Bowen Yang, a prominent cast member of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) for over five years, recently opened up about a particularly distressing experience with a guest host. During an appearance on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live” on Sunday, Yang shared a troubling anecdote involving a host who made multiple SNL cast members cry.
Yang, who chose to keep the identity of the problematic host private, described the situation as “terrible.” He recounted how the host’s harsh reactions during a pre-table read session led to several cast members being brought to tears. “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,” Yang revealed. “Terrible.”
In addition to this revelation, Yang also reflected on a less successful sketch involving “The Bear” actor Ayo Edebiri. Yang explained that a live sketch initially set in an elevator, where he and Edebiri encouraged everyone to make out due to the elevator getting stuck, was unexpectedly turned into a pre-taped segment. “It just didn’t go as well as I had hoped,” Yang admitted. “Comedy’s subjective; you never know how it’s gonna play in front of a specific audience. But it’s fine, you let it roll off your back.”
While Yang chose to shield the guest host’s identity, other SNL veterans have been more outspoken about their experiences. Notably, Pete Davidson took to “The Howard Stern Show” in 2018 to criticize Chevy Chase, labeling him a “genuinely bad, racist person.” Chase, however, dismissed the allegations four years later.
As the 50th season of SNL approaches its premiere in September, fans can look forward to seeing cast alum Maya Rudolph return as Vice President Kamala Harris during the final weeks of the 2024 presidential race. Meanwhile, Bowen Yang will soon appear in the highly anticipated movie adaptation of Broadway’s “Wicked,” alongside Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, set for release in November.
