Bowen Yang exits “Saturday Night Live” after 8 seasons

Bowen Yang performed a holiday duet with Ariana Grande for his final act on “Saturday Night Live,” as the actor and comedian bid farewell to the sketch comedy show that launched his career. 

Yang, 35, had announced his unexpected mid-season departure from “SNL” just hours earlier, thanking his colleagues and recapping his tenure on the program in a sentimental Instagram post.

“i loved working at SNL, and most of all i loved the people,” he wrote in the post. “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.”

After joining the long-running NBC series as a writer in 2018, Yang began to appear in “SNL” sketches over the course of the following season and eventually became part of the main cast in 2021. His promotion marked triumphs for representation on “SNL”: Yang was the show’s first Chinese American cast member and among only several openly LGBTQ comedians ever included in the main cast.

He is now one of its most recognizable faces. Outside of “SNL,” Yang hosts the podcast “Las Culturistas” alongside fellow actor and comedian Matt Rogers, with whom he also created the spinoff “Las Culturistas Culture Awards,” an annual parodied award show that most recently aired on Bravo and Peacock. Yang and Rogers are currently writing and costarring in an untitled new comedy for Searchlight Pictures, according to Deadline.

Yang appeared in the “Wicked” movies, which starred Grande, and has amassed a long list of acting credits across television and film. He was nominated for multiple Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on “SNL.”

His sendoff during Saturday’s taping saw Yang play a Delta One Lounge employee attempting to serve egg nog from a broken machine before finishing his last shift at the airport. 

“This is my last shift. It’s sad. I’m gonna miss everything about this place. The way it smells. The celebrities who come through,” said Yang, in character, although the scene served as an emotional nod to his real-life exit.

Grande hosted the night’s episode and performed with Yang in his final sketch. The two broke into song, with a rendition of The Eagles’ “Please Come Home for Christmas,” which featured a cameo appearance from Cher, who was the musical guest.