From NY Post: Bowen Yang is done at “Saturday Night Live,” The Post has confirmed.
The 35-year-old comedian, who joined the Lorne Michaels-created show for Season 45 in 2019, will be departing the long-running program after Saturday night’s Christmas episode. Yang’s “Wicked” co-star, Ariana Grande, is hosting his final show alongside musical guest Cher.
Yang’s abrupt and surprising departure comes just months after a handful of other popular cast members, including Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim, exited the NBC show ahead of Season 51’s premiere on Oct. 4.
Although the “Fire Island” star reportedly wanted to leave “SNL” after Season 50, insiders revealed that Michaels, 80, and the network convinced him to stay.
“It’s his choice. People have no idea what is really going on,” said an insider, according to The Post.
“This has come out of the blue, but is no surprise.”
“Bowen was telling friends that it was his time,” a source told The Post in September. “He wanted to move on and was even planning to spend time in Japan. People on the show told him to take the summer to think it over, but it looked like he was leaving, and everyone was just waiting for the announcement.”
“He talked to Lorne and [NBC] threw a ton of money at him,” the sources said.
At this point, it’s apparent that whatever arrangement they came to was not long-term.
The Hollywood Reporter says leaving the sketch comedy series was Yang’s choice, and the timing is not a surprise to the show.
“Yang has become a hot Hollywood commodity — he’s got plenty of projects lined up,” the outlet reported.
Read more at NY Post
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