“I loved working at SNL, and most of all I loved the people. I was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem futile, but working at 30 Rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile,” Yang wrote.
He added, “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 thanked the cast and crew of SNL and gave a special shoutout to this week’s host and his Wicked co-star, Ariana Grande, “for sending me off in the dreamiest way I could imagine.”
Yang joined SNL as a writer in 2018 during Season 44. He became a featured player in Season 45 and was promoted to the main cast in Season 47. During his time on the show, he earned multiple Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Comedy Actor in 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025.
Outside of SNL, Yang is known for cohosting the pop culture podcast Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers. He also starred in the hit series Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens from 2020 to 2023. His stage and film credits include Wicked, Wicked: For Good, The Wedding Banquet (2025), Dicks: The Musical (2023), and Fire Island (2022).
Yang’s departure marks the end of an era for SNL, where he became one of the show’s most beloved and groundbreaking cast members.
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