Before Saturday Night Live season 51 premiered on NBC, there were a lot of headlines about the show's cast going through a shakeup. When it seemed like the season's cast was set and people were focused on who the hosts and musical guests would be, there was a lot of relief because of some of the cast members who stuck around.
Fortunately for anyone who loves Bowen Yang, which seems to be the vast majority of SNL fans, the fact that he continued starring in the show was extremely good news. However, it turns out that the relief his fans felt that he would continue on the show wound up being fleeting. That is the case because it has been reported that Yang is leaving Saturday Night Live after all, and that will happen very soon.
Bowen Yang reportedly is to leave Saturday Night Live after one more episode
On December 19, 2025 Deadline reported that Bowen Yang will be leaving Saturday Night Live's cast midseason. According to the outlet, Yang's departure will come during SNL's 2025 Christmas break. That means that the December 20, 2025 episode of SNL will be his last as a cast member, according to the report.
For the people who adore Yang and see him as one of SNL's biggest highlights, news that it appears that he is leaving the show will be deeply disappointing. However, there is a small silver lining to the situation. Yang's final episode of Saturday Night Live as a cast member seems like it could be a great goodbye for the performer.
One of the reasons why Yang is leaving SNL after a fitting episode is the fact that his final episode as a cast member is set to be hosted by his Wicked and Wicked: For Good co-star, Ariana Grande. Secondly, the episode has a musical guest who is a Hollywood and music icon that it would be an honor for anyone to stand on the same stage with, Cher.
Even though Yang is beloved, many fans don't know that he was initially hired to work on Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2018 and that his tenure began with the show's 44th season. Yang was then added to the show's cast before the 45th season began. Yang finally earned the most sought-after SNL gig, when he gained repertory status before the 47th season started.
In September 2025, Yang talked to People about the possibility of his leaving SNL and he explained that Lorne Michaels convinced him not to depart earlier. “Lorne was like, ‘You have more to do,’ and that means a lot, because I even confessed to him… ‘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.’”
Don't miss Yang's farewell episode of SNL on Saturday, December 20 at 11:30/10:30c on NBC.