SNL in consecutive seasons

Generally speaking, Saturday Night Live prefers to mix things up. It's a show that's predicated on changing out the host, so that the cast can try different comedic stylings and highlight the unique talents of whoever happens to be performing alongside. It's only in special instances in which a host is deemed memorable enough to be brought back, especially in less than one year.

The list of names Bargatze has been added to is astonishing. They date back to the 1970s, which is when SNL was still struggling to book guests and get its footing in the culture. Back then, a guest was a repeat "offender" out of necessity. People like Buck Henry existed in a different space.

A short list of superstars have pulled this feat off

Henry's streak will never be broken. The comedian and writer was a guest during the first five seasons of SNL. He's the inarguable Gold Medal winner when it comes to hosting in a short time span, but other celebrities who share Nate Bargatze's rare feat include Elliott Gould and Candace Bergen, both of whom hosted episodes in seasons 1 and 2.

Monty Python member Michael Palin hosted in seasons 3 and 4, while comedian Louis C.K. hosted an impressive three times between seasons 38-40. James Franco pulled double duty in seasons 34 and 35, and his buddy Seth Rogen did the same in seasons 33 and 34.

The pedigree of these performers is undeniable. They are all, or were at one point, household names. Nate Bargatze isn't quite there yet, but based on the fact that he's back for another round on SNL, we get the impression he's well on his way.