Comedian Bowen Yang is reportedly set to depart Saturday Night Live midway through its current season. There are reports that this weekend’s episode with Ariana Grande and Cher as guests will be his last appearance.
Yang has been part of the cast for seven years, and before that he was a writer on the show. In recent years his film career has taken off with appearances in Fire Island, Bros, The Wedding Banquet and the Wicked films.
According to Deadline Yang will be leaving after feeling the audiences might have got tired of seeing him on their screens every week.
Yang has been a breakout star of recent seasons of the show that has been running for over 50 years. He’s had memorable turns as the Iceberg from Titanic, a gay Oompa Lumpa and his impressions of disgraced congressman George Santos.
Over its tenure Saturday Night Live has been a launch pad for some of the hugest names in comedy and entertainment. The original 1975 cast featured Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin and Dan Ackroyd.
Later seasons would feature everyone from Jim Belushi to Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Joan Cusak, Pete Davison, Jilly Fallon, Robert Downey Jr, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Chris Farley, Janeane Garofalo, Phil Hartman, Julia Louis Dreyfus, and legions of others.
Bowen Yang was born in Queensland in 1990, his family having emigrated from China in 1996. When he was six months old his family moved to Canada. He moved to the USA to pursue comedy and is now a US citizen.
