Tom Hanks and Tina Fey inducted Paul Rudd into the "five-timers club" on 'Saturday Night Live' on Saturday (18.12.21).
This week's episode of the sketch-show was stripped back due to rising coronavirus cases in New York City but the show still made sure they acknowledged the 52-year-old actor's accomplishment of hosting the programme for the fifth time by bringing out big name guests, who have also achieved the honour.
Stepping out on stage in his iconic five-timers club jacket, Tom said: "Tonight, everyone on 'Saturday Night Live' planned to do our big Christmas show and induct a new member into the five-timers club, but COVID came early this year.
"So, in the interest of safety, we do not have an audience, and we sent home our cast, and most of our crew. But I came here from California and if they think I was going to fly 3,000 miles and not be on TV, they got another thing coming."
He then introduced fellow five-timer Tina and said: "Thank you for joining me Tina. As you know, I started the five-timers club."
Joking about how the 'Castaway' star and his wife Rita Wilson were the first high-profile celebrities to announce they had coronavirus last March, Tina replied: "Oh, like you started COVID!"
The pair then welcomed Paul out onto the stage, and he admitted he was disappointed the programme was different to what had been planned.
Tom replied: "It's not all that bad. People magazine just named you the most sexist man of the year!"
Paul insisted: "Oh, no, I think it was sexiest."
Show regular Kenan Thompson then came to present the guest host with his own five-timers club jacket.
He quipped: "Congratulations on hosting the show four-and-a-half times."
Ahead of the broadcast, it was confirmed there would be no studio audience for the show, that most sketched had been pre-recorded and that musical guest Charli XCX would not appear.
A show representative said: "Due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience for tonight’s taping of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and the show will have limited cast and crew. The show continues to follow all government safety guidelines in addition to a rigorous testing protocol."
