Bowen Yang Delayed SNL Exit 1 Season After Lorne Michaels Asked Him to Stay
Updated
Updated · Variety · Jun 8
Bowen Yang Delayed SNL Exit 1 Season After Lorne Michaels Asked Him to Stay
3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jun 8
Summary
Bowen Yang said he had planned to leave “Saturday Night Live” a season earlier but stayed into the first half of Season 50 after Lorne Michaels personally called and asked him to help guide a wave of new hires.
Yang said Michaels told him many cast members had left and that his presence would be important in setting an example, making it the first time he felt the longtime producer directly needed him.
The 35-year-old comedian said he never saw himself as central to the show, describing his role as “seasoning,” but used the extra stretch to support newer performers and writers, including collaborating with cast member Jeremy Culhane.
Yang said the payoff came on his final day in December, when the cast signed a cue card and newcomer Ashley Padilla thanked him for teaching her how to work and behave at the show.
The interview, part of Variety and CNN’s “Actors on Actors,” framed his exit as the emotional close of a 7-year run that ended with Yang saying the people at “SNL” were what he loved most.