Steve Pond's Blog, page 64
August 6, 2025
Hulu and Disney+ to Launch Unified Standalone App in 2026
After acquiring full control of Hulu from Comcast in June, Disney plans to fully integrate the streaming service into Disney+, with a plans to launch a unified
Disney+ and Hulu streaming app experience that will be available to consumers next year.
“This will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the
highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news, and industry-leading live sports content in a single app. By creating a truly differentiated streaming offering, we will be providing subscribers tremendous choice, convenience, quality, and enhanced personalization,” Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said in executive commentary along with its third quarter earnings for fiscal 2025. “This will enhance our ability to continue to grow profitability and margins in our entertainment streaming
business through expected higher engagement, lower churn, and advertising revenue potential, as well as operational efficiencies that over time may result in savings that we can reinvest back into the business.”
As part of the integration, Hulu will replace the Star tile on Disney+ internationally starting in the fall. Work is also underway to make various technical improvements in the Disney+ app, including new features and a more personalized home page.
More to come…
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New York Times Adds 230,000 Digital Subscribers in 2nd Quarter
The New York Times added 230,000 digital-only subscribers in the second quarter of 2025 for a total of 11.3 million. Of that total, approximately 6.02 million were bundle and multi-product subscribers. When including print, the company has a total of 11.9 million subscribers.
Total subscription revenues grew 9.6% to $481.4 million, with digital-only climbing 15.1% to $350.4 million due to an increase in bundle and multiproduct revenues and an increase in other single-product subscription revenues, partially offset by a decrease in news-only subscription revenues. Digital-only average revenue per user grew 3.2% to $9.64, driven by subscribers transitioning from promotional to higher prices and price increases on certain tenured subscribers.
Print subscription revenues fell 2.8%to $131.1 million, primarily due to lower domestic home-delivery revenues.
Out of the New York Times’ many products, The Athletic brand had an especially strong quarter. The sports-focused vertical increased its revenue by 33.4% year-over-year, hitting $54.0 million during the quarter. This was partially due to growth in the number of Athletic subscribers, which grew thanks to bundling subscriptions. Subscription revenues increased 18.1% to hit $34.6 million during the quarter. Advertising revenues also increased by an impressive 98.8% to hit $14.1 million due to due to higher revenues from display advertising.
Looking ahead to the third quarter of 2025, the company plans to combine its two segments — The New York Times Group and The Athletic — to be one reportable segment.
Here are the quarterly results:
Net income: $82.95 billion, up 26.6% year over year, compared to $65.54 billion a year ago.
Earnings Per Share: Diluted earnings per share of 50 cents. Excluding certain items, adjusted EPS came in at 58 cents per share, compared to 51 cents per share expected by analysts surveyed by Yahoo Finance.
Total Revenue: $685.9 million, up 9.7% year over year, compared to $669.66 million expected by analysts surveyed by Yahoo Finance.
NYT’s total ad revenue jumped 12.4% to $134 million, with digital up 18.7% to $94.4 million due to new advertising supply in areas of strong marketer demand and print down 0.1% to $39.6 million. Affiliate, licensing and other revenues rose 5.8% to $70.5 million, driven by higher licensing revenues and Wirecutter affiliate referral revenues.
As is the case with nearly every company’s earnings these days, one of the main topics of Wednesday’s earnings call had to do with AI. The second quarter of 2025 included $3.5 million of pre-tax litigation-related costs that were related to the New York Times’ copyright infringement lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation and Open AI Inc. The second quarter of 2024 also included a special item of $2.0 million related to generative AI litigation costs.
As for the company’s AI licensing deal with Amazon, that began at the end of May and was included in the company’s guidance for the second quarter of 2025.
“We don’t break out revenue by deal,” William Bardeen, executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer, said during the call. “We are showing an acceleration in the affiliate licensing other revenue line in Q3 to high single digits from what was 6% in Q2, and that will be the first full quarter with that Amazon agreement, which is playing a role in that line. Just always remember with affiliate licensing and other revenue, it has a lot of moving parts that can create some lumpiness.”
