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Why is Bowen Yang leaving SNL? Here's all we know so far
Bowen Yang, 35, joined SNL as a writer in 2018 and was promoted to the cast the following year.
Bowen Yang is set to leave Saturday Night Live after seven years at the long-running NBC sketch show, with his final appearance expected to be this weekend. According to reports, Yang will exit midway through season 51 following the December 20 episode, hosted by his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande, with Cher as the musical guest.
Yang, 35, joined SNL as a writer in 2018 and was promoted to the cast the following year. While neither Yang nor the show has publicly detailed a single reason for his departure, comments he made earlier this year and recent developments around the series provide insight into the timing of his exit.
In a September interview with People, Yang said he had been weighing whether it was time to move on, even as he felt creatively fulfilled.
He acknowledged worrying that audiences might be “getting sick” of him, despite believing he still had more to offer.
Yang said he discussed those concerns with SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels, who encouraged him to stay, telling him there was “more for you to do” and that he was needed on the show.
Yang’s departure also comes amid major changes behind the scenes at SNL.
Ahead of the current season, Michaels oversaw a significant cast shake-up, with several longtime and newer performers leaving before the 51st season premiered.
Michaels said the changes were part of an effort to “shake things up” following the show’s 50th anniversary celebrations, a period he wanted to keep free of major disruptions to the cast.
At the same time, Yang’s career outside SNL has expanded significantly in recent years.
Alongside hosting the popular Las Culturistas podcast with Matt Rogers, he has taken on a growing slate of film and television projects.
Yang has appeared in Wicked and its upcoming sequel Wicked: For Good, starred in the romantic comedy The Wedding Banquet, and is set to voice a role in an animated adaptation of The Cat in the Hat.
Leaving SNL midseason is uncommon but not without precedent. Past cast members including Cecily Strong, Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey and Eddie Murphy have also departed the show partway through a season.
Yang, who joined SNL in 2018 and became a repertory player in 2021, earned multiple Primetime Emmy nominations during his tenure and made history as the first featured player to receive a supporting actor nomination.
His final episode is expected to air Saturday night, marking the end of a six-and-a-half-season run that coincides with a period of transition for the iconic sketch series.
