Bill Hader would reprise Stefon on SNL

Bill Hader is set to return as Stefon.

The “Saturday Night Live” alum reflected on the legacy of her breakout character Stefon, a gay New York nightlife guru who appeared in “Weekend Update” segments. Hader parted ways with “SNL” in 2013 after eight years on the live sketch series; He returned in 2018 and reprized his role as Stefon as well as the skit “The Californians”. In 2022, Hader was approached about bringing Stefon back, but the “Barry” co-creator and star expressed concern that he was playing a cheesy parody. Hader now addresses the controversy and clarifies his earlier comments.

“I’ve never had a gay man come up to me and be offended that I (played Stefon),” Hader said. The independent, citing that he also played a queer character in Craig Johnson’s The Skeleton Twins. “People have always come up to me and told me how much they love these roles.”

Hader said earlier The guardian he worries that Stefon will be “perceived as a stereotype, and that really hurt.”

Hader now said: “Honestly, I don’t know why I said that. I would probably play with it. I think from the moment the question was asked, there was a kind of concern.”

Instead, Hader has another “SNL” character he won’t be returning to: Vinny Vedecci, the unprofessional Italian talk show host.

“An Italian woman said she was offended by it, and I said, ‘I’m just trying the old comics, you know, gibberish and all,'” Hader recalled. “And he said, ‘Okay, but that’s how my dad spoke, and it’s actually Italian.’

He added: “Your sensitivity changes as you get older. I don’t think I would do it again.”

Regarding the changing comedy landscape of the modern era, Hader said, “I sympathize and understand the sensibility. But as someone who creates things, I think you want to create things in a real and honest way. And what’s happened, especially on social media, is that there are people who aren’t funny or content that’s just plain offensive. I think the lines are blurred.”

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