Bowen Yang reflects on emotional reaction to ‘SNL’s’ season 50 finale

Bowen Yang is taking a moment to soak it all in after wrapping up his sixth season on Saturday Night Live. 

The four-time Emmy nominee had an emotional moment during the Season 50 finale’s curtain call, and now he’s opening up about why it hit him so hard.

“I think you get to a point at SNL where you understand that you’re on the downswing of things,” Yang shared with Entertainment Weekly. 

“I think I was just processing that being one of the last ‘last nights’ that I would have, and that is a huge thing.”

He went on to explain just how much each season takes out of him, but also how much it gives back. 

“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.”

Although the finale didn’t include any announcements about cast members leaving, Yang kept it playful when asked if he’s coming back for Season 51. 

“No, we’re not doing that,” he said with a laugh.

As is tradition, any official cast departures usually get revealed in the weeks after the finale airs. Lorne Michaels typically steps back in around July, with final decisions about the returning lineup made by late summer.

Yang first joined the SNL family in 2018 as a writer and became a cast member in Season 45, launching his on-screen presence in 2019.