Ali Wong’s latest Netflix special, titled Single Lady, premiered on October 8 and revolves around her personal journey and love life, particularly her romance with Bill Hader. After ending her eight-year marriage to Justin Hakuta in 2022, Wong and Hader began dating, confirming their relationship in April 2023. The couple has since made appearances together at major events like the Golden Globes and Emmys, where Wong received accolades for her role in Netflix’s Beef.
In the opening of her special, Wong expresses surprise at the public interest surrounding her divorce from Hakuta, with whom she shares two children. She remarks, “I didn’t expect the news of my divorce to be so widespread and public. I felt really embarrassed and ashamed, but I didn’t realize that all of these media outlets were acting like a Bat-Signal, letting all potentially interested men know that I was suddenly available. I’ve never been pursued this much in my life.”
Wong recounts how one man, identified later as Hader, reached out to her after they met at a couple of dinner parties. After acquiring her number through a mutual friend, Hader shared his feelings. “Hey, Ali. I just happened to hear the news of your divorce today, and I gotta tell you…I’m excited,” Wong recalls Hader saying. He confessed he had long had a crush on her and considered her his “dream girl.”
However, Wong had just signed up for a dating app the day before their conversation. “And I was like, ‘I just paid $250. You seem really nice, but I gotta get my money’s worth,’” she joked.
Shortly after their initial phone call, Wong traveled to Europe, where Hader surprised her with a bouquet of flowers in London. This gesture escalated with increasingly elaborate floral arrangements as she moved through Amsterdam, Cologne, and Copenhagen. While her female friends found Hader’s romantic gestures sweet and enviable, her male friends labeled him as “a psychopath.” Wong noted the stark contrast in how kindness from men is perceived today.
This difference in interpretation echoes a discussion Hader once had about his HBO series, Barry. He shared how a gesture meant to impress a character, Sally, was viewed differently by the male and female writers in the room. While the men saw it as romantic, the women considered it too much too soon.
As Wong navigated her newfound single life, she explored various relationships, including one with an unnamed “big, fancy movie director.” Wong reflected on her past focus on short-term physical connections, realizing that finding a meaningful relationship with someone she admires and could introduce to her children and friends seemed challenging.