Bill Hader’s team reveal why actor, comedian didn’t attend ‘SNL 50’

Bill Hader was noticeably absent from the SNL 50: Anniversary Special, but there’s a good reason for it.

Fans hoping to see the Barry star reprise his iconic roles—like Stefon or Devin from The Californians—were left wondering why the former cast member, who was on SNL from 2005 to 2013, didn’t show up for the big night on February 16.

Now, his team has cleared things up.

On February 18, Hader’s rep told Variety that he had a “longstanding scheduling conflict” that kept him from attending the milestone event. While they didn’t share more details, IMDb lists him as working on The Cat in the Hat and Empress of Serenity, suggesting his Hollywood commitments may have played a role.

Still, Hader didn’t completely sit out the SNL 50 fun. He brought back Devin from The Californians in a Volkswagen commercial alongside Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen, giving fans a taste of his signature comedy.

Though he’s known for his comedic brilliance, Hader has been open about the challenges he faced during his SNL years. In a 2019 interview with Variety, he reflected on the anxiety and migraines he experienced while on the show.

“When I was on SNL, I was a bit of a basket case,” he admitted.

“It could not have been easy on my wife at the time. I was so consumed with work and anxiety. Sometimes I felt like people thought, ‘Oh, he just wants attention or something.’ It was like, ‘No, man, I’m legit. I’m freaking out right now.’”