If Bill Hader and his silly little dance have been living rent-free in your phone recently, you’re not alone. On June 13, TikTok user @lordtoasterstrudel posted a video of Hader dancing in a blue sweater with the caption, “When the depression starts to sound like some Starbie’s, hair dye, and Target is the answer.” While we can think of better ways to de-stress, the video quickly raked in nearly two million views. It has since inspired a trend across social media, thanks in large part to CapCut user @Igreenscreenthin, who created a shareable green-screened version of Hader dancing.
While some simply wish to mimic the comic’s playful dance moves, most fans of the meme use the green-screen version of Hader’s dance to celebrate small wins or sarcastically poke fun at themselves. “Me after saying ‘I will never drink again’ the previous weekend,” one TikTok user captioned a video of Hader dancing in front of a liquor store. Another TikTok user posted a video of him dancing in a generic office setting. “When you make a mistake at work but you’re just a 24 [year] old teenage girl,” they joked.
The meme originates from a 2015 “Saturday Night Live” skit that was actually cut for time. Simply titled “Alan,” the sketch features Vanessa Bayer and Taran Killam as a married couple who come home to find an “Alan,” the “future of casual entertainment,” neatly packaged in their living room.
On the surface, Alan, played by Hader, appears to be a robot that dances in a glass case. Dressed in a blue cable-knit sweater and khaki pants, Hader brings Alan to life with an awkward shimmy and unique facial expressions. As the skit progresses, the couple learn that Alan is actually an undead cyborg — but that doesn’t deter from the fact that his dance moves are impeccable. In fact, Alan’s cheeky nonchalance has resonated so hard with social media users that many have attempted to re-create the dance themselves, down to that familiar blue sweater.
Hader’s character first went viral in 2019 after fans of the sketch comedy show resurfaced the skit on social media. At the time, viewers were entranced by the character’s ability to dance to nearly any song. From “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish to “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston, Hader’s moves synced up perfectly with almost any beat. Most recently, fans of the meme have been pairing Hader’s clip with “Makeba” by French singer-songwriter Jain, an upbeat song that reinforces Alan’s inherent sauciness.
Even though the original skit was ultimately cut from the live episode, it has definitely earned its place as one of our favorite “Saturday Night Live” sketches. The show is currently on hold as a result of the ongoing writer’s strike, but you can watch the full “Alan” skit that inspired the dancing Bill Hader meme ahead.