More to come…
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Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ to Stop Reporting Subscribers, Average Revenue Per User
Disney+ and Hulu will stop reporting subscriber and average revenue per user figures starting in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, while ESPN+ will stop in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2025.
“We are focused on managing our businesses to deliver growth in a sustained way, and to align our financial reporting with how we operate. Since we began reporting the number of paid subscribers and ARPU, our DTC strategy and the operating environment have evolved,” Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston wrote in executive commentary along with its third quarter earnings results. “We believe quarterly updates on the number of paid subscribers and ARPU have become less meaningful to evaluating the performance of our businesses.”
The pair added that Disney would continue to discloses profitability for Disney+ and Hulu.
“We believe our reporting going forward will better align with changes in the media landscape, the unique nature of our integrated assets, how we operate our businesses, and will reflect how management evaluates the progress and success of our strategic initiatives,” the pair concluded.
Disney isn’t the only major streamer that’s opted out of reporting subscriber and ARPU figures. Netflix stopped reporting the metrics in its first quarter of 2025.
In its third quarter of 2025, Disney+ added 1.8 million subscribers for a total of 127.8 million. Hulu added 800,000 subscribers for a total of 55.5 million, while ESPN+ remained flat at 24.1 million subscribers. Together, the three streaming services have a total of 207.4 million subscribers.
Disney+ and Hulu swung to a streaming profit of $346 million in the company’s fiscal third quarter, compared to a loss of $19 million in the year-ago period, and saw revenue grow 6% to $6.2 billion, driven by price increases and subscriber growth. Disney did not break out whether ESPN+ posted a profit or loss for the quarter.
Looking ahead, Disney expects to add more than 10 million subscribers in the fiscal fourth quarter, with the majority of the increase coming from Hulu as a result of its expanded deal with Charter Communications. Disney+ subscribers are expected to see a modest increase from the third quarter.
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ESPN Streaming Service to Launch on Aug. 21 at $29.99 Per Month, Adds WWE
Disney’s new standalone ESPN streaming service is officially set for kickoff on Aug. 21, and soon thereafter, the streamer will add a host of WWE events as ESPN and WWE have reached a domestic rights agreement.
The offering, which was first announced last year and will be available to ESPN linear’s existing pay TV subscribers, will package the sports network’s programming with fantasy sports integrations, enhanced statistics, betting features and e-commerce.
The unlimited plan, which includes access to 47,000 live events, studio shows and more, will cost $29.99 per month/$299.99 per year standalone, $35.99 in a bundle with ads on Disney+ and Hulu and $44.99 per month with no ads on Disney+ and Hulu. At launch, the bundle will cost $29.99 for the first 12 months.
Meanwhile, the cheaper select plan, which includes over 32,000 live events currently available on ESPN+, will be $11.99 per month/$119.99 per year. It will cost $16.99 per month with ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu and $26.99 per month with ad-free Disney+ and Hulu.
Additionally, ESPN and the new ESPN streaming service will become the exclusive U.S. domestic home of all WWE Premium Live Events, including “WrestleMania,” starting in 2026, following a deal announced on Thursday.
The ESPN DTC service will stream all WWE PLEs annually, in their entirety, with select simulcasting on ESPN linear platforms. Marquee PLEs include WrestleMania and SummerSlam –both two-night events – and Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, Money in the Bank, among others. WWE will continue to produce all PLEs.
ESPN’s service comes as other media companies are rolling out their own direct-to-consumer streaming offerings. Fox this week announced the launch of Fox One on Aug. 21.
The launch date is timed to coincide with the start of the college football and NFL seasons, US Open tennis, international soccer, women’s college soccer, volleyball, field hockey, and more.
Subscribers will have access to ESPN programming across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX. That includes live and on-demand programming such as “SportsCenter,” “Get Up,” “First Take,” “NFL Live,” “The Pat McAfee Show,” “Pardon the Interruption,” “College GameDay,” “NBA Today,” “Inside the NBA,” “The Rich Eisen Show,” “30 for 30” films, ESPN Originals, replays, and more.
