Watch SNL Say Goodbye To Bowen Yang With A Hilarious, Heartfelt Sketch

Just before the weekend, the shocking news emerged that "Saturday Night Live" cast member Bowen Yang was leaving the late night sketch comedy series in the middle of the season, following the Christmas episode hosted by Ariana Grande with musical guest Cher. It was a surprising development, largely because it's a rare midseason departure, when cast members usually leave at the end of an "SNL" season or just before a new one begins. 

With seven seasons as a cast member under his belt (and one before that as a writer), Bowen Yang leaves behind a hilarious legacy at "SNL." While Yang wasn't know for many recurring characters, outside of mocking real life people like George Santos and Kim Jong-un, he consistently made waves as various one-off characters at the Weekend Update desk and often brought electric and off-kilter energy to any sketch he was in. So how did "SNL" choose to send him off into the next chapter of his career?

In Bowen Yang's final "SNL" sketch, he's playing Ed, a Delta Airlines Sky Lounge employee who is handing out eggnog during the busy holiday travel season. But his industrial eggnog machine is breaking down, so this is going to be his last shift. Meanwhile, Ed's wife Ronda (Ariana Grande) is missing him at home, and she's eagerly anticipating the end of his shift. 

The sketch uses a lovely holiday music through-line and allows Yang to express his genuine feelings about the time he's spent at "SNL," and it just might make some tears come out of your face. Take a look below.

While Yang gets to say goodbye to a few cast members like Andrew Dismukes, Jane Wickline, and Kenan Thompson, the latter playing himself, Yang and Grande sing a rendition of "Please Come Home for Christmas," and each starts letting some tears roll as they embrace towards the end of the sketch.

Yang gets really choked up when his character Ed says, "Oh, Ronda, I should have come home earlier. I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here, and I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer. Especially the people. I've loved every single person who works here, because they've done so much for me, especially my boss."

While you might have expected Lorne Michaels to come out, that's not really the executive producer's style. Instead, musical guest Cher appeared in the sketch as Ed's boss, who kindly tells him, "Everyone thought you were a little bit too gay, but you know what, you're perfect for me."

From there, Yang, Grande, and Cher wrap up their Christmas song, and the departing comedian gets emotional all over again. 

This is one of the best farewells that a cast member has ever been given, and I couldn't be more happy for Yang's future. However, it also makes us a little sad that longtime cast members Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim weren't given the same treatment when they left before season 51 began.

"SNL" returns on January 17, 2026 with "Stranger Things" star Finn Wolfhard hosting for the first time.