Bill Hader to Leave "Saturday Night Live" - East Idaho News
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Bill Hader to Leave “Saturday Night Live”

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051413 BillHaderSethMyersSNL?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1368548739785Dana Edelson/NBC(NEW YORK) — It looks like Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” will have to get a new city correspondent, because Stefon is no more.  Bill Hader is officially leaving the late night sketch comedy show after the season’s final episode, which airs Saturday.

According to The New York Times, the eight-year SNL veteran said of his departure, “It was a hard decision, but it has to happen at some point.  It got to a point where I said, ‘Maybe it’s just time to go.'”

Hader, 34, joined SNL as a featured performer in 2005, but after a year he was promoted to full-time cast member.  He’s known for portraying other SNL characters and doing celebrity impressions including Julian Assange, James Carville, Al Pacino and Vincent Price.

Hader was also the lone nominee from the Saturday Night Live cast — for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series — for the 2012 Emmy Awards.  It was the first time a male performer on SNL had been nominated in that category since Eddie Murphy in 1983.

Although Hader hasn’t decided what his SNL send-off will be, he told The New York Times to not expect an emotional one similar to Kristen Wiig’s, who was serenaded by Mick Jagger along with the cast.

“That was a very strong and spontaneous reaction to the depth of feeling that was there for Kristen,” Hader said.  “It either comes out spontaneously because it makes sense and it represents the way people feel, or not.  It won’t be the same thing this year, obviously.  We’ll see.” 

He adds, “My joke was, we’ll start singing ‘Ruby Tuesday’ and just say bye to Kristen again.  I can just do a little wave at goodnights, and that signifies it.”

SNL will soon have more than Hader’s spot to fill.  Seth Meyers will also be leaving next year to take over Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night.  Fallon will take on The Tonight Show for Jay Leno, starting Feb. 24, 2014.

The season finale of Saturday Night Live, which will be hosted by Ben Affleck with a performance by Kanye West, airs May 18 on NBC.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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