Ali Wong revealed how Bill Hader won her heart following her divorce from her husband of eight years, Justin Hakuta. The 42-year-old comedian discussed her journey to finding love again during her recent Netflix special Ali Wong: Single Lady, which premiered on October 8. During the special, she mentioned that after her divorce became public, she received attention from numerous men who reached out to her.
Wong also shared that she joined a dating app after the split, and even paid for a subscription. However, the day after signing up, she received a phone call from a man she had met at two previous dinner parties. The man had obtained her number from a mutual friend and took the opportunity to express his admiration for her.
Wong humorously shared her decision to join a dating app, only to receive a romantic call the next day
“He was like, ‘Hey, Ali. I just heard about your divorce, and I have to tell you, I’m excited. I’ve had a crush on you for ages and told my best friend years ago that you were my dream girl. I know it sounds crazy, but I want you to be my girlfriend,’” Wong recounted, as reported by Vanity Fair.
In response, Wong humorously shared her thoughts, telling the man she had just invested a lot in a year-long dating app subscription. “I just paid $250 for this app. You seem really nice, but I need to get my money’s worth,” she joked with the audience.
Following the call, Wong mentioned that she embarked on a trip to Europe, where she was met with a series of extravagant gifts from the same man. “When I arrived in London, he had sent me this massive bouquet of flowers,” she explained, using her hands to demonstrate the size of the arrangement.
As her travels continued, so did the gifts, with large bouquets awaiting her in Amsterdam and Cologne, before she received “six giant flower arrangements” upon reaching Copenhagen. While Wong’s female friends found these gestures adorable, her male friends were more skeptical, with some even expressing concern about the man’s intentions.
“‘Ali, are you OK? Do you feel safe?’” she joked, imitating her friends’ reactions. “That’s how low the bar has dropped for men, that any romantic gesture now seems like a sign of mental illness.”
At the conclusion of the special, Wong confirmed that she had entered into a relationship with the man who sent her all those flowers, revealing that it was, in fact, Bill Hader. “I’m in a new relationship now,” she said. “Some of you might know who it is, and it’s the guy who sent me all the flowers while I was in Europe.”
Although she didn’t mention Hader’s name during the special, filmed in May 2024, Rolling Stone reported that during her final show at the “Netflix Is a Joke Fest,” Wong asked the crowd if they wanted to meet her boyfriend. Hader joined her on stage, joking, “That was quite an informative evening.”
In April 2023, Hader publicly confirmed their rekindled relationship after a brief romance in fall 2022. His representative confirmed the news after Hader referenced his girlfriend during an interview with Collider, though he hadn’t mentioned her by name at the time.
“My girlfriend and I recently realized I haven’t had a vacation in over 10 years,” Hader remarked, adding that a recent trip with her to San Francisco didn’t quite count as a full getaway.