In addition to integrated game stats, betting information, fantasy sports and commerce, other features will include updated multi-view options and a personalized “SportsCenter For You.”
Existing ESPN+ subscribers will automatically become subscribers to ESPN’s new service, based on their current subscription level. Standalone ESPN+ subscribers get the ESPN Select plan, and Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle subscribers get the ESPN Select bundle.
In addition to the new streaming service, ESPN’s content is also available on streaming via the cheaper, standalone ESPN+ service for $11.99 per month, which the company will continue to market and sell in part due to contractual rights commitments with several leagues, both domestically and internationally. ESPN is also available as a tile in Disney+ available for bundle subscribers.
Separately, ESPN and the NFL reached a multi-year extension on NFL Draft licensing, with Disney+, Hulu and ESPN DTC set to stream ESPN, ABC, and ESPN Deportes’ trio of Draft presentations starting in 2026. Additional alternate NLF Draft presentations from ESPN will also be available, as well as a new daily show dedicated to the NFL draft that will air on ESPN2 most days and launch following the Super Bowl.
That deal will also see ESPN and ABC will each produce telecasts for rounds 1-3 on Thursday and Friday and ESPN continue to air rounds 4-7 with an ABC simulcast. ESPN can add other alternate telecasts across streaming platforms for rounds 1-7. Additionally, premier football shows, “College GameDay” and “NFL Live” will continue to be on-site from the NFL Draft, and ESPN Radio will continue its live broadcast of the event.
ESPN and the NFL have also reached a deal for rights to additional NFL content. ESPN DTC will stream select out-of-market NFL preseason games during the 2025 and 2026 seasons. ESPN will also be able to sell and bundle NFL+ Premium, the league’s DTC service that launched in 2022, with ESPN’s DTC service, giving fans the ability to watch NFL Network and NFL RedZone through the NFL+ Premium offering. ESPN DTC subscribers will also have an exclusive on-demand “Monday Night Football” recap, while Disney+ will offer select NFL simulcasts and have highlight rights within shows like “Vibe Check” and SportsCenter+.
Additionally, ESPN has agreed to acquire the NFL Network, the linear RedZone channel and NFL Fantasy in exchange for the league taking a 10% stake. Disney currently owns 80% of ESPN, while Hearst owns the remaining 20%.
In non-NFL related news, ESPN will also be the exclusive home for WWE premium live events.
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Disney+, Hulu Swing to Combined Third Quarter Profit of $346 Million
The Walt Disney Co. beat Wall Street expectations for its fiscal third quarter on Wednesday, with Disney+ and Hulu swinging to a profit amid continued subscriber growth.
The company saw profit nearly doubling to $5.3 billion, driven by growth in its entertainment and experiences segments, while revenue grew 2% to $23.7 billion driven by growth in its sports and experiences segments.
Disney+ and Hulu swung to a streaming profit of $346 million in the company’s fiscal third quarter, compared to a loss of $19 million in the year-ago period, and saw revenue grow 6% to $6.2 billion, driven by price increases and subscriber growth. Together, the streaming services added 2.6 million subscribers for a total of 183.3 million. When including ESPN+, the total subscriber count across the three services was 207.4 million. Disney did not break out whether ESPN+ posted a profit or loss for the quarter.
On Tuesday, ESPN also announced an agreement to acquire the NFL Network, the linear RedZone channel and NFL Fantasy in exchange for the league taking a 10% stake in the sports network. Disney currently owns 80% of ESPN, while Hearst owns the remaining 20%.
“We are pleased with our creative success and financial performance in Q3 as we continue to execute across our strategic priorities,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. “With ambitious plans ahead for all our businesses, we’re not done building, and we are excited for Disney’s future.”
Here are the quarterly results:
Net income: $5.26 billion, compared to $2.62 billion a year ago.
