In yet another shock departure, Bowen Yang is set to exit as a castmate on Saturday Night Live, after serving as a staple face of the sketch show for a whopping seven seasons.
News of Yang’s departure was reported by Deadline. He is reportedly due to exit midway through SNL’s current 51st season, immediately after the most imminent episode hosted by Ariana Grande with musical guest Cher.
It will complete Yang’s stellar run on the show, which began as a writer in 2018 before a promotion to the cast the following year.
By season 47, Yang was SNL’s breakout star, earning multiple Emmy nominations and being responsible for some of the show’s most memorable viral moments.
He channelled famous hippo Moo Deng in a skit referencing Chappell Roan, and another saw him impersonate Charli xcx at the height of the brat era.
Yang is one of multiple notable castmates to leave SNL in recent years. The show suffered a major mass exodus earlier this year with four castmates leaving ahead of the new season, including major players like Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner.
Some of those who left did not do so quietly — particularly amid revelations of SNL’s working conditions — but Yang has not yet addressed news of his departure at the time of writing.
While he’ll be missed, it certainly won’t be the last we see of Yang. Alongside his biggest role in both instalments of Wicked alongside Grande, he has also starred in movies like Bros and Fire Island.
Yang and Matt Rogers also co-host the wildly popular podcast Las Culturistas, which held a truly chaotic awards ceremony dotted by multiple stars earlier this year.
SNL will go on a Christmas break after the Grande-hosted episode, with the finale slated for March of next year.
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