Posted in: Current News, NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: Bowen Yang, saturday night live, snl

SNL Pregame: In Honor of Bowen Yang, Here's Our "Desert Island" Sketch

With Bowen Yang ready to wrap up his SNL run tonight, our SNL Pregame looks back on the "Weekend Update" sketch that won us over big-time.

"I loved working at SNL, and most of all, I loved the people. I was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem futile, but working at 30 Rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile. I'm grateful for every minute of my 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 besssst." With that start to his social media post from earlier today, NBC's Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang confirmed the reporting on Friday that he would be departing SNL after tonight's year-ending, holiday-themed show with host Ariana Grande and musical guest Cher. In honor of Yang's last show as a cast member, we're looking back at the sketch that sold us on what Yang had to offer as both a comedian and a comedic actor.

From President Joe Biden channeling Clint Eastwood to Tyler Perry getting ready to offer viewers a "Young Madea" series, Colin Jost and Michael Che's "Weekend Update" hit topics left and right with a well-deserved cockiness that vibed throughout the entire segment (with the best knife-twisting saved for Matt Gaetz). Beck Bennett and Chris Redd, who went after President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen, after it was announced they were working on a podcast together, while Punkie Johnson's Pineapple Penelope Peters was invited to discuss the ESPN/Paul Pierce situation.

And all of it was excellent, but it would be the interview between Jost and Yang's Iceberg That Sank the Titanic that would not only win the night but also elevate Yang to a level of SNL excellence. From wanting to set the record straight about what really happened that tragic night to promoting his new album, Yang took a painfully absurd concept (one that could've failed in a thousand different ways) and made it work. Seriously, how many comedic actors out there can you think of who can give an iceberg a personality? From there, Yang would bring to life unique characters from Jafar and Krampus to a spotted lanterfly, a drone, a proud, gay Oompa Loompa (from "Willy Wonka"), and many more. You can check out the original sketch at the top of the article, with Yang sharing the backstory on the "Weekend Update" segment during a previous visit to NBC's The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (waiting for you above).

First joining SNL as a writer in 2018, Yang would become a featured player during Season 45 and a full cast member with Season 47. Though not exactly the norm, Yang joins SNL alums Cecily Strong, Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey, Eddie Murphy, and others when it comes to exiting the long-running sketch comedy and music series early. Here's a look at Yang's post from earlier today, confirming his exit. Following that, we have th complete text of his message, where he rolls out a number of people to thank, and a look back at his on-stage promos with Grande and Cher:

i loved working at SNL, and most of all i loved the people. i was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem futile, but working at 30 rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile.

i'm grateful for every minute of my 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 besssst.

thank you to every single person who showed up there: friends and coworkers and audiences and hosts. thank you celeste, sudi, will, alison, julio, fran, drez, bulla, marty, john, ben, jimmy, ceara, deetch, jake, asha, jack, auguste, tucker, kent, streeter, james, alex, jasmine, gary, and billy for writing with me. thank you to every cast member for making me laugh and cry. to liz and don. tom, jodi, louie, eamon. gena, chris, eddie. the crews, the pages. and to audrey, jameson, cassandra and chris for the fastest, funnest quick-changes in all of showbiz. thank you to ari for sending me off in the dreamiest way i could imagine.

thank you to lorne for the job. for the standard. and for bringing everyone at work together. they all care deeply about people in the room, any room, enjoying themselves. i can't believe i was ever included in that.

the show doesn't go on because it's ready, but shiiiiit, i hope i am. ❤️🌃⌛️🎥

The Season 51 cast includes Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang, along with current featured players Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline. Joining them are newcomers Ben Marshall, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska.

New writers for this season include actor-writer Jack Bensinger (Rap World), stand-up comedian Jo Sunday (Just for Laughs), comic Maddie Wiener (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), actor and writer Rachel Pegram (Harley Quinn), writer-comedian Claire McFadden (Second City), Maxwell Gay (The Harvard Lampoon), and Tucker Flodman (The Harvard Lampoon). NBC's Saturday Night Live premiered on Oct. 11, 1975, and broadcasts live from NBC's famed Studio 8H in New York City's Rockefeller Center. The program is a production of Broadway Video in association with SNL Studios. Lorne Michaels is the executive producer.

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