Bill Hader may currently be promoting his new HBO show Barry, but the comedian definitely hasn't forgotten the big TV roots he developed on Saturday Night Live. And he particularly remembers one of the major mishaps that went down during his years as a regular: Justin Bieber's hosting gig. Appearing on Watch What Happens Live, Hader and former SNL vet Jay Pharoah were asked about the worst behaved guest host they worked with, and after Pharoah set it up by saying they both knew exactly who it was, Hader shared a fairly amiable Bieber-infused answer.
It was Bieber. Yeah, Bieber, he just was in a bad place. Maybe he's in a better place. But then, it was rough. . . . Everyone's usually on great behavior. Everyone's very excited, and great behavior. Most times, it's 100%. And Bieber's the only one in my experience. I think he just seemed exhausted, or he was at the end of a rope. He was just so huge.
Justin Bieber took the Saturday Night Live stage as host back in February 2013, which was during the height of his ongoing mega-fame, and a year before he started getting in legal troubles for DUIs and a variety of other infractions. If he was overwhelmed with his own celebrity at the time, as Bill Hader seemingly implied, it would be somewhat understandable. In the sense that relatively few people achieve Bieber's household name status, and he did it as he was traversing through his teens and into adulthood, which is generally an emotionally tumultuous period for anyone. To be sure, being Bieber-famous doesn't excuse anyone from being pompous and troublesome on the set of a network sketch series, and it's interesting to hear Hader reflect on it a little less antagonistically five years after the fact.
This definitely isn't the first time Bill Hader called out Justin Bieber as a hosting blight. After the episode aired, the actor went on Howard Stern's radio show and spoke about the pop star's entourage and behavior during the week. As proven by his Watch What Happens Now appearance, Hader clearly hasn't left that opinion in the past. And just look at Jay Pharoah's face as it's cemented that Bieber is the answer.
As far as Justin Bieber being in a better place goes, his on-and-off relationship with Selena Gomez remains an attention-grabber, which has to be a distraction. On the other hand, Bieber is back in the studio and working on the long-awaited follow-up to 2015's Purpose, which is sure to be successful enough to launch him back to the peak of pop culture. Which, in turn, could present a scenario where he's once again asked to host SNL. And this strange cycle can begin anew.
To bring everyone's memory banks back around to Justin Bieber's notorious episode, check out the clip below in all of its well-performed glory.
Bill Hader has been reliving his Saturday Night Live heyday thanks to his recent return to the show, and we're pretty sure his own guest-hosting efforts will never be considering the "worst" by any of the show's cast members. He delivered a much-needed new dose of Stefan, he hilariously broke in the middle of an extremely silly sketch,
You can now catch Bill Hader on HBO on Sunday nights for his highly acclaimed new comedy Barry, and Saturday Night Live's current season can be viewed every Saturday night on NBC at 11:30 p.m. And not to be left out, Watch What Happens Live airs weeknights at 12:00 a.m. ET. Check out who David Spade claimed was the worst Saturday Night Live host, and to see what other new and returning shows are on the way, head to our midseason premiere schedule.
