Who Bill Hader's SNL Character Stefon Was Based On
Saturday Night Live's famous Stefon character, played by Bill Hader, is based on someone surprisingly unexpected. Bill Hader made his SNL debut in 2005, where he quickly became known for his wide range of impressions. He would often go to great lengths, tapping into the deep end of the absurd. For example, Hader parodied Daniel-Day Lewis' Daniel Plainview in a hilarious There Will Be Blood parody sketch.
When Bill Hader was on SNL, he shared the stage with a very competitive cast of players including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jason Sudeikis, and Fred Armisen. While his numerous impressions are spot-on, some of Hader's best moments on the show were his appearances as original characters. From Devin in the recurring sketch, «The Californians,» to Herb Welch, the crass, out-of-touch news anchor, Hader's range of original characters was impressively eclectic. Stefon, however, became a touchstone for Hader. He would appear as a favorite recurring guest on Weekend Update with Seth Myers where he would promote fictional clubs with questionable names, depicting their increasingly ridiculous atmospheres, like one sporting rooms full of broken glass, or another with screaming babies and Mozart wigs, in a playful poke at New York City nightlife.
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As it turns out, the primary inspiration for the eccentric, flamboyant, club-hopping character was Macaulay Culkin, in his first role in almost 10 years after Richie Rich. According to comedian and former SNL writer, John Mulaney, when he and Hader co-created Stefon, they repeatedly referred back to Culkin's role as Michael Alig in the 2003 crime drama Party Monster, a movie about the dangers of drugs and excessive partying.
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