Bowen Yang talks about leaving”Saturday Night Live“
“I liked working at SNLand most of all I loved people. I was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem worthless, but working at 30 Rock taught me the value of showing up anyway when people are worth it,” he wrote on his Instagram alongside a carousel of photos.
He continued, “I'm grateful for every minute I spent there. I learned about myself (bad with wigs). I learned about others (generous, vulnerable, hot). I learned that human mistakes can never be anything other than right. I learned that comedy is mostly about logistics, and that it usually fails until it fails, and that's the best part.”
In addition to thanking the show's cast and crew, he also thanked his “Wicked” co-star and this week's “SNL” host Ariana Grande “for sending me off in the dreamiest way I could ever imagine.”
Diversity reported Friday that Yang is leaving SNL midway through his eighth season on the show. Ian first joined the series as a writer in season 44 in 2018. He then joined the cast as a leading player in season 45, and was promoted to the main cast beginning in season 47. His work on the series earned him supporting comedy actor Emmy nominations in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025.
Besides SNL, Ian is best known for the pop culture podcast Las Culturistas, which he co-hosts with his friend and fellow comedian Matt Rogers. From 2020 to 2023, he starred in the film Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens. In addition to Wicked and Wicked: For Good, Young's film credits include The Wedding Party (2025), Deeks: The Musical (2023) and Fire Island (2022).
