Bowen Yang is reportedly leaving Saturday Night Live after being on the NBC sketch comedy show for seven seasons and returning for an eighth season.
Even though Yang's departure had been heavily speculated over the past few months, the comedian, actor, and Las Culturistas cohost did renew his contract despite the pre-season 51 mass exodus of SNL that included exits from cast members and/or writers such as Ego Nwodim, Celeste Yim, Heidi Gardner, and Emil Wakim, among others.
Overall, this announcement means that Yang's last episode as a regular cast member ("repertory player") on Saturday Night Live will air this Saturday, December 20, featuring his Wicked and Wicked: For Good costar Ariana Grande as the host, and none other than Cher as musical guest.
Yang has yet to comment on the news via social media or in a press release. Nonetheless, the idea of leaving SNL after doing a full episode with Ariana Grande and Cher as the two featured guests feels a pretty delightful, dazzling, and dreamy gay fantasy.
As seen in the teaser below, Yang has gotten slapped by Cher while being told him to "snap out of it." Is there a gayer way to leave the show? We don't think so, honey.
While it is not a conventional departure, Yang isn't the first Saturday Night Live star to leave the show halfway through a season. In the past, cast members like Eddie Murphy, Cecily Strong, and Dana Carvey all left SNL before their respective seasons had ended.
Yang has now entered that list of mid-season exits, and he will certainly be missed by audiences who tune in to watch the show in 2026, without him.
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