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Bowen Yang Reflects on SNL Departure in Emotional Podcast Exit Interview

He says the choice was purely timing in a turbulent entertainment landscape.

Overview

  • On Las Culturistas, Yang said he left after seven seasons because “it’s time,” emphasizing that he stayed exactly as long as he wanted.
  • He recounted sobbing at the table read for his Dec. 20 farewell and said his Delta Lounge sketch with Ariana Grande and a late-confirming Cher was uncertain to air until minutes before broadcast.
  • Yang revealed he was unsure over the summer about returning for Season 51 but is grateful he did before departing midseason.
  • He described SNL as emotionally dysregulating yet one of the most meaningful experiences of his life, citing the show’s high-pressure, live nature.
  • Addressing critics, Yang pushed back on claims he had “no range” and said he was often pigeonholed as “the gay Asian guy,” framing sketch comedy’s archetypes and audience palatability as factors in how his work was received.