Bowen Yang says watching SNL after his exit is 'totally bizarre' but 'ultimately fun'

'To not know what the process is from soup to nuts with the whole week is alleviating,' the SNL alum said

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Bowen Yang has opened up about what it’s like to watch the long-running NBC sketch series from the audience side after stepping down from the show.

After seven seasons on SNL, Yang made a midseason exit in December 2025 and has since been tuning in to the episodes as a viewer, an experience he described as both unusual and enjoyable.

Yang told People that watching SNL now “feels very strange” because he no longer carries the emotional weight of working through the week’s sketches, rehearsals, and performances. “I don’t want to believe that it’s totally bizarre to me, but it’s obviously an adjustment,” he said, noting that the shift in perspective allows him to enjoy the show without the stress that came with being part of the production.

Despite the odd feeling of watching from the outside, Yang added that there’s a sense of relief in not having to deal with the behind-the-scenes grind. “To not know what the process is from soup to nuts with the whole week is alleviating. The emotional baggage of it has been lifted for me,” he explained, adding that he’s had fun keeping up with the sketches and seeing how episodes unfold.

Yang also shared that being abroad hasn’t kept him from staying connected; he said he was in Japan but still watched the show and exchanged texts with former castmates about how the “train was still running.” He even admitted to occasional nostalgic pangs about possibly doing sketches with recent hosts and guests, showing that his deep connection to the show hasn’t fully faded.

He took to Instagram before his final episode to thank the SNL cast and crew, expressing gratitude for his seven years on the show and the lessons he learned along the way.

Yang’s reflections highlight both the bittersweet nature of leaving a high-pressure creative platform and the freedom that comes with stepping back and appreciating it from a new vantage point.