Bowen Yang performed a celebratory duet with Ariana Grande in his final act on Saturday Night Live as the actor and comedian said goodbye to the sketch comedy show that launched his career.
Ian, 35, announced his surprise midseason departure from “SNL” just hours earlier, thanking his co-stars and summing up his time on the program on a sentimental Instagram. mail.
“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 a lot of things in the world were starting to seem worthless, but working at 30 Rock taught me the value of showing up anyway when people are worth it.”
After joining the long-running NBC series as a writer in 2018, Yang began appearing in “SNL” sketches throughout the following season and eventually became part of the main cast in 2021. His promotion marked a triumph in performance on “SNL”: Yang was the first Chinese American actor and one of the few openly LGBTQ comedians ever included in the main cast.
Now he is one of the most recognizable faces. In addition to “SNL,” Yang co-hosts the “Las Culturistas” podcast with fellow actor and comedian Matt Rogers, with whom he also created the spinoff “Las Culturistas Culture Awards,” an annual parody show that most recently aired on Bravo and Peacock. According to Young and Rogers, they are currently writing and starring in a new untitled comedy for Searchlight Pictures. Deadline.
Yang appeared in the film Wicked, starring Grande, and has amassed a long list of television and film roles. He has been nominated for several Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on SNL.
During his send-off during Saturday's taping, Ian played Delta One Lounge Employee trying to serve eggnog from a broken down machine before finishing his last shift at the airport.
Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
“It's my last shift. It's sad. I'm going to miss everything about this place. The way it smells. The celebrities that come,” Yang said in character, although the scene served as an emotional allusion to his real-life departure.
Grande hosted tonight's episode and performed with Ian in his latest sketch. They sang “Please Come Home for Christmas” by The Eagles, which featured a cameo from Cher, who was the musical guest.
