New York (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Bowen Yang ends his seven-year Saturday Night Live run with a tearful final sketch alongside Ariana Grande and Cher, marking an emotional farewell.
As reported by Ellie Muir of The Independent, Bowen Yang concluded his seven-year tenure on Saturday Night Live with a heartfelt farewell sketch featuring Ariana Grande and special musical guest Cher.
How Bowen Yang bid an emotional farewell on SNL’s Christmas episode?
Yang’s final Saturday Night Live episode, which aired on 20 December, featured him as a Delta One Lounge employee working his last shift on Christmas Eve.
Early in the scene, Yang became emotional as he announced at the Delta Lounge that he would be leaving his beloved festive eggnog stand. Host Ariana Grande played his elderly wife, visiting him during his final day on the show.
Yang became visibly emotional as he performed a duet with Ariana Grande of Charles Brown’s 1960 classic, “Please Come Home for Christmas,” while reflecting on his character’s role.
He said to Grande,
“I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here, and I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer. Especially the people. I’ve loved every single person who works here, because they’ve done so much for me, especially my boss.”
During the episode, Cher performed festive songs, including “Run Rudolph Run,” before appearing in the sketch as Yang’s boss, the “CEO of Eggnog at Delta.”
Yang said to her,
“Before I go, do you have any feedback for me?” t
o which Cher responded,
“Well, everyone thought you were a little bit too gay. But you know what? You’re perfect for me.”
The three performers shared a hug, and Grande held Yang’s hand, visibly holding back tears.
At the conclusion, Yang remarked,
“This place will always be home, but ah, it’s time to go,”
as Grande gave him a farewell kiss.
Yang started his SNL career as a writer in 2018 and was promoted to the cast in 2019, delivering standout sketches including a parody of the viral baby hippo Moo Deng, his role as an intense spin instructor, and his impersonation of British singer Charli XCX.
He made history in 2021 as the first featured player on Saturday Night Live to receive a Primetime Emmy nomination.
Before his farewell episode, Yang shared on Instagram that working on the show taught him the “value of showing up” even as “many things in the world started to seem futile.”
He continued,
“I’m grateful for every minute of my time there. I learned about myself (bad with wigs). I learned about others (generous, vulnerable, hot). I learned that human error can be nothing but correct. I learned that comedy is mostly logistics and that it will usually fail until it doesn’t, which is the besssst.”
Yang also expressed gratitude to his Wicked co-star, Ariana Grande, for hosting his final episode, writing,
“Thank you to Ari for sending me off in the dreamiest way I could imagine.”
The comedian, co-host of the Las Culturistas podcast, has earned widespread acclaim beyond SNL, appearing in Wicked and this year’s sequel Wicked: For Good. He also starred in the romantic comedy The Wedding Banquet.
Yang’s departure from SNL midway through the season is unusual but not unprecedented, as cast members like Cecily Strong, Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey, and Eddie Murphy have also left midseason in past years.
During a September interview, Yang admitted he felt he had “more to do” on the show but worried that the audience was “getting sick” of him.
Before the new season began on October 4, the SNL cast changed: Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and Michael Longfellow departed, while Ben Marshall, Veronika Slowikowska, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, and Kam Patterson joined.
Who will host the first SNL episode of 2026?
Finn Wolfhard was recently announced as the host for the first Saturday Night Live episode of 2026.
The Stranger Things star is scheduled to make his hosting debut on January 17, 2026, alongside musical guest A$AP Rocky. This announcement was made during the December 20, 2025, Christmas episode.
Wolfhard played an NBC page in the 2024 film Saturday Night, which dramatized the premiere of the show in 1975. His hosting gig follows the series finale of Stranger Things, which aired on December 31, 2025.