Saturday Night Live is set to lose one of its biggest stars.
Multiple show insiders tell LateNighter that Bowen Yang is leaving the legendary sketch comedy series after this weekend’s Christmas episode.
Representatives for Yang and SNL did not respond to requests for comment.
Yang joined SNL’s writing staff in 2018 and became a featured player a year later. Over his six-plus seasons on the program, he has earned four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, most recently for the show’s 2024–25 season.
Known for his wry yet absurdist comic sensibility, some of Yang’s memorable characters haven’t even been human—including the Spotted Lanternfly, the Chinese spy balloon, the iceberg that sank the Titanic, Moo Deng, and George Santos (we kid).
In all, Yang will have appeared in 125 Saturday Night Live episodes, and north of 390 total sketches.
Yang is not the first major SNL player to depart in the middle of a season; just three years ago, Cecily Strong wrapped her 11-season run by taking a final bow during that year’s Christmas episode.
A longtime co-host of the popular podcast Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers, Yang has also logged a number of TV roles outside of SNL over the years, appearing in Girls5Eva, The Other Two, and Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens.
Yang’s early film roles included Fire Island and Bros, both released in 2022, though recent years have seen his star burn brighter than ever, with prominent roles in 2024’s The Wedding Banquet remake and the filmed adaptation of Wicked (and its sequel, Wicked: For Good).
Yang set tongues wagging in April when he hinted at a possible SNL departure in an interview with People magazine.
“SNL, it’s just this moving, living, breathing thing,” he said at the time. “New people come in and you do have to sort of make way for them to grow and to keep elevating themselves. And that inevitably requires me to sort of hang it up at some point—but I don’t know what the vision is yet.”
Yang will be the sixth cast member to depart the sketch series in 2025, following Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow, Heidi Gardner, and Ego Nwodim.
It’s likely no coincidence that Yang’s final episode will be hosted by Ariana Grande. Of all hosts during his tenure, Yang has enjoyed the closest relationship with his Wicked films co-star. Not for nothing, he’s also has repeatedly professed his love for musical guest Cher, who is making her first SNL appearance since 1987.
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What saddening news. He has been the most original and charismatic actor for some time. And how stylish! I love seeing what he wears when guesting on late night shows. Men’s fashion has been more interesting than women’s for several years now.
I mean, we must wish him the best but he leaves a big hole of classy absurdity behind.
Damn, thats a bummer. He’s one of the few modern SNL cast members that I liked. 🙁
He’s got a great future ahead of him!
No loss.
Can he take Jane Wickline with him?
Very difficult to fill his shoes from the current cast!
I’m sure someone can step in and fill the one-note gay guy part.
That replacing Bowen Yang will be far, far more difficult than you care to think!