Bowen Yang think before leaving SNL

Bowen Yang explained why he did not leave SNL, Lorne Michaels’s heart-winning statement.

Still have to wait

Bowen Yang spoke at One House’s Emmys celebration about why he is not thinking of leaving SNL yet.

34-year-old Bowen received the honor of being the most nominated Asian male performer.

The series is now entering its 51st season, where many veteran artists have gone, but Bowen believes, “I have not completed my journey yet.”

Lorne’s confidence

After wearing the writer’s hat in 2018, Bowen made it to the lineup of cast members in 2019.

This time, when he told Lorne Michaels that the audience might be getting bored with him, Lorne immediately reassured him.

“You have more stories, you are still needed,” these words sounded like a mission to Bowen.

It’s the family-like feeling of SNL that keeps him hooked.

A new roadmap without a map

Now Bowen doesn’t come in each week with an elaborate game plan.

“I tear up the previous roadmap and just go by instinct,” he says.

The open space for improvisation at SNL is heaven for him.

Every Sunday night, he’s up for new sketches, musical numbers and famous celebrity hosts.

The unpredictability sends him on creative adventures each week.

The weekly anguish

Nerves are a daily occurrence for Bowen. Kate McKinnon’s eighth season had the same anguish Bowen feels now.

“I asked her, ‘Doesn’t that feeling go away?’ She laughed and said, ‘No, it never goes away.’”

That unpredictability reminded him that a true comedian is someone who is always fresh and at their best on stage.

Big changes and new faces

Cast members like Devon Walker, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Emil Wakim and Michael Longfellow said goodbye to SNL this year.

These moments were bittersweet for Bowen, as these colleagues were his partners in weekly improv sessions.

But he said, “SNL is a boot camp—here we train and then move on to a new stage of our career.”

Moving forward

Saturday Night Live Season 51 will air on NBC and Peacock starting on October 4.

With favorite faces like Michael Che, Colin Jost, Mikey Day, and Chloe Fineman, along with Bowen, there is still a lot to see that’s new in the show.

Bowen himself says, “My story here is still incomplete, and I am ready to fill that blank page every week.”