Bowen Yang is moving on from the late-night comedy sketch series “Saturday Night Live” after seven seasons, according to PEOPLE. Yang becomes the latest cast member to leave midseason, as Cecily Strong left the show in December 2022 during Season 48.
Yang’s Long-Lasting Legacy on ‘SNL’
Yang became the show’s first Chinese American cast member when he joined in 2019 and one of its first openly gay stars. He joined the show as a writer in 2018 ahead of Season 44 and joined the cast ahead of Season 45, before being promoted to repertory status ahead of Season 47.
He was also the first featured player to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy, in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category.
His leave doesn’t come as a surprise, as there was speculation that he would exit the show before season 51 began earlier this year, but he said it wasn’t his time yet.
âI’ve always gone by the instinct of, do I have more to do? And I feel like I do,â he said back in September. “Even [creator] Lorne [Michaels] and I talked about it, and Lorne was like, ‘You have more to do,â and that means a lot, because I even confessed to him. I was like, ‘I feel the audience is maybe getting sick of me.’ And he was like, ‘That’s not true. There’s more for you to do. I need you.’”
“That man has changed my life, and I owe a lot of my life to that show,” Yang said. “And I love working there, the people are the best. I really love each of them so much.”
Yang had described the show as “this growing, living thing where new people come in and you do have to sort of make way for them and to grow and to keep elevating themselves.”
The five-time Emmy nominee made his mark on the show with many unforgettable characters. There was one sketch that featured Yang as the iceberg, who famously sank the Titanic. The Iceberg came on “Weekend Update” to tell his side of the story and to promote his music career.
Some of his other memorable sketches feature Yang as a straight man who gets with Gina Gershon and Sydney Sweeney and Yang as a proud gay Oompa Loompa on “Weekend Update.” See those hilarious moments here:
Yang also played George Santos as a recurring character on the show.
Yang’s Final Episode
NBCUniversalPEOPLE has learned through multiple sources that the comedian’s last appearance as a cast member will take place on Saturday, December 20.
His exit will coincide as close friend and “Wicked: For Good” co-star, Ariana Grande, hosts the final show of the year, alongside musical guest Cher.
This will be Grande’s third time hosting the show. Her first time was when she served as both host and musical guest back in 2016, and most recently, she hosted the show in October 2024.
After nearly 40 years, Cher will return as a musical guest, though she made a few notable cameo appearances. Her debut performance was in 1987.
Yang’s Expanding Career Outside of ‘SNL’
GettyYang has had roles in the films “Bros” and “Fire Island” and starring as Pfannee in “Wicked” and its sequel “Wicked: For Good.” He also hosts the “Las Culturistas” podcast with Matt Rogers, which has been turned into a Bravo awards show.
The Major Cast Changes for ‘SNL’ Season 51
“Saturday Night Live” went through a cast shake-up following its milestone 50th season. Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow, Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim all announced their exits in recent weeks, and the television series added some fresh faces to the mix for season 51, with Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska all joining as featured players, alongside returnees Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline.
That group joined returning cast members Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernández, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang.
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