Bowen Yang breaks down in tears as he leaves SNL after seven-year run
Final episode includes emotional farewell sketch with Ariana Grande; Yang had been a writer, then a breakout on-air star and Emmy nominee, as SNL undergoes ongoing cast changes.
Bowen Yang burst into tears during his final Saturday Night Live sketch, a day after confirming he would be leaving the NBC comedy after seven seasons.
Yang joined SNL as a writer in 2018 and was promoted to the on-air cast for Season 45 in 2019, becoming the show’s first Chinese American star. He went on to become one of the program’s most recognizable performers, earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2021 as the first featured player to reach that level. The news of his departure arrived amid a midseason shakeup that has left fans bracing for what comes next for the long-running sketch show.
In the moment that captivated fans, Yang performed a Delta Sky Lounge employee role in his farewell sketch. As he delivered lines about the job, the performance appeared to mirror his real feelings about leaving the show. He paused mid-song to acknowledge the mix of emotion, telling the audience, “I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here, and I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer.” He added, “Especially the people. I’ve loved every single person who works here, because they’ve done so much for me, especially my boss.” In the scene, the stand-in boss figure was Cher, who came onstage as “CEO of Eggnog at Delta.” Cher delivered a playful line about Yang’s career arc and then hugged him as they returned to the song, Please Come Home for Christmas, a 1960 blues standard co-written by Charles Brown. Grande joined the pair for the moment, and the embrace drew an audible “aww” from the audience before Yang cried again, telling the crowd, “This place will always be home, but ah, it’s time to go.”
The musical moment extended beyond the stage when Grande kissed Yang on the cheek, a gesture that fans praised on social media as a fitting send-off for a performer who helped anchor SNL’s recent years. The New York-based audience watched as Yang clutched the moment and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with a full slate of collaborators who had become his “home.”
Yang confirmed the exit publicly on Instagram the following morning, writing that he “loved working at SNL, and most of all I loved the people.” He reflected on a period when “many things in the world started to seem futile,” but noted that 30 Rock taught him the value of showing up when it matters. He offered thanks to a long list of colleagues, writers, cast members, crew, and hosts, calling out friends and collaborators by name and praising the show’s ability to bring people together. The post reinforced that his decision was personal and professional, and that he remains grateful for the opportunities he found at SNL.
Yang’s seven-year tenure began as a writer before he was promoted to repertory status ahead of Season 47. Over that span, he became a trusted performer and a breakout voice in the show’s evolving ensemble. His exit comes amid a summer wave of departures that reshaped the cast, including Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim, as well as earlier midseason exits by Cecily Strong in 2022. The shakeup underscores ongoing questions about SNL’s direction as it navigates a changing late-night landscape and a broader conversation about representation and risk-taking in sketch comedy.
Industry commentary around the reshuffle has included mixed signals from insiders suggesting that part of the cast overhaul is tied to plans for a potential SNL UK spinoff in 2026. An anonymous source cited by the Daily Mail described Lorne Michaels’s aim to keep the original show as the benchmark for the format while injecting fresh talent to “add gasoline to the fire” and ensure the franchise remains funny and vibrant in the years ahead. While those reports reflect one perspective in a dynamic process, the core point remains: SNL is recalibrating its cast to balance nostalgia with new energy as it looks to the next chapter.
Beyond SNL, Yang remains a prominent figure in pop culture. He co-hosts the hit podcast Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and has built an expanding résumé in film and television, including appearances outside the NBC program. He starred in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens from 2020 to 2023 and has film credits that span Wicked: For Good, Fire Island (2022), Dicks: The Musical (2023), and The Wedding Banquet (2025). The combination of theater, streaming, and big-screen roles positions him for projects outside SNL as he pursues opportunities to create and perform in different formats.
As SNL looks to the future, Yang’s departure marks a notable moment in a season already defined by change. While there is no single road map for how the show will retain its edge, executives and fans alike will be watching closely to see how the ensemble evolves, how new voices mesh with longstanding anchors like Kenan Thompson and Michael Che, and how the show negotiates a comedy landscape that continues to shift under the weight of online culture, streaming, and audience expectations. In the near term, Yang’s absence from the stage leaves big shoes to fill, but also signals a potential opening for fresh perspectives and bold new sketches that could define SNL’s next era.