Though Saturday Night Live has undergone a mass cast exodus ahead of its 51st season, Bowen Yang is not among the departing players, saying he feels he has “more to do” on the long-running Lorne Michaels-helmed sketch comedy series.
Speaking to People after weeks of news about exits and additions to the late-night show, Yang said, “I’ve always gone by the instinct of, do I have more to do? And I feel like I do. 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, 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.’”
The SNL mainstay added, “I have to honor that. 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.”
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A VIP repertory player who has satirized everyone and everything from an internet phenom pygmy hippo to vice president JD Vance, Yang is behind many of Season 50’s viral moments, sparking conversation via his memorable portrayals.
Going into next season, which kicks off Oct. 4, Yang said he is forgoing a “game plan,” opting to fly by the seat of his pants given the show’s unpredictable, right-down-to-the-buzzer planning protocol.
“I let that go, and I think it served me well,” he noted. “I like having no road map. If there’s any place to do that, it’s SNL, where it’s week to week. Sometimes you’re up for the challenge. Sometimes you show up even if you aren’t, and that’s kind of what makes interesting things happen.”
SNL has seen the cast exits of newcomer Emil Wakim, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow and veteran Heidi Gardner. After the new additions of Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska (as well as Please Don’t Destroy member Ben Marshall), it was believed that the dust had settled on the cast shakeups. However, shortly thereafter, Deadline exclusively broke the news Ego Nwodim would also be leaving. Alongside Yang, Nwodim could be counted on to generate laughs in-person and online, spoofing the likes of Dionne Warwick and Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Her exit was somewhat of a shock, given the popularity of her breakout bits like “Lisa From Temecula” and her more recent “Miss Eggy” alter-ego.
Yang noted it’s “absolutely” emotional to return to the series amid the departure of his colleagues and friends.
“What I’ve always thought, what I think everybody knows, is that SNL is this boot camp, and that 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, “Even for people who stay on the show, like Kenan [Thompson], let’s say, he has still used that show to help expand his possibilities. 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.”