Bowen Yang is exiting Studio 8H.
After a wildly successful tenure on the show, Yang, 35, will exit the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in the midst of Season 51, USA TODAY has learned. Yang will leave following the Dec. 20 episode, Today.com and People report.
USA TODAY has reached out to "SNL" and Yang for comment.
The comedian joined the "SNL" cast in 2018, quickly amassing a cult fan base as he moved from writer to featured player to gold star cast member.
His unexpected goodbye comes as the show is in its 51st season, and on the heels of several high-profile departures. Both Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner, who had spent several years on the storied sketch comedy show, shocked fans when they announced before the October premiere that they would not be returning. Their exits came amidst a wave of departures that also included Michael Longfellow and Emil Wakim.
