Bowen Yang Is Now a Full-Time SNL Cast Member

Bowen Yang is ready to bring even more laughs to us next year on Saturday Night Live, as he was just promoted from featured player to full-time regular cast member!

Yang, who joined SNL as a featured player in 2019, has quickly become a fan and critical favorite and even became the first featured player in the show's history to be nominated for an Emmy.

One of his breakout roles on the show was as the sassy iceberg that sank the Titanic on Weekend Update. "First of all, you came to where I live and you hit me!" Yang said of the ship in the sketch. "It was midnight, I was chilling. Then I hear this Irish cacophony behind me." But he wasn't done there.

"And before I turn around, and go like, 'what?' half my ass is gone!" he continued. "Which was my best feature. And I'm literally injured and all anyone cares about is 40 or 50 people died or whatever."

"Well, it was 1,500 people," Weekend Update host Colin Jost interjected.

This isn't the only new project for Yang, who is also starring in a new six-part Audible series called Hot White Heist that came out this summer. The series features an all queer cast, including Cynthia Nixon, Margaret Cho, Abbi Jacobson, Jane Lynch, Bianca Del Rio, Mj Rodriguez, Stephanie Beatriz, John Cameron Mitchell, and Cheyenne Jackson.

Hot White Heist follows a group of queer criminals as they attempt to steal the government's supply of sperm, so they can sell it on the black market and buy an island paradise for LGBTQ+ people everywhere.

Other cast changes include Beck Bennett and featured player Lauren Holt not returning to the show, and three new cast members, Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson, and Sarah Sherman (also known as Sarah Squirm) joining as new featured players.

SNL currently has two lesbian comedians in the cast, with veteran Kate McKinnon returning once again, and Punkie Johnson returning as a featured player.

It's going to be quite the queer season of SNL, as the new season kicks off on October 2 with country queen Kacey Musgraves as the musical guest. The next week's musical guest is new mother Halsey, and week four's guest is Grammy winner Brandi Carlile.

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