Friday, May 1, 2026

Bill Hader Explains His Absence from SNL Anniversary Special

Actor Bill Hader explained why he did not attend the big 50th anniversary special of “Saturday Night Live.” It was not because of scheduling conflicts, as some people said.

On “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” Hader said his friend Andy Samberg called him. Samberg wanted to make a funny video about the anxiety that “SNL” cast members feel. Hader felt worried and told Samberg he didn’t want to do it.

Bowen Yang starred in the video instead. Hader said Yang was great in it.

Hader and Meyers joked that Hader couldn’t go to the special because he had “anxiety-caused shingles.” Meyers made fun of the situation by saying that if Hader went to the show, he would have had “double shingles.”

Hader was on “SNL” for eight years, from 2005 to 2013. He has often talked about his mental health while on the show. Meyers mentioned that Hader had many strange health issues during his time there.

Hader also shared a story about losing his vision one night. He had to wait backstage, and his friend Jason Sudeikis helped him.

Hader now stars in the HBO show “Barry” and will voice “The Cat in the Hat” in an upcoming movie.

Test Your Understanding

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Vocabulary List:
6 words · tap to reveal
ON

Accent

Anxiety/æŋˈzaɪ.ə.ti/noun
A feeling of worry nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.

Special/ˈspɛʃ.əl/adjective
Better greater or otherwise different from what is usual.

Worried/ˈwɜːr.id/adjective
Anxious or concerned about something.

Joked/dʒoʊkt/verb
Made a remark or statement intended to be funny.

Strange/streɪndʒ/adjective
Unusual or surprising in a way that is unsettling or hard to understand.

Vision/ˈvɪʒ.ən/noun
The ability to see; sight.

How much do you know?

How long was Bill Hader on "Saturday Night Live"?
4 years
6 years
8 years
10 years
Who wanted to make a funny video about the anxiety of "SNL" cast members?
Bill Hader
Seth Meyers
Bowen Yang
Andy Samberg
What caused Bill Hader to miss the 50th anniversary special of "Saturday Night Live" according to the jokes on "Late Night With Seth Meyers"?
Injury
Scheduling conflict
Anxiety-caused shingles
Lost vision
What show does Bill Hader star in on HBO?
The Office
Barry
Friends
Breaking Bad
Who helped Bill Hader when he lost his vision one night?
Seth Meyers
Bowen Yang
Andy Samberg
Jason Sudeikis
What role will Bill Hader voice in an upcoming movie?
Garfield
The Cat in the Hat
Scooby-Doo
Elsa
Bill Hader was on "Saturday Night Live" from 2005 to 2013.
Jason Sudeikis starred in the video about anxiety of "SNL" cast members.
Bill Hader has never talked about his mental health while on "SNL".
Bill Hader did not miss the 50th anniversary special due to scheduling conflicts.
Seth Meyers made jokes about Bill Hader having double shingles if he attended the special.
Bill Hader shared his vision loss story on "The Tonight Show".
Bill Hader was on "SNL" from 2005 to .
In the funny video about anxiety, starred instead of Bill Hader.
Jason Sudeikis helped Bill Hader when he lost his one night.
Bill Hader now stars in the HBO show .
Bill Hader will voice "The " in an upcoming movie.
On "Late Night with Seth Meyers", Bill Hader joked about having "anxiety-caused ".
This question is required

Test Your Understanding

Start Quiz
Vocabulary List:
6 words · tap to reveal
ON
Accent
Anxiety/æŋˈzaɪ.ə.ti/noun
A feeling of worry nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
Special/ˈspɛʃ.əl/adjective
Better greater or otherwise different from what is usual.
Worried/ˈwɜːr.id/adjective
Anxious or concerned about something.
Joked/dʒoʊkt/verb
Made a remark or statement intended to be funny.
Strange/streɪndʒ/adjective
Unusual or surprising in a way that is unsettling or hard to understand.
Vision/ˈvɪʒ.ən/noun
The ability to see; sight.

How much do you know?

How long was Bill Hader on "Saturday Night Live"?
4 years
6 years
8 years
10 years
Who wanted to make a funny video about the anxiety of "SNL" cast members?
Bill Hader
Seth Meyers
Bowen Yang
Andy Samberg
What caused Bill Hader to miss the 50th anniversary special of "Saturday Night Live" according to the jokes on "Late Night With Seth Meyers"?
Injury
Scheduling conflict
Anxiety-caused shingles
Lost vision
What show does Bill Hader star in on HBO?
The Office
Barry
Friends
Breaking Bad
Who helped Bill Hader when he lost his vision one night?
Seth Meyers
Bowen Yang
Andy Samberg
Jason Sudeikis
What role will Bill Hader voice in an upcoming movie?
Garfield
The Cat in the Hat
Scooby-Doo
Elsa
Bill Hader was on "Saturday Night Live" from 2005 to 2013.
Jason Sudeikis starred in the video about anxiety of "SNL" cast members.
Bill Hader has never talked about his mental health while on "SNL".
Bill Hader did not miss the 50th anniversary special due to scheduling conflicts.
Seth Meyers made jokes about Bill Hader having double shingles if he attended the special.
Bill Hader shared his vision loss story on "The Tonight Show".
Bill Hader was on "SNL" from 2005 to .
In the funny video about anxiety, starred instead of Bill Hader.
Jason Sudeikis helped Bill Hader when he lost his one night.
Bill Hader now stars in the HBO show .
Bill Hader will voice "The " in an upcoming movie.
On "Late Night with Seth Meyers", Bill Hader joked about having "anxiety-caused ".
This question is required

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