This Saturday’s episode of Saturday Night Live will be the last for longtime cast member Bowen Yang.
The decision, which was Yang’s, is not surprising. There have been rumors that Yang, in his seventh season with SNL, would leave after Ariana Grande hosted the Christmas episode for Season 51. The singer and Yang starred together in the current film hit, Wicked: For Good.
Yang, 35, came to SNL as a writer for Season 44. He premiered as a featured player for Season 45 in 2019. He spent two season s as a featured player before being elevated to a repertory cast member for Season 47. He’s been nominated for five Emmy Awards for his work on the show, one as a writer, and four as a performer.
Yang’s breakout moment may have been his appearance on Weekend Update on April 10, 2021 in Season 46 when he played the iceberg that sank the RMS Titanic. Wearing an elaborate costume, Yang struck a cord with the audience with his turn behind the desk. That led to several other Update segments in which Yang appeared as a character, such as Moo Deng, the viral baby hippo, a drone, and Christopher Columbus.
Bowen Yang as the Iceberg that sank the Titanic
The longtime NBC variety show has seen three major exits by cast members since the end of Season 50. Heidi Gardner was reportedly not offered a contract to return for Season 51, and Ego Nwodim, aclose friend of Gardner, declined to return for the season. Those exits have left a void in the program for seasoned sketch and character players, and female voices on SNL.
Season 51 has been a steady, but uneven ride so far. In what is developing as a transition season, the writing staff seems to be struggling to find ways to utilize the large cast. There were 17 cast members for the season premier, which was hosted by Bad Bunny and graded as a ho-hum C- by SNL Rankings. Most episodes have been average episodes of SNL, which is to be expected in a season where the cast is in flux. The best episode of the season came last month when Glen Powell hosted with musical guest Olivia Dean.
Yang has been pulled away from the show with other projects as his career blossoms. He missed an entire episode earlier this season when he attended an awards ceremony in Los Angeles. He hosts a podcast with friend Matt Rogers called Las Culturistas.
With Yang’s exit that leaves five cast members who were with the SNL as far back as Season 45: Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost, Michael Che, Mikey Day, and Chloe Fineman, who joined the cast the same season as Bowen.
