‘It Got To Be Too Much.’ The Original Plan For Bowen Yang’s Final SNL Sketch, And The Lorne Michaels Note That Changed It

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When Saturday Night Live returns for the 2026 season, Bowen Yang won’t be part of the cast. He left the show in December, making his final appearance during the Christmas episode of Season 51. Since then, Yang has shared some thoughts about his decision to leave, and revealed that his last sketch was originally planned to be much more outlandish, but was toned down by the show’s creator, Lorne Michaels.

Yang’s last sketch on Saturday Night Live was called “Delta Lounge.” In it, he played a lounge worker overseeing the airport’s eggnog machine on his final day. Ariana Grande, who hosted the show that week, played his wife, and Kenan Thompson, Andrew Dismukes, and Jane Wickline were travelers. The sketch ended with Yang, still in character, saying goodbye to his job as he was joined onstage by Grande and musical guest Cher.

The final sketch of the night was a particularly moving moment, with Bowen Yang becoming emotional as Ariana Grande and Cher offered him support. He later discussed the experience on the Las Culturistas Podcast (via YouTube), sharing how pleased he was with the outcome. He also revealed the sketch was originally planned to be much bigger, even including a playful scene involving an eggnog machine.

Ultimately, it came down to practical issues. We had Mikey and Sarah cleaning up backstage. The plan was for the eggnog machine to malfunction and spray eggnog all over Kenan, Jane, and everyone else it was aimed at, but things got out of hand.

The actor from Wedding Banquet shared that he wished more of his fellow cast members—or even everyone—could have joined him for his final appearance on the show. But Lorne Michaels had an idea, as Yang recounted.

Before the show, after dress rehearsal, Lorne Michaels approached Celeste and me and suggested it would be more effective if it was just the two of us performing, focusing on the emotional impact. Celeste and I immediately agreed – we knew Lorne understood how to create a great show.

Lorne Michaels has a lot of experience at Saturday Night Live and has navigated many challenges. It was smart of Bowen Yang and Celeste Yim to listen to his advice. Here’s the sketch you should see:

News first surfaced about Yang leaving Saturday Night Live, and he later confirmed it himself, sharing behind-the-scenes photos and thanking everyone involved. Reports indicated that a major reason for his departure was the show’s rigorous schedule. During an appearance on the Las Culturistas podcast, Yang discussed the difficulties of working on SNL and shared his enthusiasm for the future of his podcast with Rogers.

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It’s rare for a cast member to finish their time on Saturday Night Live with a farewell sketch, and Bowen Yang was fortunate enough to have that experience, as he shared on a podcast. You can rewatch some of his most memorable moments by streaming episodes on Peacock. Don’t miss the next episode of SNL on NBC, January 17th, featuring host Finn Wolfhard and musical guest ASAP Rocky.

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2026-01-14 16:38