Bowen Yang started on Saturday Night Live in 2018 as a writer, and then he made history as the first Chinese-American cast member a year later. Being an SNL talent during his five-year tenure means he’s seen many hosts come and go from Studio 8H. Now, he's recalled a story about one particularly mean host who actually made “multiple cast members cry.”
Ever since Bowen Yang was introduced during SNL's 45th season, he’s had plenty of stories to share about his experience on the sketch comedy show. So, on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen he was answering a series of questions and was asked about the worst SNL host behavior he’s witnessed. Without naming any names, he said:
This man who, this person, this host made multiple cast members cry on Wednesday during the, before the table-read, because he hated the ideas.
It's intense to think that an SNL host could really make so many cast members cry. I can only imagine social media users trying to pinpoint who Bowen Yang could be talking about. However, while the comedy actor accidentally revealed that this host was a man, that didn't exactly narrow the options down. So, it would feel almost impossible to guess who he was talking about.
Another SNL bomb Bowen Yang revealed to Andy Cohen in that episode was about when Season 49 host Ayo Edebiri did a sketch with him involving the two being stuck in an elevator. While originally supposed to be a sketch where they would make out in front of a live audience, Yang revealed it was changed “under our noses” into a pre-taped sketch. But, the Fire Island actor accepted the abrupt change knowing that it was in the name of the comedy game to not know what will work with a live audience.
Even when it came to previously talking about how some of his sketches never made it to air, Yang didn’t let it get to him and allowed SNL creator Lorne Michaels to do whatever he wanted. So, it's wild to think that a host was so intense that it made some of the cast cry because the SNL ensemble is a tough group.
We can expect to see Bowen Yang bring out his comedic stylings yet again for SNL Season 50. So far, we know Maya Rudolph is going to play Kamala Harris again as the election plays out. Also, Lorne Michaels promised the NYT that the long-running NBC series' anniversary season will be “a big event.”
So, considering how thrilling this big season will be, we hope that the cast has a blast and their experience isn't clouded by a mean host.
Five-year SNL cast member Bowen Yang revealed one mean SNL host made cast members cry after not liking their ideas. This shocking moment shows that the creative process involved in putting together each sketch isn’t always a humorous moment and can, at times, take an emotional toll on the cast based on a host’s behavior.
SNL 50 will premiere on the 2024 TV schedule on September 28. Until then, you can watch Bowen Yang’s memorable sketches with a Peacock subscription.
