Why Is Bowen Yang Leaving “Saturday Night Live”? Everything He's Said About His Time on the Show
- - Why Is Bowen Yang Leaving “Saturday Night Live”? Everything He's Said About His Time on the Show
Emily BlackwoodDecember 19, 2025 at 4:48 PM
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Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Bowen Yang attends SNL50: The Anniversary Special on February 16, 2025 in New York City. -
Bowen Yang is leaving Saturday Night Live
He joined the sketch comedy show in 2019, becoming the first Chinese-American cast member
In April 2025, the comedian said that he would grow out of the show "at some point"
Bowen Yang's Saturday Night Live run has come to an end.
In December 2025, multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE that the Emmy-nominated comedian will leave the show mid-season. Representatives for Yang and SNL did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Yang joined the sketch comedy series in 2019 during season 45 as the first Chinese-American cast member. He was also one of the SNL's first openly gay stars. In 2021, he made show history again as the first featured player to be nominated for an acting award, earning an Emmy nomination for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
"I owe a lot of my life to that show," Yang told PEOPLE in September 2025. "And I love working there, the people are the best. I really love each of them so much.”
So, why is Bown Yang leaving Saturday Night Live? Here's everything to know about his exit.
Why is Yang leaving Saturday Night Live?
Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty
Bowen Yang and Nate Bargatze during The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Yang has not commented on the reasoning behind his SNL exit. Though the Wicked actor told PEOPLE in a September 2025 interview that he worried audiences may be "getting sick" of him, he said creator Lorne Michaels eased his fears going into season 51.
"He was like, ‘That's not true. There's more for you to do. I need you,' ” Yang said.
Though a mid-season exit isn't common, the Las Culturistas podcast host isn't the first cast member to do so. Cecily Strong, Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey and Eddie Murphy have also left SNL in the middle of the season, per Variety.
When is Yang’s last Saturday Night Live episode?
Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty
Musical guest Cher, host Ariana Grande, and Bowen Yang during SNL Promos on December 18, 2025 in New York City.
Yang's final episode as an SNL cast member will air on Dec. 20.
Ariana Grande, the comedian's close friend and Wicked costar, is set to host the final show of the year. Cher is performing as a musical guest.
On Dec. 19, Yang appeared alongside Grande and Cher in a promo video for the episode, which was shared on the show's Instagram account.
What has Yang said about leaving Saturday Night Live?
Will Heath/NBC via Getty
Bowen Yang as Moo Dang the hippo and Colin Jost during Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live.
Though Yang hasn't commented on his exit, he did open up about his future on SNL months before the news broke.
"I've always gone by the instinct of, do I have more to do? And I feel like I do,” he told PEOPLE in September 2025 when asked why he doesn't have a specific time frame for leaving the sketch comedy series. "Even Lorne and I talked about it, and Lorne was like, ‘You have more to do,’ and that means a lot."
Yang also addressed his thoughts on stepping away from the show in an April 2025 interview with PEOPLE, citing the demanding production schedule.
"The new season of SNL, I'm just like, 'Oh, right. My time isn't my own.' And I tell my friends, 'I'm not going to really see you guys until June,' " he said.
He continued, "That inevitably requires me to sort of hang it up at some point — but I don't know what the vision is yet."
Who else has left the Saturday Night Live cast recently?
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic ; Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty ; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Emil Wakim attends SNL50: The Anniversary Special on February 16, 2025 in New York City ; Ego Nwodim on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" on February 27, 2025 in Burbank, California ; Heidi Gardner attends SNL50: The Anniversary Special on February 16, 2025 in New York City.
Ahead of SNL's 51st season, multiple cast members announced their exits, including Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, Devon Walker, Josh Higgins and Ego Nwodim.
At the time, Yang told PEOPLE that he was "absolutely" emotional to learn that his costars were leaving, but added that he thought of SNL as a "boot camp."
“That implies that there is a next phase you train for something else,” he added. “It's always a transitional place, and I think it is always a launching pad. Even for people who stay on the show, like Kenan [Thompson] ... I think that's going to be true for all of the people who aren't coming back. I'm so excited to see what they do. I'm excited for the new cast.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
