Bowen Yang Departs Saturday Night Live — What Comes Next?

Bowen Yang is officially packing up his SNL desk. After months of going back and forth, he’s leaving the show midseason, right after tomorrow night’s episode and heading into the Christmas break. Fittingly dramatic exit, too: his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande is hosting, and Cher is the musical guest. Yes, that pairing is very real.

When he’s leaving (and who’s on the final show)

Yang’s last episode is tomorrow night. Then SNL hits its holiday hiatus, and he won’t be back after the break. Grande is hosting his farewell show, and Cher is performing, which feels like the rare SNL night that doubles as a pop event.

How we got here

Yang joined SNL in 2018 as a writer for Season 44, moved into the cast the following year for Season 45, and by Season 47 he’d been promoted within the ensemble. Lately, he’s been weighing an exit and sat down with Lorne Michaels about it. Michaels, by Yang’s telling, was supportive but tried to talk him into sticking around a little longer.

"Lorne was like, 'You have more to do,' and that means a lot, because I even confessed to him... 'I feel the audience is maybe getting sick of me.' And he was like, 'That’s not true. There’s more for you to do. I need you'."

That’s a very Lorne pep talk. Still, after mulling it over for months, Yang decided it’s time.

Why now makes sense for him

Yang’s profile outside Studio 8H has been rising fast. He made history as the first featured player ever nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. On the film side, he popped in the 2022 comedy Bros and Andrew Ahn’s Fire Island, and he plays Pfannee in Wicked alongside Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — plus he’s also in this year’s Wicked: For Good. If you’re seeing a pattern here, you’re not wrong: he’s busy.

The bigger SNL picture

Yang isn’t the only one moving on. After Season 50, several cast members exited, including Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim. Michaels’ take on the turnover is basically: change is the point. He’s said the show rejuvenates itself by bringing in talent from different generations, the audience skews young (even more now in the TikTok era), and he’s excited about the new people coming in. Or, as he put it, "Change is good."

• Joined SNL as a writer in 2018 (Season 44); became cast in Season 45; promoted by Season 47
• Leaving midseason after tomorrow night’s show, ahead of the Christmas break
• Final episode: hosted by Ariana Grande, musical guest Cher
• First featured player ever nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
• Recent and upcoming credits: Bros (2022), Andrew Ahn’s Fire Island, Wicked (as Pfannee with Grande and Cynthia Erivo), and this year’s Wicked: For Good
• Comes amid broader post-Season 50 cast exits; Michaels says the shake-ups keep the show fresh

Midseason departures are unusual, but tapping out at the holiday break is a clean break. And if you’re going to bow out, doing it with Ariana hosting and Cher onstage is not a bad curtain call.