Bowen Yang cries over the latest episode of SNL on the Las Culturistas podcast

Bowen Yang shares more information about his decision to officially retire from Saturday evening live.

“Honestly, that’s what’s behind it. It’s time. Like, you’d do seven seasons and then you’d rush,” Yang, 35, said during the Wednesday, January 7, episode. Podcast “Bodybuilders”. “COVID and the current media landscape, the current entertainment ecosystem, is so turbulent that people have very valid reasons to stay longer or, in many cases, don’t have the privilege to stay as long as they would like.”

He added: “I have this very beautiful thing that allows me to say that I stayed exactly as long as I wanted to. Maybe, I’m sure – and I’ve said this before – maybe I wasn’t sure about going back this summer and I’m so glad I did.”

Yang’s SNL his career began in 2018 when he was hired as a writer. He joined the cast a year later. News broke on December 19 that Yang was leave the show after seven seasons.

“I loved working at SNLand above all I loved people. “I was there at a time when a lot of things in the world were starting to seem futile, but working at 30 Rock taught me the importance of still showing up when people are worth it,” Yang wrote via Instagram on Dec. 20, hours before her final episode aired. “I’m grateful for every minute of my time there. I learned about myself (bad with wigs). I learned about others (generous, vulnerable, hot). I learned that human error can only be okay. I learned that comedy is all about logistics and that it usually fails until it doesn’t succeed, which is best.

In addition to thanking his colleagues and writers, Yang paid tribute to Lorne Michaels for setting “the standard” and “bringing everyone together at work. They all care deeply about the people in the room, any room, having fun. I can’t believe I was ever included in that.”

It’s the last SNL the episode was hosted by his friend and Wicked costar Ariana Grandewith Dear as musical guest. During her podcast on Wednesday, Yang reflected on her thoughts and feelings after leaving. SNL with cohost and BFF Matt Rogers.

Keep scrolling for everything Yang said about her SNL departure on “The Bodybuilders:”

His final sketch

Yang could barely hold back her tears throughout his final sketchin which he plays a Delta employee finishing his last shift before retirement. As of 12:55 a.m. on December 21, Yang was still unsure if “this sketch was going to air,” noting that there were “a million reasons” it could be removed from the live broadcast.

“Nothing is guaranteed,” Yang continued. “In a word, it perfectly illustrates what this work is about. It resonated until the end.”

Initially, Yang was concerned that the sketch wouldn’t be as moving as he wanted.

“I sobbed while reading it,” he remembers. “In the skit, I say, ‘I loved everyone here. I loved every single person who works here.’ Like, I immediately broke down because I was telling the truth.

Cher’s involvement

At first, Yang was unsure if Cher would appear in his final sketch. She finally agreed to appear the morning of the live.

“She said to me, ‘Can I just say you were perfect?’ And she was like, ‘I just want to kiss him’ or something like that,” Yang said. “Then we had to tell her that… we would love for her to sing with us at the end.”

The energy of the show

Rogers said he was happy Yang was “excited” about other things in his career.

“I didn’t know how you were going to feel after it ended. Because it twists you a little bit. I can give that feeling now that you’re not here,” Rogers said. “There were times when I would come to the show and you would be there, and I would be like, ‘What happened to you?’ …The energy could alternatively be so high and amazing and the best energy you could ever feel or go through the ground to the point where I’m like, “Why are we even doing this?” »

Reflecting on ‘SNL’

“This is one of the most meaningful experiences I will ever have,” Yang said, noting that SNL taught him “how to work under what seems like immense pressure.”

He also admitted to experiencing “the full spectrum” of emotions due to the show’s culture.

“Working there is completely deregulated, emotionally. You’re either skyrocketing or you’re completely in the dumps,” Yang said. “Time takes a toll on you emotionally, physically, in terms of process and creativity. It’s all those things that take a toll on you.”

Everyone showed up

Yang got emotional about the “outpouring” of love for his latest show.

“Basically everyone who worked there showed up on the floor. I just looked out and was like, ‘I’m so lucky I got to work here,'” he said through tears. “I’m so lucky to be able to make this little, thinly veiled statement, where I say, ‘I love you all.'”

Working with Ariana Grande

Rogers praised Grande for her “selflessness” about Yang’s latest sketch.

“Not every host would say, ‘Yeah, let me give up the whole last sketch, six minutes of time for this actor.’ But it was her and she did that,” Rogers told listeners. “It’s not just because she’s a good friend, it’s also because she’s a very professional host who has no ego about her time there, which I think is pretty cool and worth highlighting.”