After 7 seasons, Bowen Yang is leaving SNL.
Yang, 35, has had a successful run at the late-night show and has decided to leave in the midst of season 51, after the most recent episode.
“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 started to seem futile, but working at 30 rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile,” Yang wrote on an Instagram post Saturday, December 20, featuring a carousel of photos.
“i’m grateful for every minute of my time there,” he continued. “i learned about myself (bad with wigs). i learned about others (genous, vulnerable, hot). i learned that human error can be nothing but correct. i learned that comedy is mostly logistics and that it will usually fail until it doesnt, which is the besssst.”
“Thank you to lorne (Michaels) for the job. for the standard. and for bringing everyone at work together,” Yang said in the post. “They all care deeply about people in the room, any room, enjoying themselves. i can’t believe i was included in that.”
Yang first joined the cast in season 45 in 2019. And according to sources, Yang allegedly wanted to leave after season 50; however, Lorne Michaels and the network convinced him to stay on.
“Bowen was telling friends that it was his time. He wanted to move on and was even planning to spend time in Japan,” an insider told The Post in September.
“People on the show told him to take the summer to think it over, but it looked like he was leaving and everyone was just waiting for the announcement,” the source continued. “He talked to Lorne and [NBC] threw a ton of money at him.”
It seemed as though the shocking departure wasn’t actually that much of a surprise. Over the past few months, Yang seemed to hint at leaving the show. He told People in April that SNL was “this growing, living thing where new people come in, and you do have to sort of make way for them and to grow and to keep elevating themselves.”
Thankfully, this doesn’t mean it’s the end of Bowen Yang. Yang has co-hosted the widely popular Las Culturistas podcast with Matt Rogers since 2016. He also played Pfannee in Wicked and Wicked: For Good, which was asked by Ariana Grande.
Bowen Yang isn’t done there, as he’s set to be in Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me, and The Cat in the Hat.
Watch Bowen Yang’s last skit on SNL below.
his last shift at the delta one lounge pic.twitter.com/BvevZHT3Gh
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 21, 2025