‘SNL’ Was Already Hurting. Bowen Yang’s Exit Puts It in an Even Tougher Spot

Saturday marked comedian Bowen Yang’s final appearance as a regular cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” a move Yang had already confirmed and cemented by tearing up on live TV alongside Ariana Grande and Cher. Getting to say goodbye with such attention and advance notice is a privilege in the notoriously cutthroat world of “SNL” personnel decisions. The news still promises to send ripple effects through the show’s interdependent ecosystem, where balance and chemistry are as essential as they are elusive.

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Yang joins his now-former colleagues Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim in a string of high-profile departures from the hallowed sketch show. (All three left seemingly by choice, in contrast with dismissals of less established newbies like last season’s Emil Wakim.) In his eighth season, the co-host of the massively popular podcast “Las Culturistas” and an actor in blockbusters like “Wicked: For Good,” —Yang seemingly timed his last episode to his co-star Grande’s third hosting stint — Yang’s departure isn’t necessarily a shock. He had previously missed an October episode to accept an award at a gala for the Academy Museum in L.A., as strong a signal as any that he may have one foot out the door. But the move only deepens the creative lull “SNL” has been sinking into after the celebratory highs of its Season 50 bonanza. It’s a sign of the institution’s current unsteadiness that the move casts more doubt on the show’s future than Yang’s.

When Yang joined the cast in 2019 after a season spent as a writer, he became the first Chinese American repertory player in “SNL” history and only the third openly gay man. Some of Yang’s more high-profile appearances reflected these representational milestones. A string of “Weekend Update” desk bits saw Yang donning elaborate costumes to play queer-coded, culture-literate, anthropomorphized versions of the iceberg that sank the Titanic or Moo Deng, the baby hippo. Yang made his first on-camera appearance as North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who had previously been played by white cast members like Bobby Moynihan, though his impressions were wide-ranging and included Vice President J.D. Vance, much to Yang’s chagrin. 

This exceptionality helped Yang make history as the show’s first featured — i.e., less senior — player to earn an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy series in 2021, going on to earn three more nods and become the most nominated Asian male performer in the Emmys’ 77-year record. Yet like any good ensemble member, Yang could also blend in if he wasn’t the load-bearing part of a sketch, a necessary skill for real “SNL” longevity. Lo and behold, Yang’s tenure lasted through the pandemic and its attendant upheavals and into a second Trump administration. 

Yang is both a utility player who leaves “SNL” down an experienced, versatile hand and someone whose absence, like Nwodim’s, makes it more difficult for the show to reflect the full breadth of its audience. But as is increasingly the case for cast members coming up in the social media era, some of Yang’s biggest impact has come outside of “SNL,” though contemporaneous with his time there. Co-hosted with Matt Rogers, “Las Culturistas” was already the de facto flagship of a certain Brooklyn-based, alternative-skewing comedy scene. In the last few years, however, it’s become a mainstay of A-list actresses and major pop stars on press tours. Recent guests include Demi Lovato, Jennifer Lawrence and Lopez and several Real Housewives; the podcast’s annual Culture Awards are now televised on Bravo. 

Tina Fey’s now-legendary appearance on “Las Culturistas” broke the fourth wall to acknowledge just how big Yang and his platform had become. On the show’s recurring segment “I Don’t Think So Honey,” Fey cautioned Yang against sharing his real opinions about movies: “I regret to inform you that you are too famous now, sir!” “SNL” helped accelerate that fame to new heights, but it’s not the only weekly release where Yang could share a screen with famous guests and showcase his sense of humor, and he’ll continue to have at least one after he departs Studio 8H.

Midseason departures are unusual for “SNL.” Executive producer Lorne Michaels prefers to make changes over the summer to cement a new dynamic for the months ahead. Nwodim already threw off this rhythm by announcing her decision just a few weeks before the Season 51 premiere, after the roster was supposedly set. Now Yang’s exit further thins out the upper ranks on the cast’s experience spectrum. Not counting “Weekend Update” anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che,” “SNL” now has the same number of main cast members as it does more featured players — four of whom are newcomers still in their rookie year. What “SNL” looks like going forward was already an open question. Yang heading out the door simply heightens that question’s urgency.