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Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl
SNL: Bowen Yang on Why Lorne Michaels Asked Him to Stay for Season 51
During a Variety's Actors on Actors interview, Bowen Yang discussed leaving SNL and how Lorne Michaels convinced him to return for Season 51.
Article Summary
- Bowen Yang says he was ready to leave SNL after season 50, feeling the show was in a strong place without him.
- During Variety’s Actors on Actors, Yang explained he never saw himself as central on SNL, but valued his unique role.
- Yang praised SNL castmates like James Austin Johnson, Andrew Dismukes, and Ashley Padilla as the show’s future.
- Lorne Michaels asked Bowen Yang to return for SNL Season 51 to help guide newer cast members through the transition.
Before departing Saturday Night Live in the middle of season 51, Bowen Yang was already ready to move on, given his start as a series writer in 2018 before joining the cast the following year, staying for eight seasons. It wasn't a decision that came easily; SNL creator Lorne Michaels, he revealed, asked him for a favor to help transition the newer cast members before being comfortable enough with their success to finally make the move. As part of CNN and Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, Yang spoke with Rachel Sennott (I Love LA), who asked him about how he came to his decision.
SNL: Bowen Yang Reveals Creative Decision Behind His Eventual Departure
When Sennott asked why he left in the middle of SNL 51, "I feel like I was kind of resolute the season before about leaving. There was just a lot of uncertainty about what the series would look like after season 50," Yang said. "I was like, 'I think the show is in a great place without me.' It never felt like I was that central, to be honest. I feel like there was a weird utility to me where I was like, 'Okay, I've accepted this.' I never played the dad or the straight-man teacher. I was always kind of there as the seasoning. I'm like, 'That's great. I'm so lucky. I can't believe I have this job. I can't believe I have a steady job in comedy. Wow! Amazing.' I will cherish it the rest of my life."
As the new cast was thriving with the holdovers, Yang made his decision: "I felt like it was the right time. I was looking at the rest of the cast. I was like, 'James Austin Johnson, slay. Andrew Dismukes, slay. Ashley Padilla, slay…' All these people are great. We're in great hands; then Lorne called me. I was at the US Open [laughs]…he was just like, 'Listen, you should come back. These are the people I've hired. It's a lot of new kids, and the turnover is there. A lot of people left; people are coming in. You should be there to set an example for them." At least in the first half of the season. I was like, 'Okay.' Lorne Michaels is really good at closing it, and he's like, 'I'm telling you. It would be very important,' and it was kind of…the first time I felt in my bones. Someone who built this thing, made so many things possible, and for so many people, being like, 'I need you.' I'm like, 'I'm not going to turn that down.'"
Bowen Yang says he left "SNL" because he "never felt central" to the show.
"I never played the dad or the straight-man teacher. I was always kind of there as the seasoning."
Stream the full #ActorsOnActors episode now on the CNN app: https://t.co/jrgGNUUacv pic.twitter.com/20bCJrP3UK
— Variety (@Variety) June 8, 2026
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