Bowen Yang to exit SNL after seven seasons amid major cast shakeup

Bowen Yang is exiting Saturday Night Live after seven seasons, with his final appearance slated for this weekend on a show hosted by Ariana Grande, the Wicked co-star, and with Cher as the musical guest. Yang joined SNL as a writer in 2018, was promoted to the cast for Season 45, and earned repertory status ahead of Season 47. Over seven seasons, he became one of the show’s standout performers, earning Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. His departure adds to a season of upheaval at the NBC sketch show, which has undergone a broad cast reshuffle as it searches for new energy.

The exit follows a summer wave of departures that has reshaped the SNL landscape. After Season 50 wrapped, Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim left the cast. The upheaval mirrors a pattern of midseason exits that have punctuated SNL’s history, including Cecily Strong’s surprise departure in December 2022. In recent years, other longtime figures such as Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey and Eddie Murphy have left midseason, underscoring the show’s churn. Yang’s decision to step away comes amid that broader context of change, though observers note it aligns with a period in which he has hinted at pursuing projects beyond SNL.

In September, Yang discussed his future with SNL in conversations that underscored his concern about audience fatigue and his own ambitions. He recalled telling People that he had a heart-to-heart with SNL creator Lorne Michaels about what lay ahead. “Lorne was like, ‘You have more to do,’ and that means a lot, because I even confessed to him… ‘I feel the audience is maybe getting sick of me,’” Yang said. “And he was like, ‘That’s not true. There’s more for you to do. I need you.’” A Daily Mail source later suggested Yang had considered leaving earlier and agreed to stay through this season at Michaels’ request, signaling a mutual interest in letting Yang pursue opportunities beyond the show when the moment felt right.

Yang’s departure follows a long-standing trajectory in which the show’s cast evolves as new talents arrive and established stars move on. Yang’s outside projects have been increasing in prominence as he expands his portfolio beyond SNL through Warner Bros. projects and his ongoing Las Culturistas podcast with Matt Rogers. His film work has expanded to include Wicked and its stage-related projects, as well as film appearances in Fire Island (2022), Dicks: The Musical (2023), and The Wedding Banquet (2025). His television roles outside SNL have also helped elevate his profile in pop culture, complementing his status as a key voice in contemporary comedy.

The timing of Yang’s exit coincides with broader strategic discussions around SNL’s future. Daily Mail reporting and industry chatter depict Lorne Michaels as intent on refreshing the roster to keep the show funny and groundbreaking for years to come. The outlet notes that the shakeup is tied to plans for an SNL UK spinoff in 2026, with Michaels aiming to preserve the U.S. show as the benchmark while injecting new energy from a refreshed cast. An insider told the Daily Mail that Michaels wants to rekindle the show’s edge and “add some gasoline to the fire,” signaling a deliberate push to evolve the format without losing its core identity. The current on-air lineup remains anchored by veterans such as Kenan Thompson, Chloe Fineman, Mikey Day, and Weekend Update hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost, with a mix of newer cast members—Veronika Slowikowska, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson—and several veterans continuing to evolve in their roles. The Daily Mail notes that the Please Don’t Destroy trio no longer appears onscreen together, that writer John Higgins has exited entirely, and that Ben Marshall has stepped into a cast role while Martin Herlihy remains on staff as a writer. While the turnover is notable, insiders emphasize that upheaval of this scale is not unprecedented for SNL and can be part of a broader strategy to keep the show dynamic and relevant in a changing television landscape.

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