Ali Wong reveals how boyfriend Bill Hader's 'sweet' gesture sparked romance

Ali Wong is dishing on how her romance with Bill Hader blossomed.

The comedian and "Beef" star opened up about her courtship with Hader in her stand-up comedy special "Ali Wong: Single Lady," which dropped on Netflix Tuesday.

Wong and Hader have reportedly been a steady item since April 2023 after briefly dating in the fall of 2022, according to People and Entertainment Tonight. The relationship follows Wong's divorce from husband Justin Hakuta in 2022.

"I think for the longest time I was so focused on getting d---ed down," Wong joked of her post-divorce love life. "Because the task of finding a boyfriend, someone who I consider talented, someone who makes me laugh, someone who I have a real connection with, someone who I look up to as an artist, someone that I would feel proud to introduce to my kids, my peers and my friends and my mentors, I mean, that seemed impossible, you know?"

'We're both in our 40s and parents':Ali Wong gets real about Bill Hader romance

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While Wong said the "widespread" media coverage of her divorce initially made her feel "really embarrassed and ashamed," the scrutiny turned into a "Bat-Signal, letting all potentially interested men know that I was suddenly available."

 And Hader was one of these interested suitors.

"'Hey, Ali. I just happened to hear the news of your divorce today, and I gotta tell you, I’m excited,'" Wong, who does not name Hader, recalled a phone call she received from an acquaintance. "'I am, Ali, because look, I have had a crush on you forever, and I actually told my best friend years ago that you were my dream girl. And I know this sounds crazy, but, uh, I want you to be my girlfriend.'"

Ali Wong says she fell 'in love again' with Bill Hader after this gesture

Shortly after Hader's passionate declaration, Wong went on a trip to Europe. Upon arriving in London, the "American Housewife" star said she received a flower bouquet from Hader.

The "Barry" actor continued the floral finesse on Wong's subsequent stops in Amsterdam and Cologne, Germany − with the bouquets becoming more extravagant. During her final stop in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wong said she received "six giant flower arrangements" from Hader.

"I told all my girlfriends and they were like, ‘Oh my God, that is so sweet. I am so jealous,'" Wong said, while her male friends, "were like, 'That dude sounds like a psychopath.' … That's how cheap and lazy men have become, that now when a fellow man commits any act of kindness, any romantic gesture, it must be a symptom of an undiagnosed mental illness."

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However, Hader's dedication did the trick for Wong in the end.

"I did fall in love again," Wong concluded. "Some of you might know who the guy is. And it just so happens to be the man who sent me all of those flowers in Europe."

Contributing: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY