Bill Hader Turns Real-Life Divorce Into Horror Movie

ART IMITATES LIFE

Hader will write, direct, and star in the new film about a divorced dad.

Bill Hader
Eric Charbonneau/Warner Bros. via Getty Images

Bill Hader will bring some personal experience to his feature film debut.

The Saturday Night Live alum will write, direct, and star in They Know, a horror film that follows a divorced dad, played by Hader, who becomes suspicious that his ex-wife is “secretly dating a mysterious man who is having a strange influence on their children,” according to Deadline.

Maggie Carey and actor Bill Hader
Hader and ex-wife Maggie Carey separated in 2017. They share three daughters. Alberto Rodriguez/NBC/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Hader, 47, shares three daughters with his ex-wife, writer‑director Maggie Carey: Hannah, 15, Harper, 13, and Hayley, 10. He and Carey were married from 2006 to 2018 before they split amicably, with Hader citing irreconcilable differences in his 2017 divorce filing.

The fictional former couple Hader will invent for the original story, in collaboration with his Barry collaborator Duffy Boudreau, may not fare as well, the project’s description teases.

The horror movie will be Hader’s first feature-length project and follows his four-season, Emmy-winning HBO dark comedy series Barry, for which he won three DGA awards for directing.

Ali Wong and Bill Hader attend the 77th Annual DGA Awards (Directors Guild of America) at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, February 8, 2025. (Photo by Valerie MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Wong and Hader called it quits last month. AFP via Getty Images

Hader dated comedian and fellow divorcée Ali Wong, 43, for almost three years before splitting in January. A source told People of the breakup, “It was too difficult to make the relationship work with Ali’s upcoming stand-up tour and Bill’s various film and TV projects this year.”

Obsessed with pop culture and entertainment? Follow us on Substack and YouTube for even more coverage.