Steve Martin, Martin Short to co-host 'SNL.' Here's every time the show had 2 hosts

Longtime friends and collaborators Steve Martin and Martin Short will be at it again when they host “Saturday Night Live” on Dec. 10. And while twice may be nice, this doesn’t mark the first time two people will host the long-running late-night show.

In fact, it’s not even the first time these two, who've appeared in such popular projects as "Three Amigos" and "Only Murders in the Building," have hosted “SNL” together. Read on to learn more about the other times the show had two hosts, or more.

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore — Season 1, Jan. 24, 1976

Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

The pioneering late British comedians and collaborators who led the satire craze of the 1960s were the first duo to host the program, doing so in the 11th episode of the show’s first season. Moore, of course, would later hit paydirt with American audiences with his Oscar-nominated turn in “Arthur,” while Cook’s legacy lives on in the work of scores of other comedians.

Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss — Season 5, April 5, 1980

Saturday Night Live - Season 5 (NBC)
Saturday Night Live - Season 5 (NBC)

The married couple had done multiple projects together, appearing in films and TV shows including the CBS sitcom "He & She," but they took it to a new level here.

Benjamin, who was known for his work in such films as "Goodbye, Columbus," "Catch-22" and "Westworld," had hosted solo in the fourth season, and returned with Prentiss, who had gained notoriety for her roles in such films as "Where the Boys Are," "What's New Pussycat" and "The Stepford Wives." The two were married in 1961.

The Smothers Brothers — Season 8, Dec. 4, 1982

Saturday Night Live (Alan Singer / NBC)
Saturday Night Live (Alan Singer / NBC)

This one may come with an asterisk, since the siblings were already a well-known act but, officially, this episode featured two hosts. They would return nearly a year later to the day when they hosted again in the ninth season on Dec. 3, 1983.

Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas — Season 8, Jan. 29, 1983

Saturday Night Live (Fred Hermansky / NBC)
Saturday Night Live (Fred Hermansky / NBC)

Moranis and Thomas rose to fame for their portrayal of the dimwitted McKenzie brothers on the Canadian sketch show "SCTV." The act also netted the two appearances in TV commercials and their own movie, 1983's “Strange Brew," which led to them hosting the show.

Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges — Season 8, Feb. 26, 1983

Saturday Night Live (Alan Singer / NBC)
Saturday Night Live (Alan Singer / NBC)

The show’s eighth season shaped up to be a season of two hosts, capped off when siblings Beau and Jeff Bridges got the call to show off their talents.

Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman — Season 9, Oct. 15, 1983

Saturday Night Live - Season 9 (Raymond Bonar / NBC)
Saturday Night Live - Season 9 (Raymond Bonar / NBC)

1983 was an interesting time in the careers of the married couple. Perlman was beginning a run on “Cheers,” which had premiered the previous year, while DeVito, who had previously hosted the show, had recently finished a hit run with “Taxi.” DeVito would host five times altogether.

Michael Palin and Mary Palin — Season 9, Jan. 21, 1984

Saturday Night Live - Season 9 (Alan Singer / NBC)
Saturday Night Live - Season 9 (Alan Singer / NBC)

Michael Palin, the Monty Python comedy legend, hosted “SNL” four times, but he may win the honor for most unusual hosting duty when he did so with his mother, who was 80 at the time.

“She was absolutely brilliant,” he said in an interview in 2012, noting how she was so good in the monologue, she was asked to stick around to appear at other points in the show.

Billy Crystal, Ed Koch, Edwin Newman, Father Guido Sarducci, Betty Thomas — Season 9, May 12, 1984

Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Sure, two hosts is slightly unusual, but five? Crystal had already hosted the show a few weeks before this and would join the show’s cast the next season.

Here, he was helped out by New York City Mayor Ed Koch, newsman Edwin Newman (who had also hosted earlier in the season), Father Guido Sarducci (a popular “SNL character played by Don Novello), and “Hill Street Blues” star Betty Thomas.

