Fans were spoilt for choice when it came to star-spotting over the course of Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary celebrations last weekend.
Group of performers on stage holding a sign that reads “New York to Ford: WHO’S DEAD NOW?” in a comedic skit, with various costumes
From Friday’s live concert to Sunday’s celebratory special, stars in attendance included pretty much everyone who’s ever been on SNL or hosted it since its very conception, including the likes of Robert De Niro, Kim Kardashian, Will Ferrell, Scarlett Johansson, Keke Palmer, Jimmy Fallon, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Drew Barrymore, Meryl Streep, Seth Meyers, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bad Bunny, Chris Rock, Jon Hamm, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, Paul McCartney, and Tom Hanks — just to name a few, literally.
A man in a tuxedo stands smiling among seated audience members, possibly at an award show. Other attendees are dressed in formal evening wear
But, despite the whole thing literally being like a game of spot the A-listers, some fans were still left saddened by the absence of several notable SNL alumni — including Bill Hader. And after viewers expressed their disappointment online, we finally have a few answers.
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According to a new report from Variety, Bill — a fan-favorite cast member on the show from 2005 to 2013 — couldn’t make it due to a “longstanding scheduling conflict,” his representative said.
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And though fans didn’t get to see Bill return live as the iconic Stefon on SNL50, he did join Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen to deliver another installment of their popular Californians sketch for a pre-taped Volkswagen commercial, so it ain’t all bad! You can watch it here.
Meanwhile, the same report suggests that SNL icon Dana Carvey, who was a regular star on the sketch show from 1986 to 1993, couldn’t make it because he had a “bad flu” and was sadly too sick to celebrate in person.
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Dana has not personally confirmed this, although he may likely address his absence during the next episode of his Fly on the Wall podcast with fellow SNL alum David Spade.
And finally, one of the other most notable absences of the special was that of Dan Aykroyd — who was a cast member on the show back when it started in 1975. Days before the weekend of SNL50 celebrations began, the Blues Brothers star marked the milestone on X, writing: “Cracking a Head with pride at having been a co-founder of SNL along with everyone we were together with in those four years, five decades ago. This telecast is as historical as the next moon landing. Comedy stars of our age all gathered under the aegis of America’s greatest living impresario, my boss Lorne Michaels. People it’s friggin’ Holy!!”
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In light of this, many were surprised that he didn’t show up for the big night. However, like Bill, Dan’s rep told Variety that his absence was due to “prior commitments.”
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So, there you have it! Was there anyone else you were expecting to see but didn’t? LMK in the comments.
