ForSaturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary, past and present cast members reunited to celebrate the monumental milestone, but a few notable stars were missing, including Bill Hader.Hader served as a cast member on the NBC late-night sketch comedy variety series for eight seasons,from 2005 to 2013. He undoubtedly left his mark on the show, but he still didn’t attend “SNL50.”
Hader was a guest onLate Night with Seth Meyers, where he discussed his “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” absence with his former co-star. During the interview, Meyers asked him about why he chose to sit out of the celebration.According to Hader, his anxiety was the reason.Hader then opened up more about his anxiety throughout his time onSNL. He said:
“I was really shaky and everything. I was really anxious. And you were, like, so calm! I remember, we did those [primetime specials] that were at 8:00. I remember you and [Amy] Poehler were just like ice in your veins. You guys went out there, and I was trembling, anxious, and you guys went out, and something went wrong, and you went, ‘Oh, something went wrong.’ And I was like, ‘You can just do that?!’ I could just, in the middle of a thing, be like, ‘This sucks! I’m gonna go home.’ I wish I could do that all the time, that’d be great.”
What Bill Hader’s Comments Mean For His Future On SNL
Hader Can Still Return
Thesuccessful formerSaturday Night Livecast memberhas been quite open about the anxiety he had while working on the show.So, it’s not too surprising to learn that was what prevented Hader from attending “SNL50.” However, despite his absence from the 50th anniversary special, Hader could still appear in future episodes of the popular NBC sketch comedy series.
Hader has hosted two episodes ofSaturday Night Live— one in 2014 and another in 2018. So, given his schedule and the projects he’s working on and promoting, Hader could return as a host. Plus, he has expressed in the past that he would be open to the idea of reprising some of his most iconic roles (like Stefon) on one-off occasions.
No one should expect Hader to resume his role as a full-time repertory player onSaturday Night Live, though. As he told Meyers, Hader’s experience working on the show was stressful. It’s unlikely that he would ever return regularly. Given his absence from"SNL50: The Anniversary Special,“fans shouldn’t be holding their breath for a Hader appearance onSNLanytime soon.
Our Take On Bill Hader’s SNL50 Absence
Hader Wasn’t The Only Former SNL Cast Member Who Didn’t Appear In The Special
Aside from Hader, three other notableSNLcast members were missing from the 50th anniversary special—Dan Aykroyd, Dana Carvey, and Colin Quinn.Aykroyd wanted to watch “SNL50” from the comfort of his own home, Carvey was sick, and Quinn was on tour for his standup show. All four were missed, but their reasons for missing the special made sense.
While their absences were felt, it was pretty impressive that NBC managed to get every important livingSNLfigure to attend “SNL50” except for four. Of course, it would’ve been better if Hader and the others had been there. ButSaturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special still went off without a hitch and was a satisfactory celebration of the show’s long run.
