Bill Hader to Depart Saturday Night Live: "It Was a Hard Decision"

"It got to a point where I said, ‘Maybe it's just time to go,'" Hader explains of leaving NBC's sketchy comedy after eight years

Saturday night just got a little less funny.

Fan favorite Bill Hader is set to depart Saturday Night Live after eight years on the NBC sketchy comedy. "It was a hard decision, but it has to happen at some point," Hader told The New York Times, which first reported his exit. "It got to a point where I said, ‘Maybe it's just time to go.'"

And Hader may not be the only longtime cast member saying goodbye at the end of Saturday's finale, which will be hosted by Ben Affleck and feature Kanye West as the musical guest.

Hader, who has been nominated for an Emmy for his work on the show, was well-known for his dead-on celebrity impersonations, but it was his Weekend Update character, Stefon, that became an SNL fan favorite and classic. 

His exit from the series comes just after the announcement that Seth Meyers will be leaving his post as SNL's head writer and Weekend Update host to take over Jimmy Fallon's Late Night chair in 2014. 

Here's hoping Seth and Stefon ride off into the sunset together during their final Weekend Update!

Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis are also considering departing Saturday Night Live after this season, with executive producer Lorne Michaels telling The New York Times both actors are "making their decisions."

"I've said what I wanted to say to both," Michaels adds. "You never keep anybody there who doesn't want to be there, and there is a right time to leave, but it's more about where they are in their lives."

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