SNL Breakout Star Bowen Yang Is Leaving The Show After 7 Seasons

After several cast members were let go before season 51 of "Saturday Night Live" began, along with a small group of new faces joining the featured players, the late night sketch comedy series is losing one of its most valuable stars.

Vulture reports Bowen Yang will leave "SNL" after the December 20 episode hosted by his "Wicked" franchise co-star Ariana Grande. Yang has proven to be one of the show's most reliable and breakout stars, delivering many memorable bits and recurring characters over seven seasons. The comedian actually began as just a writer in season 44 in 2018 before becoming a featured player in 2019, making him the first Asian cast member in the series' history and only the second openly gay cast member ever.

Yang's star profile has been steadily rising of late, with roles in movies like "The Wedding Banquet" and "The Garfield Movie," on top of his supporting role in the "Wicked" films (not to mention his popular podcast "Las Culturistas" with Matt Rogers). Honestly, it was rather surprising when Yang came back for season 51, having previously told People:

"I've always gone by the instinct of, do I have more to do? And I feel like I do. Even ['SNL' boss] Lorne [Michaels] and I talked about it, and Lorne was like, 'You have more to do,' and that means a lot, because I even confessed to him. I was like, 'I feel the audience is maybe getting sick of me.' And he was like, 'That's not true. There's more for you to do. I need you.'"

However, Yang hasn't been quite so prominent throughout season 51 so far, especially with featured player Ashley Padilla becoming a popular cast member. So, maybe Yang reconsidered and decided to go out with a bang for the Christmas episode.

Bowen Yang has been an invaluable member of the "SNL" cast, carving out an impressive legacy for himself. There are countless Weekend Update bits that Yang knocked out of the park, along with plenty of sketches that benefitted from his presence.

Perhaps the best and most viral Weekend Update bit came when Yang became the iceberg that sunk the Titanic in quite a melodramatic fashion:

Elsewhere, Yang garnered plenty of laughs when he pretended that he's been straight this entire time and hooked up with host Sydney Sweeney:

Likewise, when Ariana Grande hosted "SNL" in 2024, Yang went toe-to-toe with the star in a family game night that got a little too intense:

And this is just a small sample of Yang's greatness, which also includes playing figures like JD Vance, George Santos, and Kim Jong-un. Will Yang get a big sendoff as several departing cast members have been given in the past? We certainly hope so, but it's also the Christmas episode, so that may be difficult. Still, the winter season would be the perfect time to bring back that iceberg.

We can't wait to see everything that Bowen Yang does next.