This week’s Saturday Night Live is set to be the final appearance for Bowen Yang as a regular cast member. After joining the series in 2018 to be a writer on Season 44, he became a featured player in Season 45 and was upgraded to a main cast member in Season 47. No word has been released on what is motivating the exit, though with some stars making their exits from the show without prior warning, it would seem that his exit is on amicable terms.
Variety confirmed the news of Yang’s departure, with this week’s episode being the final new entry in 2025. The timing of the exit feels like kismet, as this week will be hosted by Ariana Grande, who is Yang’s costar in both Wicked and Wicked: For Good. The musical guest on this week’s episode will be Cher.
Yang has undeniably been a standout in the series since his promotion to a regular cast member, as he’s been nominated for four Emmy Awards for his work. He is also the first Chinese-American cast member in the show’s 51 seasons.
What Else Is Bowen Yang Working On?
Fans will understandably be disappointed not to see Yang on their TVs each week, but this is far from the last time they’ll be seeing the comedian. Wicked: For Good is still currently in theaters, and many rumors have emerged that this is just the beginning of this franchise and that more films or TV series will be expanded from the narrative, which include storylines that could spend more time with Yang’s Pfannee.
For some, Saturday Night Live might even be considered an offshoot of Yang’s other comedic endeavors, namely his podcast Las Culturistas, which he hosts with Matt Rogers. The series started in 2016 and covers all corners of pop culture, joining the iHeartMedia lineup of podcasts in 2020. Throughout its run, Las Culturistas has been named on multiple best-of lists, not just when it comes to specific years or categories, but all-time best lists as well. The podcast has expanded to hosting an awards show, which aired on Bravo and streamed on Peacock.
In addition to Wicked, Yang has starred in movies like Bros, Fire Island, and Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, with his SNL exit likely allowing him to pursue even more movie and TV roles.
A Pivotal Year for ‘Saturday Night Live’
Yang isn’t the only fixture of SNL to have left during this season, as Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim have all left either prior to or during Season 51. Also ending this year were the shorts from Please Don’t Destroy, as Martin Herlihy joined the show’s writing staff and Ben Marshall moved to the main cast, while John Higgins departed the program entirely.
With the sketch series recently celebrating its 50th anniversary and with last year seeing the release of Saturday Night, a film chronicling the development of the very first episode of the series, SNL doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, though it is clearly going through a transitional period. One of the biggest questions fans have, though, is how long Kenan Thompson will appear on the series, having debuted in 2003 and solidifying himself as the longest-running cast member.
Saturday Night Live
- Release Date
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October 11, 1975
- Network
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NBC
- Directors
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Dave Wilson, Don Roy King, Liz Patrick, Andy Warhol, Linda Lee Cadwell, Matthew Meshekoff, Paul Miller, Robert Altman, Robert Smigel
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Andrew Dismukes
Self (archive footage)
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Chloe Fineman
Self / Margaret Jo McCullin / Various
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