Mr. T and Hulk Hogan — Season 10, March 30, 1985

Saturday Night Live (NBC / NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Saturday Night Live (NBC / NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

In hindsight, this may be the most ‘80s pairing you could get. Mr. T, the mohawked star of “The A-Team,” joined forces with wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan. The two had also appeared together in 1982's "Rocky III." We pity the fool who missed this episode.

George Wendt and Francis Ford Coppola — Season 11, March 22, 1986

Saturday Night Live (Alan Singer / NBC)
Saturday Night Live (Alan Singer / NBC)

The “Cheers” star has gone down in “SNL” lore for his work in the recurring “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans” sketch and popularizing the line “Da Bears!”

Coppola is hardly synonymous with comedy, but he gave it a go with Wendt, appearing between sketches as part of a recurring bit where he put his directorial skills to the test in a bid to improve the show.

Catherine Oxenberg and Paul Simon — Season 11, May 10, 1986

Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Oxenberg was a star on “Dynasty,” while Simon was a “SNL” favorite who has racked up many appearances as host and musical guest, along with multiple cameos.

Anjelica Huston and Billy Martin — Season 11, May 24, 1986

Saturday Night Live (Alan Singer / NBC)
Saturday Night Live (Alan Singer / NBC)

Perhaps the most unusual pairing on this list, the Oscar-nominated actor and the famously hotheaded baseball manager teamed up to host the season finale, wrapping up a season after which it was widely believed the show would be canceled.

Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short — Season 12, Dec. 6, 1986

Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

What better way to promote their comedy “Three Amigos”? The trio put their comedy chops to the test when they all hosted. It marked the first time Short — who, like Chase, had previously been a cast member, in the 1984-85 season — hosted “SNL.”

Joe Montana and Walter Payton — Season 12, Jan. 24, 1987

Saturday Night Live (R.M. Lewis Jr. / NBC)
Saturday Night Live (R.M. Lewis Jr. / NBC)

The Super Bowl would be played the next night between the New York Giants and Denver Broncos, but on this night, two of the biggest stars in the sport took center stage as co-hosts.

The future Hall of Fame pair even gave fans a thrill by appearing on “Church Chat,” Dana Carvey’s fictional show, where he played the judgmental Church Lady.

Roseanne and Tom Arnold — Season 17, Feb. 22, 1992

Saturday Night Live (Al Levine / NBC)
Saturday Night Live (Al Levine / NBC)

Roseanne Barr was married to Tom Arnold at the time. She was a huge star, thanks to her sitcom, “Roseanne,” and he … well, not so much. He’d make a name for himself (and even return to host solo in 1996), but on this night, he and his wife looked to make comedy magic. The couple, of course, would later divorce in 1994.

Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger — Season 19, Feb. 12, 1994

Alec Baldwin has hosted
Alec Baldwin has hosted

Barr and Arnold weren’t the only ill-fated couple to host. Baldwin and Basinger, who were promoting their film "The Getaway" at the time, also accomplished the feat before their marriage broke up. The two divorced in 2002.

Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey — Season 29, Jan. 17, 2004

Saturday Night Live (Dana Edelson / NBC)
Saturday Night Live (Dana Edelson / NBC)

Nearly a decade would pass after Baldwin and Basinger's appearance before we'd see another tag team. Simpson and Lachey were riding high on the success of their hit MTV Show “Newlyweds” when they hosted. Like Barr and Arnold and Baldwin and Basinger before them, they would also later break up, divorcing in 2006.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen — Season 29, May 15, 2004

Saturday Night Live (Dana Edelson / NBC)
Saturday Night Live (Dana Edelson / NBC)

The former “Full House” stars followed in the footsteps of the Smothers Brothers and Beau and Jeff Bridges as siblings who hosted the show. The sister took the stage for the season 29 finale, right around the time their movie “New York Minute” was released.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler — Season 41, Dec 19, 2015

Saturday Night Live - Season 41 (Dana Edelstein / NBC)
Saturday Night Live - Season 41 (Dana Edelstein / NBC)

The longtime “SNL” cast members showed off a little of what they learned during their time on the show when they hosted, ending a decade-plus drought of multiple hosts.

The Fey-Poehler pairing has worked elsewhere, too, as the two have hosted the Golden Globes four times.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com

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