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Earlier this year, Saturday Night Live celebrated its 50th birthday with a special live episode featuring cast members and hosts. Stars like Will Ferrell & Ana Gasteyer, Adam Sandler, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Tom Hanks, and more took part. It was a really fun weekend for SNL fans.
Bill Hader was not at any of the SNL50 festivities. People noticed and noted that he’d been outspoken about his difficulties on the show. Bill’s rep said that he had a “scheduling conflict” while Puck got a quote about how he’d politely declined it. Most people just accepted that Bill was busy with other projects and moved on. As it turns out, Bill’s rep wasn’t being truthful. He *was* asked to participate in Andy Sandberg’s digital short about pre-show jitters. However, he turned it down because – ironically – he was too anxious to do it.
Between the concert on Feb. 14 and the special episode on Feb. 16, pretty much everyone who’s ever been on SNL or hosted it in its history showed up to celebrate. Guests included the likes of Robert De Niro, Kim Kardashian, Will Ferrell, Scarlett Johansson, Keke Palmer, Lady Gaga, Jimmy Fallon, Billy Crystal, Pedro Pascal, David Letterman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Drew Barrymore, Meryl Streep, Seth Meyers, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bad Bunny, Chris Rock, Jon Hamm, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, Paul McCartney, and Tom Hanks. Like, I’m not sure more famous people have ever been in the same room, ever.
And while there were A-listers in abundance, viewers couldn’t help but notice the absence of a couple of the show’s most beloved alumni, including Bill Hader, who was an SNL cast member from 2005 to 2013.
As even casual SNL viewers will know, Bill is behind some of the show’s most iconic sketches, and so, fans were incredibly disappointed to see that he was one of the only former cast members not to make a comeback for the 50th anniversary.
“Ok not gonna lie, it feels wrong watching the SNL 50th anniversary without Bill Hader,” one X post read at the time.
“This show had everything. Except Bill Hader’s Stefon,” added someone else, referring to his iconic recurring character on the show.
“Nah, how are you going to celebrate SNL 50 weekend update without Stefon. That’s a crime. Where tf is Bill Hader,” echoed another user.
At the time, the intrigue surrounding Bill’s absence was so widespread that his representative spoke out, telling Variety he was unable to make it due to a “longstanding scheduling conflict.” And now, Bill has addressed the matter himself, revealing that his lack of involvement was down to something a little more personal.
Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday, Bill explained to his fellow SNL alum that he was invited to take part in a short with Andy Samberg, but turned it down due to his struggles with anxiety — which was ironic, because the sketch was all about how “everybody had anxiety at SNL.”
“Andy called me and was like, ‘Hey, so we’re doing this short about how, you know, everybody had anxiety.’ And when he told about it, I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do that,’” he recalled. “And he was like, ‘Why?’ and I was like, ‘Because I’m anxious!’”
Andy’s “Anxiety” short went ahead anyway with Bowen Yang in Bill’s place, and it seems he has no regrets about how things played out. “I was like, really shaky and everything,” he told Seth. “I was really anxious.”
I’m really sorry that Bill deals with such terrible anxiety. As someone who also suffers from anxiety, I relate and sympathize with him. I was disappointed to not get a Stefon appearance, but I completely understand and accept that Bill would turn it down for mental health reasons. I bet he felt such a weight off of his shoulders and could breathe/sleep easier once he made that decision to opt out. He’s probably made so many strides over the last several years without being put into that high stress position, so I don’t blame him for not doing it. He made the right call, too. That digital short was fine, but nowhere near on that legendary level as other digital shorts, like the Natalie Portman, Captain Jack Sparrow, or Lazy Sunday ones. Don’t get me wrong; it was entertaining! I’m just saying that if it hit too close to home for Bill, then good for him for knowing his own limits.
Here’s the anxiety sketch that Bill turned down:
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How in the world did he get through the live show with such anxiety. It boggles.
Love billhader. If he’s like me I doubt he felt better. Probably felt bad no matter what he did. At least at first. Love him so much.
I adored him on the show! I will always click on an interview too. Anxiety sucks.
Seth mused aloud elsewhere that he’s concerned with his own mental health if he didn’t have a show to write and appear on, NBC already axed his band. Then lo and behold his good friend and colleague drops in from the other coast with nothing to plug, just showing his kids SNL studio 8H, doing a show, and having them meet Seth. Seth famously married Hader’s most famous character Stefon in a wild star studded ceremony. I hope everyone’s anxiety improves.