Working on Saturday Night Live can be a gift and a curse. Each week, the cast waits and sees if their sketches either make it on air or get completely cut before showtime. Of course, the late-night institution’s will-it-or-won’t-it process is the norm for cast members, including SNL veteran Bowen Yang. He was asked what it felt like when Lorne Michaels cut his sketches and gave a visceral answer.
Getting a TV sketch cut is nothing to the Fire Island star, given the fringe benefit of appearing on the iconic sketch series. Yang spilled to Today with Hoda & Jenna his real feelings about how some of his ideas never made it to air after his Hooters SNL sketch. The comedian was quite candid, saying:
At this point, I’m fully calloused all around my body, that I don’t feel anything, so it’s fine, he can do whatever he wants.
Of course, the SNL star’s disposition is understandable given the sketch comedy’s weekly turnaround. Michaels and the show’s producers must juggle multiple personalities and ideas amongst the cast and guest host (and sometimes, musical guests) weekly. This method has produced many comedy, TV, and movie stars over the show’s long history. So, some sketches will get cut (or never make it past the idea phase) before the episode airs. Yang’s iconic Titanic iceberg sketch almost never happened, so his attitude isn’t surprising. After starring on the NBC late-night sketch comedy for six years, he’s become accustomed to his ideas not making it to air as part of a large ensemble.
Despite not all his pitches airing on TV, the star has a great working relationship with Michaels. Early in his SNL journey, the show's creator and producer gave Yang a great piece of advice that he uses in his professional and personal life. There’s no hard feelings between the two men. Not getting a sketch on air doesn’t downplay the comedian’s scene-stealing sketch moments.
The podcast host has been doing well outside of the NBC comedy series. Yang will be heard on the animated series Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld later this year on Netflix. He is currently starring in The Tiger’s Apprentice (available through Paramount+). The comedy star will appear in The Garfield Movie and the stage-to-screen adaptation of the Broadway sensation, Wicked, later this year.
Bowen Yang might pop up in an SNL sketch or two this weekend with his friend and Wicked co-star Ariana Grande, who’s this week’s musical guest. Josh Brolin will guest host the late-night sketch comedy on March 9 at 11:30 pm EST on NBC. Check out who else will host and perform for the rest of SNL Season 49. Don’t forget to catch up on past SNL episodes with a Peacock subscription.
