“After the shocking Saturday Night Live ‘bloodbath’ that saw several cast members exiting without warning ahead of the 2025 season, another fan favorite is now stepping away.”, — write: www.dailymail.co.uk
Published: 19:26 GMT, 19 December 2025 | Updated: 19:47 GMT, 19 December 2025
Bowen Yang will make his final appearance on Saturday’s episode, hosted by his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande with Cher as musical guest.
Daily Mail has reached out to Yang and SNL representatives but has not received a response.
Yang, 31, joined SNL as a writer in 2018 before being promoted to the cast for Season 45.
He earned repertory status ahead of Season 47, quickly becoming one of the show’s standout performers over seven seasons.
His departure follows a summer exodus after Season 50, which saw Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim all leave the cast.
Yang also becomes the latest midseason exit, following Cecily Strong’s surprise December 2022 departure during Season 48.
Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey and Eddie Murphy also left midseason.
Though his exit comes after the cast turbulence, it’s not entirely unexpected.
Yang has teased the possibility of leaving SNL over the past few months, leaving fans bracing for one final set of sketches from the beloved comedian.
Back in September, Yang revealed he had a heart-to-heart with SNL creator Lorne Michaels about his future on the show.
‘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 recalled to People. ‘And he was like, “That’s not true. There’s more for you to do. I need you.”‘
Despite that reassurance, Yang has already missed several episodes this season.
He notably skipped an October show to attend the Academy Museum gala in Los Angeles, where he accepted the Vantage Award.
During his tenure, Yang earned critical acclaim, scoring Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025.
Outside of SNL, Yang is a major force in pop culture thanks to his hit podcast Las Culturistas, which he co-hosts with longtime friend and fellow comedian Matt Rogers.
He also starred on Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens from 2020 to 2023.
His résumé continues to grow on the big screen as well.
In addition to Wicked and Wicked: For Good, Yang’s film credits include Fire Island (2022), Dicks: The Musical (2023), and the The Wedding Banquet (2025).