Following the news that he was leaving SNL after nearly a decade, longtime cast member Bowen Yang speaks out about his sudden departure.
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Right before his final SNL episode, Yang reflected on his time working on the show in an Instagram post.
“I was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem futile,” he wrote. “But working at 30 Rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile.”
The longtime SNL cast member then stated that he was grateful for “every minute” of his time there. “I learned about myself (bad with wigs). I learned about others (generous, vulnerable, hot). I learned that human error can be nothing but correct. I learned that comedy is mostly logistics and that it will usually fail until it doesn’t, which is the best.”
Yang joined SNL in 2019 and, at the time, was one of the show’s first openly gay cast members. Just before SNL’s season 51 premiere, Yang said he would leave the show at some point.
“It’s just this moving, living, breathing thing,” he told PEOPLE at the time.
He further pointed out, “Especially after the 50th, I’m seeing what life after the show is like and how beautiful it is, and how so many people, no matter how long they were at the show, are just with their families and loving their lives and not letting the years take away any of that experience for them.”
The ‘SNL’ Cast Member Becomes Emotional During His Final Sketch
In his final SNL sketch, Yang played a Delta One Lounge employee. He eventually broke into tears while singing “Please Come Home for Christmas” by Charles Brown with the episode’s guest host, his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande.
“I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here, and I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer,” he said. “Especially the people. I’ve loved every single person who works here, because they’ve done so much for me, especially my boss.”
Cher then appeared in the sketch as the “CEO of Eggnog at Delta.” Bowen asked her, “Before I go, do you have any feedback for me?”
She replied, “Well, everyone thought you were a little bit too gay. But you know what? You’re perfect for me.”
The three then embraced and continued to sing while Yang cried. He then declared on the SNL stage, “This place will always be home, but ah, it’s time to go.”