Bowen Yang is reportedly leaving ‘SNL’ after this weekend

Deep SNL Thoughts is now The Cold Open. New name. Same extensive SNL coverage.

SNL’s Season 51 cast exodus is reportedly about to claim one more name: Bowen Yang.

LateNighter reported on Friday that Yang, who joined SNL alongside Chloe Fineman and (for a brief moment) Shane Gillis before Season 45, is set to wrap up his SNL career with this weekend’s Ariana Grande-hosted episode.

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While we don’t often get midseason departures at SNL, there is some recent precedent for this exact move, with Cecily Strong leaving after Season 49’s Austin Butler-hosted Christmas episode.

“He has been there for seven years — time to move on,” a person familiar with Yang’s decision told CNN.

I thought Yang had his strongest episode of Season 51 last weekend, but I’m not surprised to learn that he’s pegged his departure to a hosting gig from Grande, his Wicked and Wicked: For Good costar. Yang joins Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker and Emil Wakim as the most recent people to leave or be, um, asked to leave SNL.

Deep SNL Thoughts is written and produced by Bill Kuchman.
Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.

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