Saturday Night Live first came on the air forty-six years ago, in 1975. Since its inception, the show has had more than one-hundred and fifty cast members, many of whom have gone on to become major stars of film and television. SNL launched the careers of Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey and many, many more big-name stars. While critics and fans alike often complain about the declining quality of Saturday Night Live, it's undeniable that the show is an excellent jumping-off point for young actors and comedians.
Bowen Yang is one such young comedian. He has been a featured player on SNL since the start of the forty-fifth season in 2020, and it is all but certain that he will return next season as a repertory player. Yang is one of Saturday Night Live's brightest young stars, and as such, his is a name that all comedy fans should know. Here are ten things to know about Bowen Yang.
10 He Started Out As a Writer On 'SNL'
Bowen Yang joined the cast of Saturday Night Live during the forty-fifth season, but he actually joined the writing staff of the show a year earlier. He is one of many SNL writers who later became cast members, including Jason Sudeikis, Michael Che, and Andrew Dismukes. Some of his sketches from the forty-third season include “The Actress” starring Emma Stone, and “Cheques” starring Sandra Oh.
9 He Co-Wrote That Harry Styles Sketch – You Know The One
While Bowen Yang spent a year as a full-time writer on Saturday Night Live, his most well-known sketch actually came the following year when he was pulling double duty as a writer and a cast member. The sketch was called “Sara Lee,” and it featured host Harry Styles as a gay social media intern who makes personal and often graphic posts on the official Sara Lee Bread Instagram account. The sketch was a brand new kind of humor for SNL, and Yang admitted that he couldn’t believe it was actually put on TV. The sketch went majorly viral, and even spawned a sequel starring Daniel Kaluuya the following season.
8 Bowen Yang Is Making 'Saturday Night Live' History
The "Sara Lee" sketch was noteworthy for featuring an explicitly gay main character and undeniably queer themes without making queerness the butt of the joke. Bowen Yang is actually just the third openly gay male cast member in SNL history, and the first to last longer than one season on the show. And that's not the only way that Yang is making Saturday Night Live history. He's also the first-ever Chinese American to be a main cast member on the show, and just the fourth-ever cast member of Asian descent. In 2021, he made further SNL history when he was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the Emmy Awards. He is the first featured player to ever be nominated as an actor on SNL.
7 He Has Already Been Nominated For Two Emmy Awards
In addition to his Emmy Award nomination this year in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category, Bowen Yang was also nominated for an Emmy Award two years ago, back when he was a writer on SNL. Accordingly, his nomination that year came in the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series category.
Related: Why Fans Think Pete Davidson Could Be Leaving ‘SNL’
6 In Only Two Seasons, He's Already Created Several Memorable SNL Characters
No article about an SNL actor would be complete without an overview of some of their most famous characters. Bowen Yang's most well-known recurring character is Chen Biao, a Chinese government minister who frequently stops by the Weekend Update desk to discuss U.S.-China relations. Another Bowen Yang character to know is "The Iceberg That Sank The Titanic." The character has only appeared on Weekend Update once so far, but it was so popular that SNL fans will almost surely see him again next season.
5 He Has Also Done Plenty Of Celebrity Impressions
Bowen Yang is not known for his impressions, but anyone who acts on Saturday Night Live will have to pull out some eventually. Many of Yang's impressions on the show have been of other well-known Asian-Americans, like presidential candidate Andrew Yang and comedian Ken Jeong. However, he's also done some more unexpected ones, such as his impression of American writer Fran Lebowitz (which Lebowitz herself did not care for).
4 He's A Writer For 'Schmigadoon!' As Well
While Saturday Night Live was the first major television show that Bowen Yang wrote for, it is not the only one. He is also credited as a writer for the new Apple TV+ original series Schmigadoon! starring Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong (Yang's SNL co-star). Key and Strong star as a couple who accidentally find themselves trapped in the world of a Golden Age musical. Bowen Yang is credited as the co-writer of the show's third episode, "Cross That Bridge." Schmigadoon! is executive-produced by SNL creator and showrunner Lorne Michaels, so it makes sense that Yang was asked to join the writing staff.
3 'Saturday Night Live' Is Not The Only Show Bowen Yang Has Appeared On
Bowen Yang is most widely recognized for the many characters and impressions he has performed on Saturday Night Live, but SNL is far from the only show that he has acted on. He plays a significant supporting role on the Comedy Central series Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, and he has guest starred on several other popular TV comedies, such as Broad City and Girls5Eva. He also plays a lead role in the Audible original podcast series Hot White Heist.
Related: Original 'SNL' Cast Members Were Paid Less Than $800 Per Week
2 He Hosts A Podcast Called 'Las Culturistas'
In addition to his work as a writer and an actor, Bowen Yang is also quite the successful podcaster. He hosts his podcast "Las Culturistas" with his longtime friend Matt Rogers, and the two have been hosting the podcast since 2016. It has grown in popularity immensely over the years, and it is now produced by Will Ferrell's podcast network in conjunction with iHeart Radio.
1 Bowen Yang Is Just Getting Started
According to his page on IMDB, Bowen Yang will be voicing characters in two major upcoming movies: The Tiger's Apprentice, starring Henry Golding and Sandra Oh, and The Monkey King, starring BD Wong and Jimmy O. Yang. Bowen Yang will also continue to star on Saturday Night Live, where he will presumably continue to get more and more screen time. It is very likely that he has more TV and film roles, writing jobs, and Emmy Award nominations in his future.
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