Bill Hader and Seth Meyers Deem Their ‘SNL’ Era the Age of the ‘Benevolent Snobs’

With respect to Bill Hader and Seth Meyers, “Benevolent Snobs” sounds like a sketch that Lorne Michaels would cut in rehearsals.

Hader and Meyers were castmates for the entirety of the former’s run on Saturday Night Live from 2005 to 2013. In that time, the two were part of many of the most iconic SNL sketches of the 21st century — not the least of which were their “Stefon” segments on “Weekend Update” — and the pair of old friends and co-workers lovingly refer to their era at 30 Rockefeller Plaza as the time of the “Benevolent Snobs.”

Speaking to TheWrap earlier this week, Hader and Meyers talked about the climactic finale of Barry, Hader’s film influences, and of course, the good-natured elitism of the cast that brought us such highbrow hits as “The Californians.”

“Everybody had a snobbery, but not about style,” Meyers explained of the moniker. “I think everybody appreciated that there were different voices in that era of the show, so the only thing people were unsatisfied with was any writer not writing to the height of their talents.” Meyers pointed out how Hader’s perfectionism played an important role in establishing that culture as the two would tirelessly rework their sketches until they were just right.

Hader said of his scene partner, “Seth was the person who taught me that the DNA of SNL was competitive, but we don’t have to be competitive with each other.” He fondly recalled the joy of watching a Kenan Thompson or Will Forte sketch go awry knowing that his co-stars would always find a way to wrap up a chaotic scene gracefully.

Meyers also revealed that his most cherished memory of SNL was a scene in Hader’s final episode in which Meyers interrupted Stefon’s wedding to Anderson Cooper to profess his love. Meyers recalled the heartfelt hug the two shared as they both held back tears, saying, “That was a really genuine moment of male friendship.” 

“I also was cognizant of the fact, just a few months later, I was going to get married for real,” he recalled, “I just remember thinking, ‘Oh, I better cry at my real wedding.’”