Almost all SNL stars appeared at the SNL50 special, the grand tribute to the long-running show which took place in February, except, quite notably, Bill Hader. After months, the actor finally revealed the reason behind him not attending the special, even brushing off the initial claim by his publicist, which attributed his absence to scheduling conflicts.
Why didn’t Bill Hader make an appearance at Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special?
When Bill Hader made headlines for not attending the SNL 50 special, his publicist outlined that he could not make it to the event due to scheduling conflicts. But Hader revealed that that was not the case during his appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Tuesday.
Hader revealed that the real reason he did not attend the SNL 50 special was his years-long bout with anxiety. He recalled “Andy [Samberg] called me and was like, ‘Hey, so we’re doing this short about how, you know, everybody had anxiety,” he continued, “And when he told me that, I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do that.’”
Hader added, “He’s like, ‘Why?’ And I’m like, ‘Because I’m anxious. I don’t want to do it.’” The comedian continued, “He was like, ‘Come on, man! What do you mean? No!’”
Bowen Yang ended up doing Hader’s role at the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special. Hader conveyed his appreciation for Yang’s performance in the SNL50 special during the interview.
This is not the first time Hader has publicly discussed his anxiety. He’d exited SNL back in 2013, citing his growing anxiety as one of the reasons, among other things (via Variety). The 47-year-old actor has made numerous film and TV appearances since then.