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 remotely since the show returned from its midseason hiatus.
speaks to PEOPLEYang revealed that he has been watching the latest episodes while traveling abroad.
“I was in Japan, but I watched,” he said, explaining that he stayed connected through messages from former colleagues.
“I got texts from old colleagues just saying hi and that the train was still running and missing each other.”
After seven seasons as part of the cast, Yang admitted that 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 completely bizarre to me, but it’s an adjustment of course.”
At the same time, Yang noted that stepping away has come with an unexpected sense of relief.
“Not knowing what the soup-to-nuts process is all week is relieving,” he explained.
“The emotional baggage has been lifted for me. So just watching the sketches every week for the past three shows has been amazing.”
Yang officially said goodbye SNL with the December 20 episode hosted by Ariana Grande and featuring Cher as the musical guest. His departure came as a surprise to fans given his longtime presence on the show.
He came along first 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 her place as one of the standout performers of her 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.
