Matt Rogers is delighted Bowen Young's appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Yanga last episode came on December 20, in the midst of its eighth season of the long-running show. Rogers, who co-hosts the Las Culturistas podcast with Ian, can't believe the legacy he's leaving behind on “SNL.”
“I know a lot of people are surprised because they feel like he's so irreplaceable,” Rogers said while guesting on TODAY with Jenna and Friends on Jan. 5. “But seven and a half years on the show, five Emmy nominations, countless memorable characters and sketches, so many indelible – and he was there for the 50th anniversary (of the show's anniversary).”
Ian left on air in an episode hosted by “Wicked: For Good” co-star Ariane Grande, which included musical guest Cher.
“What should he have done? Stay?” Rogers joked.
Grande and Cher appeared in Young's film final sketchduring which he became noticeably emotional.
“It was so beautiful,” Jenna Bush Hager told Rogers.
“You could feel that he was ready, but also that this show had given him so much,” she added.
Rogers said the moment showed how much Ian enjoyed “SNL” but realized it was time to say goodbye.
“I think that's why it's so hard to say goodbye, because you know what you have day in and day out is so good, but sometimes you still have to leave the party for a little while, like you don't want to be the last one,” he said.
Rogers watched Young's final episode in a hotel room in Orlando and was struck by the enormity of what was happening.
“I'm literally lying on my back watching this crazy moment happen, which is not only important for 'SNL' and then in many ways for pop culture, but also for us personally,” he said.
Rogers, who said he and Young will be working the upcoming Winter Olympics, also couldn't help but recall Young's early experience on “SNL.”
“I remember auditioning for the show years ago and how he went through it,” he said. “He screen-tested several times. (He) was a writer for a year before he got into the cast and then, really, against a lot of odds, became the face of this show. And I told him at the end, I thought, 'You know, you've not only made it here.' You've done well here. And I couldn't be more proud of him. And the good news is, we're busy as hell right now.”
After his last episode, Ian reflected on what being on the show meant to him.
“I loved working at SNL, and most of all I loved the people,” he wrote on Instagram. “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.”
