Fans Were Sad Bill Hader’s Stefon Didn’t Make An SNL 50 Appearance. Apparently, There Was A Reason

Saturday Night Live has been pulling out all the stops for its 50^th anniversary celebration, culminating in the SNL50: The Anniversary Special bringing five decades of sketch comedy legacy to the 2025 TV schedule. The three-hour event brought back many familiar faces, from SNL alums to Steven Spielberg, but there were definitely some notable absences. For instance, many fans were upset and confused about Bill Hader’s absence, but there was apparently a good reason that both he and Dana Carvey were unavailable.

Why Bill Hader Didn’t Come Back

Hader was a notable cast member from 2005 to 2013 and has frequently returned to Studio 8H both as host and in brief cameos since then. He’s certainly a fan-favorite, especially when it comes to his beloved character Stefon. Although Hader participated in a Volkswagen commercial with fellow alumni Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen to recreate “The Californians,” Hader did not appear on the anniversary special. A representative told Variety that he had a “longstanding scheduling conflict,” hence his absence.

Even though it was disappointmenting that Hader wasn’t able to appear on the anniversary special, it makes sense. You can’t really help scheduling conflicts, especially since it sounds like whatever else he was doing was on the calendar long before NBC nailed down its airdate for the anniversary special.

At the very least, the Volkswagen commercial was pretty funny and gave fans a few seconds of Hader comedy to laugh at. "The Californians” remains one of the funniest sketches from SNL's long history, and any return from . That being said, Hader wasn’t the only former cast member to not make it to the special.

Why Dana Carvey Didn’t Come Back

Dana Carvey was another surprise. The comedian was a cast member from 1986 to 1993 and hosted four times since then, making numerous cameos over the years. He made frequent returns to SNL at the beginning of Season 50, portraying President Joe Biden, which is why his absence for the anniversary special was so shocking. But he, too, had a good reason, and it wasn’t because of scheduling issues.

Carvey reportedly had a “bad flu” and was simply too sick to attend SNL50: The Anniversary Special. Just like with scheduling, you can’t help when you get sick, especially in the winter. Of course, it’s still disappointing, but at least fans were able to see Carvey plenty of times at the beginning of the season. It wouldn’t be surprising if he were to make another appearance at some point again before Season 50 ends, whether as Biden or a different fan-favorite character of his.

However, just because the anniversary special wasn’t able to get everyone back, it was still pretty stacked and as memorable as ever. Streaming with a Peacock subscription, SNL50: The Anniversary Special brought back memorable characters, paid tribute to former cast members, had great musical guests, and Weekend Update even brought back former anchors Seth Meyers and Bill Murray.

Since SNL is continuing to bring back alums aside from the special, whether as host or for a cameo, hopefully, Hader and Carvey, as well as any other alum that wasn’t able to appear, will get their redemption.