Bowen Yang Delivers an Emotional Goodbye to ‘SNL’ With Ariana Grande, Cher, Aidy Bryant

Bowen Yang took his last bow as a cast member on Saturday Night Live last night. News of his departure circulated on Friday, and just hours before his final show, he confirmed he was leaving with a fond farewell note on Instagram.

Yang was with Saturday Night Live for eight seasons, and spent seven as a cast member. He first joined as a writer in 2018 for Season 44, before becoming a featured player in Season 45. He was promoted to the main cast in Season 47.

His final sketch, which also closed the show, was a bittersweet, tearful one. Yang played a flight attendant who was fittingly working his final shift at JFK’s Delta One Lounge, where he served eggnog from a broken machine to passengers.

“This is my last shift. It’s sad. I’m gonna miss everything about this place. The way it smells. The celebrities who come through. Just last week, Josh O’Connor came through,” Yang said, nodding to last week’s SNL host.

Last night’s SNL host Ariana Grande, Yang’s co-star in the Wicked movies, joined her friend for his final SNL skit of the night portraying his wife. In the heartfelt sketch they traded some funny lines, like when Grande told him, “All the eggnog you’ve made over the years. Some of it was great. Some of it was rotten.” “And a lot of it got cut,” he deadpanned. Another humorous exchange came when Yang said he wanted to go out on top, and Grande joked, “Oh, everyone knows you’re a bottom.”

For his last show, Yang appeared in nearly every sketch, including during the opening monologue with Grande, a brief take in a Home Alone sketch, and portraying Yoko Ono in a hilarious “Peacock’s Random Duet Christmas Spectacular” skit. He also reprised his Trend Forecasters character with Aidy Bryant, which was a Weekend Update highlight.

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But it was his final Delta One Lounge skit that won the night. It was hard not to get choked up along with Yang, who got emotional when sharing his love for those he worked with on the show and throughout the sketch. He sang through tears as he performed “Please Come Home for Christmas” with Grande. Another touching moment that drew rapturous applause came when he said, “Eggnog is kind of like me — it’s not for everyone, but the people who like it are my kind of people.”

The surprise kicker came after he said, “I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here. And I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer. Especially the people. I’ve loved every single person who works here. Because they’ve done so much for me, especially my boss.” His boss turned out to be the musical guest of the night Cher, who told him, “Everyone thought you were a little too gay. But, you know what? You’re perfect for me.”