Earnings Per Share: Diluted earnings per share of $2.92, compared to $1.43 per share a year ago. Excluding certain items, EPS grew 16% to $1.61, compared to $1.44 per share expected by analysts surveyed by Yahoo Finance.
Revenue: $23.7 billion, up 2% year over year, compared to $23.75 billion expected by analysts surveyed by Yahoo Finance.
Operating Income: $4.6 billion, up 8% compared to $4.2 billion a year ago.
Disney+ Subscribers: Added 1.8 million subscribers during the quarter for a total of 127.8 million.
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For the full year, the company is now forecasting adjusted earnings per share growth of 18% to $5.85, double-digit growth in entertainment streaming operating income to $1.3 billion, 18% operating income growth in sports and 8% operating income growth in experiences.
It also will incur roughly $185 million in pre-opening expenses related to Disney Cruise Line, including roughly $50 million in its fiscal fourth quarter, and an equity loss of roughly $200 million from its India joint venture.
Disney EntertainmentDisney’s entertainment segment, which includes Disney+, Hulu and the company’s entertainment linear networks, grew revenue 1% to $10.7 billion, while profit fell 15% to $1 billion.
Disney+ reported a total of 57.8 million domestic subscribers, remaining flat from the previous quarter, and 69.9 million international subscribers, up 2%. Disney+ average revenue per user was flat at $8.09 domestically, due to higher ad revenue offset by subscriber mix shifts, while international grew 2% to $7.67 due to price increases.
Hulu SVOD only subscribers grew 2% to 51.2 million, while Hulu + Live TV subscribers fell 2% to 4.3 million. Hulu SVOD only and Hulu + Live TV ARPU were both flat at $12.40 and $100.27, respectively, due to higher ad revenue offset by subscriber mix shifts.
Entertainment linear networks revenue fell 15% to $2.3 billion, while operatinh profit fell 28% to $697 million. Domestically, the segment saw revenue fall 4% to $2.o5 billion and profit fall 14% to $587 million, driven by lower ad and affiliate revenue and viewership and higher programming and production costs. Internationally, revenue fell 58% to $219 million and operating profits fell 92% to $12 million, due to the Star India transaction with Reliance Industries.
Content sales, licensing and other revenue grew 7% to $2.26 billion, but swung to a loss of $21 million, reflecting lower theatrical distribution results from the releases of “Elio,” “Thunderbolts” and the live-action “Lilo and Stitch,” as well as higher film cost impairments.
Disney SportsDisney’s sports segment, which includes ESPN and ESPN+, saw revenue fall 5% to $4.3 billion, while operating income jumped 29% to $1.04 billion.
ESPN linear saw revenue grow 1% to $4.31 billion and profit fall 7% to $1.01 billion.
It saw lower domestic income due to lower affiliate revenue, higher NBA and college sports rights costs and the absence of NHL Stanley Cup Finals rights costs in the quarter, offset by higher fees to air sports content on ABC, ad revenue growth from rate increases and lower UFC pay per view fees.
ESPN+ subscribers were flat at 24.1 million, while ARPU fell 3% to $6.40 due to lower ad revenue. ESPN content is also available through a tile in Disney+ and will be available on the upcoming standalone ESPN streaming service launching Aug. 21.
Disney ExperiencesDisney’s experiences segment, which includes its theme parks, hotels, Disney Cruise Line and consumer products, grew revenue 8% to $9.1 billion and operating profit 13% to $2.5 billion.
The domestic results were due to higher theme park guest spending, cruise day and occupied room nights volume due to the launch of the Disney Treasure and increased costs from new guest offerings, including the expansion of theDisney Cruise Line fleet.
Disney plans to open a new theme park in Abu Dhabi to expand its global reach.
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‘Wednesday’ Season 2, Part 1 Review: Netflix Hit Gets Even Better With More Frights, Fewer Love Triangles
A decade ago, in an era before “Stranger Things,” it would have been unthinkable for a show to return after three years off the air and expect its audience to pick up where it left off. “Wednesday,” the popular horror-mystery drama focused on the daughter of the Addams family, is one such case in our changed streaming landscape.
