How 'SNL' tried to delay Bowen Yang's exit before final decision?

Saturday Night Live Season 51 would have lost another cast member if Bowen Yang were allowed to leave with his other castmates, like Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and more.

Thanks to Lorne Michaels’ efforts, the 35-year-old comedian and actor was convinced to stay until December, but he had made up his mind to quit ultimately.

Following the Wicked star’s last show this season, an SNL insider told Page Six, “Everyone tried to get Bowen to stay, from Lorne down. But he just made up his mind, he was over it. He was not happy, you could tell.”

The source added that although Yang did sign up to stay until December, his final exit seemed sudden as “no one thought he would go” before the season was over.

Other than overcommitment and being busy with multiple Hollywood projects at the moment, there isn’t anything else that pushed the podcast host to make the decision, but he was “done” with the show, as per the insider.

“It’s a grueling schedule. It’s a tough thing to do, just from the [lack of] sleep alone,” another former cast member told the outlet.

Yang is currently involved in a new project with his friend and podcast co-host Matt Rogers, and worked on the second Wicked movie this year.