Here’s Why Bill Hader Really Skipped ‘SNL50’<\/p>\n
Between the concert on Feb. 14 and the special episode on Feb. 16, pretty much everyone who\u2019s ever been on SNL or hosted it in its history showed up to celebrate. Guests included the likes of Robert De Niro<\/a>, Kim Kardashian<\/a>, Will Ferrell<\/a>, Scarlett Johansson<\/a>, 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\u2019m not sure more famous people have ever been in the same room, ever.<\/p>\n And while there were A-listers in abundance, viewers couldn\u2019t help but notice the absence<\/a> of a couple of the show\u2019s most beloved alumni, including Bill Hader, who was an SNL cast member from 2005 to 2013.<\/p>\n As even casual SNL viewers will know, Bill is behind some of the show\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n At the time, the intrigue surrounding Bill\u2019s absence was so widespread that his representative spoke out, telling Variety<\/a> he was unable to make it due to a \u201clongstanding scheduling conflict.\u201d And now, Bill has addressed the matter himself, revealing that his lack of involvement was down to something a little more personal.<\/p>\n Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers<\/a> 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 \u2014 which was ironic, because the sketch was all about how \u201ceverybody had anxiety at SNL.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAndy called me and was like, \u2018Hey, so we\u2019re doing this short about how, you know, everybody had anxiety.\u2019 And when he told about it, I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t know if I want to do that,\u2019\u201d he recalled. \u201cAnd he was like, \u2018Why?\u2019 and I was like, \u2018Because I\u2019m anxious!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n As you may know, Bill has talked openly in the past about his struggles with anxiety during his eight-year run on the show. \u201cThe live aspect of SNL \u2014 I\u2019m just not built for it,\u201d he told the Hollywood Reporter<\/a> in 2022. \u201cBefore shows, I would go into a bathroom that was way down this hall, go into a stall and have a full-blown panic attack, crying, the whole thing. And then I go and get in a giant banana costume.\u201d<\/p>\n