--- description: The beloved sketch comic can't shore up ratings for his ailing alma mater title: Bill Hader's Saturday Night Live Was the Least Watched Episode Ever image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt107575e586962e09/6987608935ba6f97abc046a9/bill-hader.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Bill Hader's _Saturday Night Live_ Was the Least Watched Episode Ever  by [Daniel D'Addario](/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 13, 2014 8:42 PM CUT  Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader on Saturday Night Live on Oct. 11, 2014. Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader on Saturday Night Live on Oct. 11, 2014.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  by [Daniel D'Addario](/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 13, 2014 8:42 PM CUT So much for the power of a familiar face. Bill Hader, whose return to _Saturday Night Live_ as “Stefon” and other famous characters was widely heralded across the Internet, was not much of a ratings draw as a host. His episode, airing over the weekend, [tied Charlize Theron’s turn as host in May](https://deadline.com/2014/10/saturday-night-live-ratings-low-bill-hader-849973/ "undefined") as the lowest-rated _SNL_ showing ever, both overall and in the prized 18-49 demographic. This seems, at first blush, surprising. Hader and beloved co-star Kristen Wiig used the episode to revive character favorites from party promoter Stefon to senile reporter Herb Welch to Wiig’s Kathie Lee Gifford impression. But it’s the very nature of their appearances, treated as special and rare, that may account for why _SNL_ viewership has dropped off. This isn’t just the usual attrition accountable to DVRs and next-day online streaming: _Saturday Night Live_ first saw its normally steady ratings falter last season, after the departures of Hader, Andy Samberg, Fred Armisen, and Jason Sudeikis. The show’s 40th season may continue to look shaky until it finds a new Bill Hader, rather than just bringing back the one who’s moved on. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3503193/bill-haders-saturday-night-live-was-the-least-watched-episode-ever/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3503193/bill-haders-saturday-night-live-was-the-least-watched-episode-ever/"},"headline":"Bill Hader's Saturday Night Live Was the Least Watched Episode Ever","datePublished":"2014-10-13T20:42:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:45:32.573Z","description":"The beloved sketch comic can't shore up ratings for his ailing alma mater","url":"https://time.com/3503193/bill-haders-saturday-night-live-was-the-least-watched-episode-ever/","keywords":["Television","Saturday Night Live","Kristen Wiig","Bill Hader"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt107575e586962e09/6987608935ba6f97abc046a9/bill-hader.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel D'Addario","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt107575e586962e09/6987608935ba6f97abc046a9/bill-hader.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader on Saturday Night Live on Oct. 11, 2014.","caption":"Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader on Saturday Night Live on Oct. 11, 2014.","creditText":"Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3503193/bill-haders-saturday-night-live-was-the-least-watched-episode-ever/","name":"Bill Hader's Saturday Night Live Was the Least Watched Episode Ever"}}]}] ```