Bowen Yang is saying goodbye to “Saturday Night Live.”
Yang will exit the show in the middle of his eighth season following the Dec. 20 episode — featuring his “Wicked” franchise co-star Ariana Grande as host and Cher as musical guest —TODAY.com has learned.
TODAY.com has reached out to Bowen’s rep and “SNL” for comment.
Yang joined “SNL” as a writer in 2018. He went on to become an on-air featured player the following year in Season 45. He was promoted to the main cast of the show in Season 47.
Yang’s sudden departure in Season 51 comes roughly three months after the exits of cast members Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker and Emil Wakim and writer John Higgins in September.
That same month, Yang opened up to People about his decision to stay on the show for another season, which came after a discussion with “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels.
“I’ve always gone by the instinct of, do I have more to do? And I feel like I do,” Yang told the outlet.
“Even Lorne and I talked about it, and Lorne was like, ‘You have more to do,’ and that means a lot, because I even confessed to him,” Yang continued. “I was like, ‘I feel the audience is maybe getting sick of me.’ And he was like, ‘That’s not true. There’s more for you to do. I need you.’”
Yang went on to say he felt he had to “honor” Michaels’ wishes.
“That man has changed my life, and I owe a lot of my life to that show. And I love working there, the people are the best. I really love each of them so much,” he explained.
During his time on “SNL,” Yang was known for being a versatile cast member. He showcased his own zany sense of humor in several memorable moments at the “Weekend Update” desk as the iceberg that sank the Titanic and Moo Deng.
Yang also told People he considered being a cast member on “SNL” a kind of “boot camp” for young entertainers, which, he said, “implies that there is a next phase you train for something else.”
“It’s always a transitional place, and I think it is always a launching pad,” he said, adding, “I think that’s going to be true for all of the people who aren’t coming back. I’m so excited to see what they do. I’m excited for the new cast.”
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