Bill Hader Gets Real About Why He Actually Skipped SNL's 50th Anniversary Special—And Oof

Saturday Night Live's 50th Anniversary special was one of the events of the year in 2025. With most of the key cast members, past and present, plus past guest stars, musicians, and supporting comedians, it seemed like anyone who was anyone was in attendance.

But there were a few key absences, including Bill Hader, who was a much-loved favorite cast member from 2005 to 2013.

Fans were quick to notice his absence among the crew, as well as in the hilarious skits sprinkled throughout the evening, and Hader's representative shared online that he was not there because of a "longstanding scheduling conflict."

But while guest-starring on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Bill Hader opened up about why he really wasn't there.

"Andy called me and was like, 'Hey, so we're doing this short about how, you know, everybody had anxiety [on the show]. and when he told me about it, I was like, 'I don't know if I want to do that.'"

"And he was like, 'Why?' And I was like, 'Because I'm anxious!'"

"The live aspect of SNL, I'm just not built for it. I was like, really shaky and everything. I was really anxious."

"Before 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 would go and get in a giant banana costume."

"This voice would come on in my head kind of like, 'You f**king a**hole, do you know how many people would kill for this? Dude, get your shit together, come on.'"

The segment became popular on Twitter (X), where people were divided over Hader's admission.

Some X users were inspired by Hader's honesty and wished him well.

But some questioned what the big deal was about appearing on the anniversary special.

The segment also went viral on TikTok, where viewers were much more supportive of Hader's struggles.

Fans were surprised that Hader had experienced anxiety, while also supportive of him for admitting it.

@latenightseth/TikTok

@latenightseth/TikTok

@latenightseth/TikTok

@latenightseth/TikTok

@latenightseth/TikTok

@latenightseth/TikTok

@latenightseth/TikTok

@latenightseth/TikTok

@latenightseth/TikTok

@latenightseth/TikTok

In addition to his anxiety, Hader and Meyers quipped back and forth about unexpected things happening to him during his time on Saturday Night Live, as well as fellow cast members and producers adding increasingly unhinged jokes to his cue cards to try to make him break character on set.

Anyone with anxiety would understand how not knowing what to expect—in front of a live audience—would exacerbate their anxiety!

You can see the full interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers here:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com