Who Is Bowen Yang? 10 Things To Know About The Young 'SNL' Star

Saturday Night Live first got here on the air forty-six years ago, in 1975. Since its inception, the show has had greater than one-hundred and fifty forged members, a lot of whom have long past on to become main stars of movie and television. SNL introduced the careers of Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey and many, many extra big-name stars. While critics and fans alike often complain about the declining quality of Saturday Night Live, it's undeniable that the display is an excellent jumping-off level for young actors and comedians.

Related: This Actress Went From Being Rejected For "Not Being Attractive," To Turning Down 'SNL'

Bowen Yang is one such young comic. He has been a featured player on SNL since the get started of the forty-fifth season in 2020, and it is all however certain that he will return subsequent season as a repertory player. Yang is considered one of Saturday Night Live's brightest young stars, and as such, his is a reputation that each one comedy fanatics will have to know. Here are ten things to know about Bowen Yang.

10 He Started Out As a Writer On 'SNL'

Bowen Yang joined the solid of Saturday Night Live right through the forty-fifth season, but he in fact joined the writing team of workers of the display a 12 months previous. He is one of the SNL writers who later become forged members, together with Jason Sudeikis, Michael Che, and Andrew Dismukes. Some of his sketches from the forty-third season come with “The Actress” starring Emma Stone, and “Cheques” starring Sandra Oh.

9 He Co-Wrote That Harry Styles Sketch – You Know The One

While Bowen Yang spent a yr as a full-time writer on Saturday Night Live, his maximum well known cartoon in reality came the following yr when he was pulling double accountability as a writer and a solid member. The cartoon used to be known as “Sara Lee,” and it featured host Harry Styles as a homosexual social media intern who makes non-public and regularly graphic posts on the reliable Sara Lee Bread Instagram account. The caricature was once a brand spanking new more or less humor for SNL, and Yang admitted that he couldn’t believe it was actually put on TV. The cartoon went majorly viral, and even spawned a sequel starring Daniel Kaluuya the following season.

8 Bowen Yang Is Making 'Saturday Night Live' History

The "Sara Lee" cartoon was once noteworthy for that includes an explicitly gay main character and undeniably queer themes with out making queerness the butt of the shaggy dog story. Bowen Yang is actually just the 0.33 overtly gay male cast member in SNL history, and the first to last more than one season on the display. And that is not the most effective approach that Yang is making Saturday Night Live historical past. He's also the first-ever Chinese American to be a first-rate forged member on the display, and simply the fourth-ever solid member of Asian descent. In 2021, he made further SNL history when he was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the Emmy Awards. He is the first featured player to ever be nominated as an actor on SNL.

7 He Has Already Been Nominated For Two Emmy Awards

In addition to his Emmy Award nomination this yr in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category, Bowen Yang used to be also nominated for an Emmy Award two years in the past, again when he was a publisher on SNL. Accordingly, his nomination that yr came in the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series category.

Related: Why Fans Think Pete Davidson Could Be Leaving ‘SNL’

6 In Only Two Seasons, He's Already Created Several Memorable SNL Characters

No article about an SNL actor can be entire with out an overview of a few of their most famed characters. Bowen Yang's maximum well-known ordinary persona is Chen Biao, a Chinese executive minister who frequently stops via the Weekend Update desk to talk about U.S.-China members of the family. Another Bowen Yang character to know is "The Iceberg That Sank The Titanic." The character has handiest gave the impression on Weekend Update as soon as so far, but it was once so in style that SNL fanatics will almost definitely see him once more next season.

5  He Has Also Done Plenty Of Celebrity Impressions

Bowen Yang is no longer known for his impressions, however someone who acts on Saturday Night Live will have to pull out some eventually. Many of Yang's impressions on the show were of other well-known Asian-Americans, like presidential candidate Andrew Yang and comedian Ken Jeong. However, he's also performed some more surprising ones, such as his influence of American publisher Fran Lebowitz (which Lebowitz herself did not care for).

4 He's A Writer For 'Schmigadoon!' As Well

While Saturday Night Live was the first main television show that Bowen Yang wrote for, it is now not the just one. He is additionally credited as a writer for the new Apple TV+ authentic sequence Schmigadoon! starring Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong (Yang's SNL co-star). Key and Strong star as a couple who unintentionally to find themselves trapped in the international of a Golden Age musical. Bowen Yang is credited as the co-writer of the show's third episode, "Cross That Bridge." Schmigadoon! is executive-produced via SNL author and showrunner Lorne Michaels, so it is smart that Yang used to be asked to join the writing staff.

3 'Saturday Night Live' Is Not The Only Show Bowen Yang Has Appeared On

Bowen Yang is most widely recognized for the many characters and impressions he has performed on Saturday Night Live, but SNL is a long way from the handiest show that he has acted on. He plays an important supporting position on the Comedy Central sequence Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, and he has guest starred on several different standard TV comedies, similar to Broad City and Girls5Eva. He also plays a lead position in the Audible unique podcast collection Hot White Heist.

Related: Original 'SNL' Cast Members Were Paid Less Than $800 Per Week

2 He Hosts A Podcast Called 'Las Culturistas'

In addition to his paintings as a writer and an actor, Bowen Yang is also rather the a hit podcaster. He hosts his podcast "Las Culturistas" along with his longtime good friend Matt Rogers, and the two have been website hosting the podcast since 2016. It has grown in recognition immensely over the years, and it is now produced by Will Ferrell's podcast community together with iHeart Radio.

1 Bowen Yang Is Just Getting Started

According to his web page on IMDB, Bowen Yang can be voicing characters in two major upcoming movies: The Tiger's Apprentice, starring Henry Golding and Sandra Oh, and The Monkey King, starring BD Wong and Jimmy O. Yang. Bowen Yang can even continue to star on Saturday Night Live, the place he will probably proceed to get increasingly more screen time. It is very most probably that he has extra TV and picture roles, writing jobs, and Emmy Award nominations in his long run.

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