NEW YORK — Bowen Yang said an emotional goodbye to “Saturday Night Live” with music, laughter and the help of his “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande.
Ian starred in the night's final sketch, playing a retiring airport lounge worker who works his last shift on Christmas Eve, serving eggnog to travelers. He sang “Please Come Home for Christmas” and was joined by Grande, the evening's host, and Cher, the musical guest. The women joined in with Ian's song and hugged him.
The sketch gave Ian a chance to say goodbye to some of his co-stars—he adorably splattered Kenan Thompson with eggnog—and its premise gave Ian a chance to speak his words about moving on. “I just wanted to enjoy it a little more,” Yang said emotionally. By the end of the performance he was in tears.
The show ended with a brief photo tribute to slain director Rob Reiner and a curtain call for the cast.
“We love you so much,” Grande told Young, who was a constant presence at Saturday's show and received thunderous applause every time he appeared.
Ian joined the series as a writer in 2018, became a lead the following season, and was promoted to the main cast two seasons after that. Ian was a fan favorite, earning five Emmy nominations over the years.
In an Instagram post on Saturday, Ian wrote, “I loved working at SNL, and most of all I loved the people. I was there at a time when many things in the world were starting to seem worthless, but working at 30 Rock taught me the value of showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile.”
Ian, after a year or two of successful projects, left SNL mid-season.
Grande helped kick off Saturday's show with a parody of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” about buying gifts for people you barely know, during her opening monologue. Ian slid onto the stage to thunderous applause and helped her finish the song.
The friends often appeared together during the show, including in a dance class sketch and a pre-taped “Home Alone” sketch in which the McCallister family suffers a brutal end due to Kevin's remaining traps.
The rumor of Young's departure comes after a mass cast exodus last summer ahead of the start of the 51st season. Among them were Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, Emile Wakim and John Higgins.
This news did not come as a complete surprise. Yang has publicly discussed the idea, telling People in September that he had been mulling it over with the NBC comedy show's creator, Lorne Michaels. He received a vote of confidence from Michaels and decided to stay at that point.
“Lorne said, 'You still have a lot to do,' and that means a lot because I even confessed to him. I said, “I feel like the public may be tired of me.” And he’s like, “That’s not true. You still have something to do. I need you,” Ian said.
Of Michaels, Ian added, “This man changed my life and I owe a lot to this show. And I love working there. The people are the best. I really love every single one of them.”
In addition to “SNL,” Yang co-hosts the pop culture podcast “Las Culturistas” with his friend and fellow comedian Matt Rogers. He starred in Wicked and Wicked: For Good as Pfanny, and this year starred in the remake of The Wedding Banquet.
In 2023, he appeared in Dix: The Musical and the year before that, Fire Island. He also starred in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens from 2020 to 2023.
Last summer, Young and Rogers staged a skit of the Las Culturista Culture Awards on Bravo. Yang wrote on Instagram that they will be back next year for more awards-themed pop culture comedies.
Midseason departures from “SNL” are not unprecedented. Cecily Strong did this in December 2022.
Among the moments that gave Ian his breakout status was his role as the iceberg Titanic in a recurring segment on “Weekend Update,” his favorite part of the series, according to an October interview with Esquire. He also played George Santos, a straight man who dates Gina Gershon and Sydney Sweeney, and a gay Oompa Loompa. And he spoofed Vice President J.D. Vance.
Yang most recently appeared on “Weekend Update” alongside former “SNL” cast member Aidy Bryant, playing characters who offered viewers advice on what trends were hot for the holidays and in 2026 and what weren't.
Yang, the son of Chinese immigrants, was recently the cover star of Esquire magazine. In an Oct. 28 interview that accompanied his cover shoot, he told the magazine, “There's a perception that everything I do is weird and Asian, but I don't think that's true. I'm tired of people reducing my work on the show to these identifiers.”
Work, he said, “is no longer the most important thing to me. I like to spend time with friends, work from time to time, and not be in a cage.”
Yang noted some advice he once received from Kristen Wiig when she hosted “SNL.”
“She said, ‘Have fun. It's the most fun job in the world and you'll miss it when it's done. You won’t realize how much you miss her until you leave.”
