When Saturday Night Live returns amid the 2026 TV schedule, it’ll be without one cast member. Bowen Yang exited SNL in December, signing off for the final time as a cast member during Season 51’s Christmas episode. Since then, Yang has opened up a bit more about his decision to leave the show and how he’s feeling about it. He also dropped some details about his final sketch and, apparently, it was initially going to be much wilder than it turned out, until series creator Lorne Michaels stepped in.
Yang’s final sketch as an SNL cast member is “Delta Lounge,” which sees him playing a lounge employee managing the airport’s eggnog machine during his final shift. Ariana Grande (the host of that episode) plays Yang’s wife, while Kenan Thompson, Andrew Dismukes and Jane Wickline play travelers. The bit culminates in Yang being joined on stage by Grande and musical guest Cher, as he – while still in character – says goodbye to his place of employment.
That sketch was the final one of the night, and it saw Bowen Yang get incredibly emotional while being comforted by Grande and Cher. During his “exit interview” with Matt Rogers on their Las Culturistas Podcast (as shared on YouTube), Yang expressed enthusiasm in regard to how everything turned out. Interestingly enough, the writer and comedian also revealed the bit was going to be a lot more grandiose. That would’ve even included some wild shenanigans involving the eggnog machine:
It did just come down to logistics. We had like, Mikey [Day] and Sarah [Sherman] in the back, just cleaning up the mess. The eggnog machine was supposed to be on the fritz and spray everywhere. It was supposed to spray Kenan, it was supposed to spray Jane. It was supposed to spray the people it was spraying…. It got to be too much.
The Wedding Banquet star said that he ideally would’ve loved for more cast members, if not the entire ensemble, to be part of his last segment on the show. However, Lorne Michaels jumped in with a suggestion, as Yang explained:
Lorne came up to me and [returning writer] Celeste [Yim] before the show after dress and said, ‘I think it’s better if it’s just you guys and you just play into the emotion of it.’ And then Celeste and I were like, ‘Lorne Michaels, [he] knows how to produce.’
It’s definitely true that Lorne Michaels is battle-tested and that he’s seen his share of ups and downs while working at Saturday Night Live. So I’d say that Bowen Yang and Celeste Yim were wise to heed his take. Check out the sketch:
Yang’s SNL exit was initially reported upon, and he himself broke his silence days later, confirming the news and expressing gratitude in addition to sharing various BTS photos. It was reported that Yang’s reason for leaving was, in great part, due to the demanding schedule of working at the NBC show. During the same Las Culturistas episode, Yang opened up about the challenges of working on the series and expressed excitement about what lies ahead for his and Rogers’ podcast.
Not everyone gets to leave Saturday Night Live on their own terms, let alone with a sketch that commemorates the conclusion of their tenure. So, as Bowen Yang mentioned during the podcast, he was indeed “lucky.” Fans can revisit some of his best sketches by streaming episodes with a Peacock subscription. Also, tune into NBC on Saturday, January 17, when SNL welcomes Finn Wolfhard as host and ASAP Rocky as musical guest.
