Why is Bowen Yang leaving Saturday Night Live?

After days of rumors, this morning the news was finally reported that Bowen Yang is leaving Saturday Night Live. With that, of course, comes another question — why now?

As Deadline noted, this is a midseason exit for the longtime cast member, who actually started as a writer more than seven years ago before becoming an on-screen presence. We recognize that this is a pretty rare way to depart the series, but it has happened before, with Cecily Strong being a recent example. We actually think the parameters around Yang’s exit are not altogether different, as Strong staying helped the series to navigate a significant cast exodus. The same can be said here, as SNL said goodbye to Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and plenty of other people over the summer. He helped to stabilize the series this fall and now, everyone moves forward in 2026.

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The reason behind Yang’s exit is not directly specified, but it feels relatively similar to so many other cast members over the years. He benefited greatly from his time in Studio 8H, but is at a spot now where he can move on and do other things. In addition to appearing recently in the Wicked movies, he has his Las Culturistas podcast and has an opportunity to do a lot of film work moving forward.

In general, one thing to remember here is that a departure now does not mean he is going forever. We do tend to believe that he could be back as a host or in cameos down the line — one of the great things about Bowen was that he was always willing to take on big, bold characters or embarrass himself for the sake of a laugh. He easily has one of the best catalogues of any male cast member of the past decade, and we’re honestly going to miss him being around greatly.

What do you think Bowen Yang leaving Saturday Night Live?

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