At this point in time, it’s fair to say that Bowen Yang is crushing it on Saturday Night Live. The show’s first-ever Chinese-American cast member was nominated for an Emmy this year and has been prominently featured in a number of sketches that reached viral popularity. One big perk of the gig seems to be that he gets to work alongside his heroes, and when it comes to Regina King, he’d be happy to let her slap him around… and then some.
Bowen Yang previously starred with Regina King in a sketch titled, “70s Green Room,” where he plays a music manager that is slapped after being unable to please his diva of a client, who is played by King. When EW asked him what moment from SNL he would do all over again, he responded accordingly:
I got slapped around by Regina King last season, and I was like 'I would let her dom me into full submission in any situation.'
Well, there ya go. If you know anything about Yang’s sense of humor, you should know this is very on-brand. While not overtly risqué in his persona, he does tend to throw out some zany quips that lean a little blue, so him making a BDSM reference in regard to the Academy Award winner is funnier than it is surprising. You can watch the sketch in question below:
Yang has only been on SNL for only a few short years, but he’s already broken so much ground. In addition to being the show’s first Chinese-American cast member, he’s the third openly gay performer to join the cast in the show’s whole 47-season run. He’s become known for tackling characters and sketches that pertain to queer culture and LGBTQ+ issues. Whether he’s an Oompa Loompa that’s been outed on national television, or a voguing Daddy-Longlegs a la FX’s Pose, he’s certainly carved out a niche for himself and brought a fresh new voice to the iconic sketch comedy series.
Let’s not put Yang in a box, though, as he also successfully portrayed presidential candidate Andrew Yang during the lead-up to the 2020 election. He’s also taking full advantage of his platform, and spoke out against Asian hate on a “Weekend Update” segment. Not to mention that before joining the cast of SNL he had proved himself as a successful writer on the show.
Bowen Yang is also working on projects outside of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, as he plays Edmund on Aquafina’s Nora From Queens. He also just wrapped filming on Billy Eichner’s Bros, a rom-com featuring an all-LGBTQ principal cast playing heterosexual roles.
As for SNL, the show is currently in its 47th season and is off to a strong start with some huge names. This coming weekend, Saturday Night Live will be hosted by Jonathan Majors of Loki and Lovecraft Country fame, with musical guest Taylor Swift as part of the solid lineup of upcoming hosts and musicians. We'll have to wait and see if any more slaps come into play though.
