Bowen Yang Reveals Why He Left Saturday Night Live Mid-Season

Bowen Yang Reveals Why He Left Saturday Night Live Mid-Season

Bowen Yang was actually live from New York a little longer than expected.

The Saturday Night Live alum admitted he was “resolute” about leaving the series following its 50th season because it was “the right time,” though creator Lorne Michaels persuaded him to stay on for a few more episodes.

“I never felt like I was that central to it, to be honest,” Yang of his seven-season stint on SNL during the June 8 episode of Variety and CNN’s Actors on Actors series. “I feel like there was a weird utility to me. I never played the dad or the straight-man teacher. I was always there as the seasoning, and I’m like, ‘That’s great. I’m so lucky. I can’t believe I have a steady job in comedy. I will cherish it for the rest of my life.’”

But after coming to terms with the belief that SNL would be in “a great place” without him, the 35-year-old got a call from Michaels to return for half of the 51st season in order to “set an example” for the show’s newest cast members.

“It was the first time I felt someone who made so many things possible for me being like, ‘I need you,’” he continued. “I’m like, ‘I’m not going to turn that down.’”

Now, after following through with his decision to stay, the comedian noted, “I felt good about it.”

Indeed, Yang shared that he received an encouraging message from current SNL breakout star Ashley Padilla during his sendoff in December, who wrote to him, “You taught me how to be at this show, how to behave and how to treat people, and thank you. I’ll never forget that.”

Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

As for how Yang feels about his final sketch on the show, during which his thinly-veiled character says farewell to his favorite job? He said, “That’s the thing I’m proudest of.”

“The thing that broke me was just saying, ‘The thing I love most about this place is the people. Look how hard they work,’” he explained. “I’m between Ariana Grande and Cher, and I look out, and it’s basically every single person who works at that show. I’d never seen that before for anyone else’s departure.”

He added, “I was like, ‘Oh, this is the most rewarding snapshot I can ever internalize in my life. I don’t think I’ll ever encounter this ever again.’”

Read on for a look back at other stars you may not have known were part of the Saturday Night Live cast.

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