Saturday Night Live cast member Bowen Yang announced on Instagram Saturday that tonight’s episode will be his last with the long-running sketch comedy show.
The holiday episode, hosted by his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande with iconic musical guest Cher, will mark the end of Yang’s six-season run.
What To Know
Yang joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2018 during Season 44 before being promoted to the cast in 2019. He quickly became one of the show’s most featured performers, appearing in multiple sketches per episode. His popular impressions included Rep. George Santos, photographer Fran Lebowitz, and UK singer Charli XCX. He also gained viral attention for cosplaying as pygmy hippo Moo Deng and the iceberg that sank the Titanic.
The comedian co-hosts the popular podcast “Las Culturistas” with comedian Matt Rogers. In September, Yang had indicated he planned to stay with the show, telling People magazine that he had discussed potentially leaving with executive producer Lorne Michaels but decided against it at the time.
Tonight’s episode marks the final SNL broadcast before the holiday break. It will be Grande’s third time hosting and Cher’s second appearance as musical guest, her first since 1987. The show recently underwent significant cast changes, with Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, and Emil Wakim all exiting earlier this year.
Five new faces have joined the SNL cast, following the departure of several cast members amid a shake-up ahead of season 51. The new cast members are: Ben Marshall, Veronika Slowikowska, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane and Kam Patterson.
How To Watch ‘SNL’ Tonight?
Tonight’s episode airs at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Viewers without cable can stream the show through several live TV services:
DirecTV Stream: Offers a free trial for new subscribers and carries NBC in most markets.
Hulu + Live TV: Provides access to NBC with a free trial available for eligible users.
Sling TV: NBC availability varies by location; check local channel offerings.
YouTube TV: Carries NBC nationwide with cloud DVR capabilities.
The episode will also be available on Peacock following the live broadcast.
Bowen Yang’s Farewell Statement
Bowen Yang released an Instagram statement on Saturday, in part: “i loved working at SNL, and most of all i loved the people. i was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem futile, but working at 30 rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile.”
He continued: “i’m grateful for every minute of my time there. i learned about myself (bad with wigs). i learned about others (generous, vulnerable, hot). i learned that human error can be nothing but correct. i learned that comedy is mostly logistics and that it will usually fail until it doesn’t, which is the besssst.”
What Happens Next?
Saturday Night Live will go on its holiday break following tonight’s episode.
