Saturday Night Live’s historic 50th season was one for the ages, boasting a celebratory anniversary specials with tons of pricy guest stars, a high-profile concert special with Eddie Vedder and Post Malone, and an array of cameo-heavy eps throughout the season. (Plus arguably Colin Jost and Michael Che’s best “Joke Swap” segment yet.) But now that it’s over with, without any more upcoming SNL guest hosts to anticipate, fans are wondering which cast members are exiting the show ahead of Season 51.
Perhaps surprisingly, Saturday Night Live’s season finale came and went without confirmations or even heavy rumors about who’s definitely staying and who’s heading out the studio doors. That said, Bowen Yang was already rumored to be the most likely cast member to fly the coop, given his career growth in movies and series outside of the long-running sketch series. And his reactions during the final episode only fueled such speculation.
Now, he opened up to EW about where his head’s at, and why he appeared to be riding an emotional high when the cast members were in huggles-mode during the Season 50 finale’s closing moments. In his words:
I think you get to a point at SNL where you understand that you’re on the downswing of things. I think I was just processing that being one of the last ‘last nights’ that I would have, and that is a huge thing.
To some, that sentence might read as an early indication that he’s looking to put some distance between his upcoming projects and the NBC Emmy magnet. But to others, he very clearly refers to that night as ONE of his final “last nights” on the show, which indicates there will be at least one more on the docket.
What’s more, the Australian comedian pointed out that Season 50 was a massive effort across the board for the cast, crew, and beyond. So the relief of having accomplished such a major effort also possibly played into how Yang reacted on the stage that night. He continued:
Every finale at goodnights something leaves my body because I’m just relieved from all that happened in that season and this was a big one. We went through a lot, so many fun memories. I think that was probably what was registering. I was just like, oh, I need to savor these moments before I don’t have them anymore.
Again, not confirming that he’ll NEVER have them again. But he’s pretty clearly letting fans know that we shouldn’t expect to see him reprise the Titanic iceberg once a year for the next decade straight. Plus, even when he does choose to bow out of the main cast, it’s not like it means he’ll be gone forever. SNL is constantly bringing vets like Cecily Strong back for fun reprisals, and this season in particular found ways to utilize Wayne’s World icons Mike Myers and Dana Carvey.
In the end, the best move here is whatever Bowen Yang thinks is best, and whatever keeps him sane and happy. And anyone else who wants to be happy can find the actor popping up in the binge-worthy Prime Video comedy Overcompensating, as well as the animated comedy The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy.
