Bowen Yang makes ‘bizarre' comment on ‘SNL' after exit

Bowen Yang has opened up about what it feels like to watch Saturday Night Live from the sidelines after stepping away from the show midway through its current season, calling the experience “bizarre, but ultimately fun.”

The comedian and actor, who left the long-running NBC sketch series halfway through Season 51 in December, has been tuning in from afar as the show returned from its midseason break. 

Speaking to PEOPLE, Yang revealed he has been keeping up with the latest episodes while travelling overseas. 

“I was in Japan but I was watching,” he said, explaining that he stayed connected through messages from former colleagues. 

“I was getting texts from old coworkers, just saying hi and that the train was still running and a mutual missing of each other.”

After seven seasons as part of the cast, Yang admitted the shift from performer to viewer has taken some getting used to. 

“It feels very strange,” he said of watching the show as an audience member. “I don’t want to believe that it’s totally bizarre to me, but it’s obviously an adjustment.”

At the same time, Yang noted that stepping away has come with an unexpected sense of relief. 

“To not know what the process is from soup to nuts with the whole week is alleviating,” he explained. 

“The emotional baggage of it has been lifted for me. So just watching the sketches every week these past three shows have been great.”

Yang officially said goodbye to SNL with the December 20 episode, which was hosted by Ariana Grande and featured Cher as the musical guest. His departure came as a surprise to fans, given his long-standing presence on the show.

He first joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2018 during Season 44 before being promoted to an on-screen role the following year. 

In 2021, Yang made history as the first featured player in the show’s history to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination, cementing his place as one of the standout performers of his era.

While his future plans remain unclear, Yang’s reflections suggest he is enjoying this new perspective, even as he continues to feel connected to the show that shaped much of his career.