Thankfully, the first four episodes of the much-anticipated second season step up to the plate. It may not reach the heights of “Stranger Things,” but with Tim Burton returning to direct two of the four episodes, it’s a consistently entertaining watch. Jenna Ortega continues to be the show’s secret ingredient, embodying the iconic character with a steely deadpan and hilarious, sardonic one-liners.
What works particularly well in this new season was promised by Ortega herself many full moons ago, when she admitted that Wednesday’s love triangle in the first season made “no sense.” Breaking up the dynamic in this new season is certainly convenient — Percy Hynes White, who played Xavier Thorpe, is no longer part of the cast after sexual assault allegations. The triangle’s third, Hunter Doohan, does reprise his role in these new episodes as the now-unveiled Hyde monster, Tyler Galpin, but not in a romantic capacity.
There are actually no love interests for Wednesday in this first batch of episodes… well, unless you ship Wednesday and her roommate Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers), who’s in a love triangle of her own. But gay yearning aside, avoiding that particular trope rampant on high school dramas allows “Wednesday” to lean into its sprawling ensemble while going for bolder and darker storylines, all with a morbid, humorous wink. It’s still a little silly — the third episode takes place at a camping retreat where the bulk of the action is a capture-the-flag game against a group of normies who had double-booked the camping site. But it feels a lot less YA than its first season, with more time to spend with the rest of the Addams family and strong supporting characters like siren Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday), who gets to flex her psychic manipulation abilities this season.
That being said, there is definitely more gore this time around. You may want to avoid squishy foods while bingeing — particularly anything resembling eyeballs or brains, many of which are plucked from faces and eaten from skulls in Part 1.
Luckily, the show’s soft pivot allows you to sink into the new season with relative ease, without having to wrack your brain too hard for what happened in the first eight episodes. For one, we catch up with Wednesday over the summer before the new school year begins, where she’s spending her time hunting down a serial killer (for fun, of course), and developing her newfound psychic abilities. In one of her visions, Enid is found dead, setting the stakes for Wednesday to solve her to-be murder as quickly as possible when the school year begins.
Emma Myers and Jenna Ortega in “Wednesday” Season 2 (Netflix)With Wednesday (and Thing) returning to Nevermore Academy with noteworthy popularity, having saved the school last season, it’s getting harder for the independent investigator to keep a low profile — and one “Pretty Little Liars”-esque stalker is determined to capture Wednesday’s attention. But the central mystery these new episodes set up runs a bit deeper, intertwined with why eyeballs keep getting plucked out by crows around town.
There’s more than teachers in the line of fire this season, though. The show previously kept the rest of the Addams family at arm’s length to allow a distinguished focus on Wednesday herself, but they’re closer than ever this time around. Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joins her as a new student while he explores his lightning-wielding ability — later playing a role in awakening a monster of his own, in a fun side plot alongside his new school friend, Eugene (Moosa Mostafa, reprising his role).
Now an empty nester in her new chapter, Morticia is approached by Nevermore’s new principal (Steve Buscemi) to chair the yearly Nevermore Gala, which includes the perk of on-campus housing. Having Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán, who plays Gomez, more closely intertwined with Wednesday’s story is a welcome addition this season. Uncle Fester (Fred Armison) also returns for a psychiatric hospital heist that hopefully begins setting the stage for his potential spinoff. The Addams family’s dark ways and incredibly strange diet (e.g. bugs and cacti) are so compelling to watch and lends itself well to their increased screen time.
Billie Piper and Jenna Ortega in “Wednesday.” (Helen Sloan/Netflix)There are a few new characters played by familiar faces, too. Billie Piper plays Nevermore’s new music teacher (who sings a lot) and Thandiwe Newton guest stars as a psychiatrist at Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital, where Tyler is being held — both performances that are not flashy per se, but exciting to see such veteran actresses join the cast nonetheless. Lady Gaga is set to join in Part 2, streaming on Sept. 3.
