The Platinum Lounge: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martins SNL Rivalry

The Saturday Night Live (SNL) stage has been the backdrop for countless sketches and comedic moments, but one particular sketch stands out as a testament to the show's competitive spirit: the "Platinum Lounge." This exclusive club, only accessible to those who have hosted the show more than 12 times, has seen a few select hosts vie for supremacy.

Alec Baldwin holds the record as the most frequent SNL host with 17 episodes under his belt. However, Steve Martin once held the lead with 16 hosting appearances. When Baldwin hosted for his 13th time in Season 32, SNL decided to up the stakes in their "rivalry" with a "Platinum Lounge" sketch.

In the sketch, Baldwin asks Martin, "Steve, what are you doing here?" to which Martin replies, "I'm here to see you, man. It's great, you're hosting, it's fantastic." Martin then pretends not to know that Baldwin is about to tie his hosting record and distracts him with a fake Paul Simon sighting to poison his drink. The two then play "switch the poison back and forth" until Baldwin declares their toast should be made with champagne. The poison reacts differently in the champagne, and Baldwin punches Martin to the ground, yelling, "I...was in...Schweddy Balls!" before busting out a classic Martin catchphrase.

However, Martin remembers that he has actually hosted 14 times already and Martin Short arrives with Paul McCartney to tell Baldwin he's needed on stage. (And no, McCartney was not the Musical Guest that night; that was Christina Aguilera, who performed "Ain't No Other Man" and "Hurt.")

The real "platinum lounge" crew includes John Goodman, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin, who graduated from the Five-Timers Club long ago. Martin finally hit 15 episodes on January 31, 2009, while Baldwin reached 14 on February 14, 2009. Martin didn't host again until 2022, so Baldwin finally surpassed his record in Season 37's season premiere on September 24, 2011. Baldwin's most recent episode as Host was on February 11, 2017, though he's made more than 30 cameo appearances since then.

Martin Short finally joined the Five-Timers Club in Season 50, and Scarlett Johansson became the most frequent female Host with seven episodes. Slowly but surely, other stars are making their way toward Baldwin's throne.

Watch "Platinum Lounge" from Season 32, Episode 5 above and stream every episode of SNL anytime on Peacock.