Bowen Yang Is Exiting ‘Saturday Night Live’ Mid-Season After Saying He Has “More to Do” on the Show

After an eight-season run, Bowen Yang is moving on from Studio 8H. On December 19, multiple sources confirmed that the Saturday Night Live cast member would be exiting the show mid-season, with his last appearance as a cast member taking place on Saturday, December 20, which is the final show of the year.

His exit will coincide with his friend and Wicked costar Ariana Grande’s third SNL hosting gig alongside musical guest Cher.

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No reason has been provided yet for his exit, and ahead of the season 51 premiere, Bowen told People that he feels he has “more to do” on the long-running sketch comedy series.

“I’ve always gone by the instinct of, do I have more to do? And I feel like I do,” he said when asked about the mass cast exodus that took place following season 50. “Even Lorne [Michaels] and I talked about it, and Lorne was like, ‘You have more to do,’ and that means a lot, because I even confessed to him, I was like, ‘I feel the audience is maybe getting sick of me.’ And he was like, ‘That’s not true. There’s more for you to do. I need you.’”

Bowen continued, “I have to honor that. That man has changed my life, and I owe a lot of my life to that show. And I love working there, the people are the best. I really love each of them so much.”

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A record five season 50 cast members exited ahead of this latest season, including longtime players Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner, as well as Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, and Devon Walker.

This season also saw the addition of five new players. Please Don’t Destroy’s Ben Marshall was upped to the featured cast, while other new featured players include Veronika Slowikowska, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, and Kam Patterson.

Bowen has yet to comment on his departure, so stand by for updates!