Arlo Willner, a 20-year-old scion of the late Hal Willner, a celebrated music sketch producer for Saturday Night Live, and his Emmy-winning spouse, Sheila Rogers, who has helmed productions for Saturday Night Live, The Late Late Show, and The Late Show With David Letterman, faces attempted murder charges stemming from a weekend knife assault outside a Manhattan bar.
The dramatic incident unfolded at 3:35 a.m., resulting in Willner's arrest after he allegedly attacked three individuals with a blade outside Sally’s Bar, located at 129 Lexington Avenue.
As recounted in a criminal complaint accessed by the New York Post, Willner is said to have approached three men lingering outside the establishment and inquired about purchasing cocaine. When informed that such transactions were not condoned there, Willner purportedly brandished a knife, slashing one victim across the neck, another in the abdomen, and the third in the shoulder.
The assault reportedly came to an abrupt halt when one of the victims wrestling the knife from Willner's grasp, hurled it into the street.
The injured parties were promptly transported to Bellevue Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.
Subsequently, Willner was slapped with charges of attempted murder, assault, and illegal possession of a weapon. He was arraigned in a Manhattan criminal court, pleading not guilty and securing bail set at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond. His next judicial appearance is penciled in for Thursday, May 22.
Attempts to elicit a comment from Willner's legal counsel have been met with silence from The Hollywood Reporter's end.
Rogers, an accomplished talent producer, has contributed to Saturday Night Live, the 50th anniversary special of SNL, and the documentary Ladies and Gentlemen, which reflected on the musical legacy of the storied late-night sketch comedy show. Prior engagements include her role as co-executive producer and supervising producer for The Late Late Show With James Corden, which concluded in 2023, and a decade-long tenure as a producer and talent executive on The Late Show With David Letterman from 2005 to 2015. She also served as a talent coordinator for Letterman's Late Night from 1991 to 1993.
Hal Willner, a veteran music sketch producer for Saturday Night Live, passed away in March 2020 after exhibiting symptoms aligned with COVID-19. He was also renowned for curating eclectic ensembles of musicians for unconventional projects and scoring films such as Gangs of New York and Talladega Nights, in addition to producing albums for icons like Marianne Faithfull and Lou Reed.
