Bill Hader Walks Back Retiring Saturday Night Live Favorite Stefon

Throughout eight years on Saturday Night Live, none of Bill Hader’s characters were as popular as Stefon, a tour guide that always appeared on the show’s “Weekend Update” segment to share all the latest hot spots around New York City. After SNL tried to bring the character back in a Season 47 episode, Hader revealed he didn’t want to step into the role due to the climate of the American political landscape. Now, Hader says he wishes he hadn’t said he’s done playing the character after all.

Hader, a straight male, said in a recent interview with The Independent that he would probably return and play Stefon once more, walking back comments he previously made suggesting the role could be interpreted as a stereotype of gay men. “Honestly, I don’t know why I said that. I probably would play him. I think just being asked the question at that point in time kind of made me anxious,” he told the paper.

But since then, he’s received compliments from those he was worried about offending. “I’ve never had any gay man come up to me and be offended that I [played Stefon],” Hader added. “I’ve always had people come up and say how much they love those roles.”

In his comments to The Guardian last year, Hader said he was worried about how the character would be seen should he reemerge in a new age.

“I was like, ‘I don’t think that’s really a good thing to do now.’ I mean, we had an openly racist, homophobic and misogynistic president, and half the country voted for him – twice! So [those attitudes] are really prevalent,” Hader said at the time. “That was a big eye-opener for me and it made me back up a bit and say, ‘Wait, maybe people see this character a different way.’ Because I really love Stefon and it never occurred to me that he would be seen as a stereotype, and that really hurt.”

How to watch Saturday Night Live

Throughout the remainder of Season 48, currently expected to run through May, NBC is simulcasting new episodes live on both NBC and Peacock. Peacock also serves as the streaming vault for all SNL episodes from its inception, with new episodes being added the day after they air.

Virtually every SNL episode, other than the select few locked away for good because of a variety of reasons, is now available to watch on the streaming service.