By the end of these first four episodes, Wednesday’s investigation of missing eyeballs comes to a head with a major reveal. It is not immediately clear where the show might go for its second half in light of the accelerated pacing. But based on Part 1, “Wednesday” has found its stride and loosened its grip on boxing itself into the mold (or in some cases, coffin) of YA television, with the help of strong performances and more spooky, delectable production design.
“Wednesday” Season 2, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
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August 5, 2025
Francis Ford Coppola Assures Fans He’s ‘Fine’ After Being Hospitalized in Rome: ‘I Am Well’
Hours after news that he has been hospitalized in Rome for heart-related reasons, Francis Ford Coppola assured fans he is doing just fine in a post Tuesday evening on Instagram.
“Da Dada (what my kids call me) is fine, taking an opportunity while in Rome to do the update of my 30 year old afib procedure with its inventor, a great Italian doctor – Dr. Andrea Natale! I am well!” the director wrote.
As first reported by local media, Coppola was hospitalized in Rome for mild heart arrhythmia shortly after the conclusion of his U.S. tour for his film “Megalopolis,” local Italian media reported Tuesday.
The six-time Oscar winner had scheduled the visit with Natale, his doctor of more than 30 years, while in Rome. Just before the procedure, doctors noticed the arrhythmia, and thus kept Coppola for observation, according to local media reports.
Just before flying to Rome, Coppola had attended the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco for a screening and discussion about his passion project “Megalopolis,” which the director self-financed.
Coppola toured with the film, which released in Sept. 2024, in six U.S. cities from late July to early August. Stops included Chicago, Denver and Dallas, as well as screenings in New York and New Jersey. California marked Coppola’s final visit on the tour.
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Stephen Colbert’s Audience Gasps When He Humorously Forgets His Show Is Canceled While Defending Gayle King From Trump
Stephen Colbert managed a joke that made his audience gasp during Tuesday night’s “The Late Show,” when he temporarily forgot his show has been canceled.
The inspiration for the gag was his CBS colleague Gayle King, who earlier in the day was the latest TV/media target of Donald Trump.
“Despite his busy schedule of pretending not to know Jeffrey Epstein while shambling across a roof, Donald Trump still finds time to be mad at TV,” Colbert said right at the end of his monologue.
“Today, he posted ‘Gayle King’s career is over. She should have stayed with her belief in Trump. She never had the courage to do so. No talent, no ratings, no strength.'”
At that, Colbert projected indignation and said, while looking directly into the camera, “Hey, Mr. President, back off. You are messing with my beloved CBS colleague and friend, Gayle King, and if you want to get to Gayle, you have to go through my show first.”
At that, the “Late Show” audience gasped and laughed nervously as Colbert leaned over and pretended to be talking to someone just off stage. “What’s that? I’m sorry. Hold on. What? Oh, I forgot,” he joked.
You can watch the full monologue below:
Earlier in the monologue, Colbert talked about several other topics, beginning with Trump’s impromptu appearance Tuesday morning on the White House roof, with Colbert declaring at one point, “Why do we have to pretend it’s normal when an old man wanders around a roof and shouts at us?”
Then he discussed the latest terrible (for the Trump administration) Gallup polling, the Texas redistricting battle — during which he made fun of Texas Republicans for trying to “redraw the map so they don’t actually have to fight if they think they might lose next year.” Colbert also discussed the latest Epstein scandal news, a very very angry recent Republican town hall meeting, and more. You can, as we said, watch the whole video above.
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Jimmy Fallon Jokes the Moon Nuclear Plant Idea Proves ‘You Can Read the News and Tell Exactly How Much Sleep Trump’s Getting’ | Video
Most people probably didn’t know what to think about the reports that Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, currently the acting head of NASA, will announce this week that the United States intends to build a nuclear reactor on the moon for some reason. But during his monologue on Tuesday’s “The Tonight Show,” Jimmy Fallon drew an amusing, useful lesson from it.
“There’s some more news from Washington. The Trump administration will soon announce plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon. I love how you can read the news and tell exactly how much sleep Trump’s getting,” Fallon joked.
