In a shocking turn of events, Bowen Yang will exit “SNL” in the middle of his eighth season.
The beloved cast member will exit the NBC sketch show after this Saturday’s episode on Dec. 20, which will feature Ariana Grande as a host and Cher as musical guest. NBC declined to comment, and a representative for Yang did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
The surprise exit for Yang, who first joined as a writer in 2018 for Season 44, follows an exodus of cast members after “SNL’s” milestone 50th season, which included departures for Heidi Gardner, who has been on the series for eight seasons as well as Ego Nwodim, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow and Season 50 newcomer Emil Wakim.
After one season as a writer, Yang joined the cast as a featured player for Season 45 and was promoted to the main cast for Season 47. Yang has earned five Emmy nominations during his time at “SNL,” including four nods for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series and one for outstanding writing for a variety series.
During his time at “SNL,” Yang balanced his time with other projects, including his podcast “Las Culturistas,” which he co-hosts with Matt Rogers. “Las Culturistas” has gained momentum with its annual Culture Awards, which transformed from its first live event in 2022 to a full broadcast on Bravo and Peacock in 2025, and the network has already given the green light to the 2026 show.
Yang and Rogers will soon team up for a comedy movie for Searchlight, which they will both write and star in.
Yang also appeared as a supporting character in Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good,” which almost initially didn’t happen due to “SNL” rules, but Yang’s co-star Grande called in a favor with “SNL” boss Lorne Michaels to make it happen. He similarly balanced “SNL” with production on queer romance movie “The Wedding Banquet.”
In addition to “Wicked” and “The Wedding Banquet,” Yang’s film and TV credits include “Overcompensating,” “Fantasmas,” “Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens,” “Dicks: The Musical” and “Fire Island,” among others.
The post Bowen Yang to Exit ‘SNL’ After Saturday’s Episode appeared first on TheWrap.
