When Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers started their podcast Las Culturistas in 2016, they didn’t expect people to listen. However, now that Yang’s star is rising quickly since he's part of one of the best Saturday Night Live casts and Matt Rogers is gaining fame for his hilarious Christmas specials, it’s becoming evident that what they say on the internet has an impact. So, when Tina Fey appeared on the show, she gave them some advice about getting famous and making hot takes public, using Ayo Edebiri’s comments about JLo as an example. Now, The Bear star has weighed in on it, too.
What Advice Did Tina Fey Give Bowen Yang?
During a segment of Yang’s Las Culturistas podcast called “I Don’t Think So Honey,” where guests can pop off about whatever they’d like, Tina Fey got real. While her comments were very funny, she also held no bars in giving the SNL cast member advice when it comes to publicly sharing opinions. She started it off by saying:
I don’t think so honey, Bowen Yang giving his real opinions about movies on this podcast. I regret to inform you that you are too famous now, sir. What’s going to happen? Are you having a problem with Saltburn? Shhhh, quiet luxury. Keep it to yourself. Because what are you going to do when Emerald Fennell calls you about her next project where you play Carey Mulligan’s co-worker in the bridal section of Harrods, and then act three takes a sexually violent turn, and you have to pretend to be surprised by that turn.
The point she’s making here is that if you scrutinize a project on the record, it’s possible for it to impact your career down the road. The Mean Girls creator then went on to reference Yang’s status as a member of the Wicked cast, and how that will impact how people see him:
You have to have a clean paper trail, nothing negative, everything everyone does is amazing. OK? You hang out with Ariana [Grande] and SpongeBob [Ethan Slater] now, that is your life. And Matt Rogers, I can tell you, you got about one year left and then you…Learn from my mistakes. Learn from Ayo, podcasts are forever. Authenticity is dangerous and expensive. I don’t think so honey.
Mentioning Yang’s upcoming role in the massive Broadway adaptation as well as Ayo Edebiri’s viral comments indicates just how real Fey was trying to be when it comes to how public opinions, especially controversial or hot ones, never disappear.
The three then dove into a conversation about how fans react to them when they share their opinions about various pop culture topics. They also noted that not only can this affect the public’s view of them, but it could also impact their ability to get jobs, as Fey said. Then, when this clip was posted on social media, Edebiri shared her thoughts on the matter.
How Did Ayo Edebiri Respond To Tina Fey’s Advice For Bowen Yang?
Before we get into what the 2024 Emmy winner said about Fey’s comments, let’s take a few steps back, and remember what happened around the time that she hosted an episode of SNL’s 49th Season.
In the days leading up to the broadcast on the 2024 TV schedule, quotes from a 2020 podcast interview resurfaced, in which Edebiri questioned JLo’s career, calling it “one long scam.” Well, Jennifer Lopez was the musical guest that week, and during the show, the Bear star addressed the drama in a fun way.
So, getting back to Fey’s comments, the clip from Las Culturistas was posted to Instagram by Yang. After Fey directly mentioned Ayo Edebiri and what she said about JLo, the Bottoms actress weighed in, commenting:
LEARN FROM ME
It seemed like Yang and Rogers took this advice from Fey to heart, as the conversation that followed was very sincere. Considering the big year ahead for the SNL performer, it makes sense that he appreciated Fey’s words.
At the end of the year, Bowen Yang will appear in the highly anticipated Wicked: Part One, and on top of that, he’ll continue as a regular and beloved player on Saturday Night Live. So he likely does need to heed this advice as more people start to listen to him, and through this clip, it seemed like he really got a lot out of what Tina Fey told him.
To see everything Bowen Yang is up to right now, and to witness how much his star has risen, stream episodes of Saturday Night Live with a Peacock subscription, and you’ll be able to catch Wicked in theaters when it premieres on the 2024 movie schedule on November 27.
