Overview
- On Las Culturistas, Yang framed his departure as a deliberate choice, noting he briefly considered not returning for Season 51 but is glad he did.
- He recounted that his Dec. 20 farewell sketch with Ariana Grande and Cher nearly didn’t air, with Cher confirming day-of and uncertainty lingering up to 12:55 a.m.
- Yang said he broke down at the table read and during the sketch, describing it as a truthful goodbye to colleagues he loves.
- He addressed online critiques that reduced his work to “the gay Asian guy,” arguing audiences collapsed his performances into limiting archetypes.
- Yang joined SNL as a writer in 2018 and the cast in 2019, became the show’s first Chinese-American cast member, earned multiple Emmy nominations, and SNL returns Jan. 17 with a new episode.