“Trump wants to build the first combination nuclear reactor slash Pizza Hut on the moon. Trump decided to go with nuclear reactor on the moon after ‘let’s clone dinosaurs and build a theme park’ got rejected,” the host continued.
After this, Fallon did an extended sketch inspired by Donald Trump firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because it released a jobs report he didn’t like. The sketch involved a fictional Trump official, played by an actor, explaining a whole bunch of new numbers the administration is rolling out to please Trump. The bit ends with said fictional assistant being arrested for accidentally referring to a number Trump doesn’t like.
But after he was done with his monologue, Fallon ended the opening of his show with a fun musical performance: He, the “Tonight Show” house band The Roots, and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda all performed some songs from the acclaimed hit musical while playing children’s instruments.
You can watch the whole thing below:
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Bill Hader Was Too Anxious to Make ‘SNL50’ Sketch About Anxiety | Video
“Saturday Night Live” pulled out all the stops for its 50th anniversary special, celebrating five decades of the sketch comedy staple with some of the biggest stars from the past and today. As the three-hour ceremony continued, guest after guest was trotted out for sketches, musical appearances and audience segments commemorating the extensive history of the show.
Not every “SNL” cast member was able to make it back. Bill Hader, who has openly discussed his battle with anxiety during his “Saturday Night Live” tenure, talked to Seth Meyers about how this very struggle kept him from appearing for the 50th celebration.
Hader’s former collaborator Andy Samberg tried — unsuccessfully — to lampshade this in a sketch about anxiety.
“You were very open and honest, sorta after you left ‘SNL,’ about the anxiety you had when you were working there,” Meyers said to Hader on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” “And then, for the ‘SNL 50th,’ you know, I think people were obviously at first disappointed you weren’t coming, but that was the reason, and, you know, I sorta celebrated your choice, and then Andy did, basically, a short about the fact that everybody had anxiety at ‘SNL.’ Was that sorta edifying? Were you like, ‘Oh, yeah, good.'”
“Yeah, well, Andy called me and was like, ‘Hey, so we’re doing this short about how, you know, anxiety, everybody had anxiety, and so it’s me calling you, and dah dah dah dah,'” Hader said. “When he told me about it, I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do that.’ He’s like, ‘Why?’ and I’m like, ‘Because I’m anxious!’
“I was like, ‘I don’t want to do it,'” Hader laughed. Ever the impressionist, he then did a high-pitched mimicry of Samberg’s voice, saying, “He was like, ‘Come on, maaaan! What do you mean? No!'” You can watch the clip below.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Late Night with Seth Meyers (@latenightseth)
Hader has only hosted “SNL” twice since his 2005-2013 time as a cast member. He hosted in 2014 with musical guest Hozier and in 2018 with musical guest Arcade Fire. Outside of “SNL,” he’s had a successful career as both an actor and a filmmaker.
His primary claim to fame is “Barry,” which Hader created, starred in, wrote for and directed significant stretches of. Hader was nominated for numerous Emmys for the series. He won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series twice. Though he’s had a few cameos, Hader has not hosted “SNL” since “Barry” started.
The sketch in question was a digital short in which the Lonely Island star sang about the frequent anxiety faced by stars throughout “SNL” history. Joining Samberg in the 80s-style pop song was Bowen Yang (standing in for Hader).
Still, Hader has been one of the most vocal cast members in “SNL” history regarding the frequent anxiety faced during production of the show. Though Hader said this didn’t affect everyone.
“You and [Amy] Poehler were just, like, ice in your veins,” he said to Meyers. “You guys went out there, and I was, like, trembling, anxious, and you guys went out, I remember, and something went wrong, and you went, ‘Well, something went wrong. Oh, something went wrong!'” Hader shrugged, mimicking Meyers.
“I was like, ‘You can just do that?!'” Hader laughed. “I could just in the middle of a thing go, like, ‘This sucks! I’m gonna go home!’ I’m like, ‘Oh, man, I wish I could do that all the time. That’d be great.'”
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