Bowen Yang

Last updated

Bowen Yang
Born (1990-11-06) November 6, 1990 (age 33)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
NationalityAmerican
Education New York University (BA)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • writer
  • podcaster
Years active2013–present
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 楊伯文
Simplified Chinese 杨伯文

Bowen Yang (born November 6, 1990) [1] is an American actor, comedian, and writer. Yang was hired to join the writing staff of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live in September 2018, ahead of its 44th season, and a year later was promoted to on-air cast status for SNL's 45th season, becoming its first Chinese-American, third openly gay male, [lower-alpha 1] and fourth-ever cast member of Asian descent. [lower-alpha 2] He made history becoming the first SNL featured player to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2021. [2] He was promoted to repertory status before the 47th season. [3] He co-hosts a comedy pop-culture podcast, Las Culturistas, with Matt Rogers. [4] [5]

Contents

Yang has appeared in the television series Girls5Eva , Ziwe , and The Other Two , and is a cast member on Awkwafina is Nora from Queens . He is also known for his appearances in the LGBTQ romantic comedies Fire Island and Bros , both released in 2022.

Early life and education

Yang was born in Brisbane, Queensland, to a family that had emigrated from China in the 1980s. [4] [6] [7] His father, Ruilin, was raised in a rural part of the Inner Mongolia region of mainland China, growing up in a straw and mud hut. [8] Ruilin's parents were illiterate, but he read books for hours by candlelight and eventually got into university. Yang's mother is an obstetrician-gynaecologist. [8] [9] The couple moved to Brisbane so Ruilin could earn his doctorate in mining explosives. [8]

Yang has an older sister, Yang Yang. The children spoke Mandarin in their home, and attended Chinese Sunday school. [8] When Yang was six months old, the family moved to Canada and eventually settled in Montreal, [10] where Bowen first discovered Saturday Night Live (SNL). When he was nine, they moved again to Aurora, Colorado. [6] [8] [11] As a child, he was drawn to late-night comedians and hosts David Letterman and Conan O'Brien. [9]

Yang's high school calculus teacher, Adrian Holguin, was also his coach for Smoky Hill High School's improvisational comedy group, Spontaneous Combustion. [12] Yang got a near perfect score on the ACT (a 35) and a 2200 on his SAT, and graduated from high school in 2008. [13] [14] He was named homecoming king and also voted "Most Likely to Be a Cast Member on Saturday Night Live" in his high school's yearbook. [14] [15]

When he was seventeen, Yang's father found out his son was gay from an "open chat window" on the family's computer. [9] His parents were not receptive to the news, stating that such things "did not happen in China". [16] Yang's father cried often over the revelation and, being non-religious but wanting to "solve problems", arranged for him to attend eight sessions of gay conversion therapy. [9] [16] Bowen attended the conversion therapy to appease his parents, and recalls being immediately alarmed by the counselor's mix of religion and use of pseudo-scientific reasoning to explain away positive homosexual manifestations. [8] [9] In an interview for The New York Times , Maureen Dowd questioned why his parents, both scientists, did not see the disconnection. [8] Bowen said, "It was a cultural thing for them, this cultural value around masculinity, around keeping the family line going, keeping certain things holy and sacred," he said "It was me wanting to meet them halfway but realizing it had to be pretty absolute. It was an either-or thing." [8]

Yang moved to New York in 2008 to attend New York University (NYU) like his older sister. His father assigned her to chaperone him during this period as Bowen tried "straightness on for size and failing miserably." [16] [17] He came to accept being gay, incorporating it into his comedy, and hoped his parents would learn to accept that aspect of him. [16] They have since found a truce and enjoy a "great relationship." [9] At NYU, he was in the improv group Dangerbox, and he occasionally performed with Stephanie Hsu, a member of the school's sketch comedy group. [18] [19]

Yang was inspired by Sandra Oh's character Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy for her neurotic and relentless pursuits, and aspired to be a doctor. [8] [20] He went to pre-med classes and graduated from NYU with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. [8] [21] [12] After realizing he was actually inspired by Oh for her acting ability, he decided to pursue a career in comedy instead. [20] At NYU, he met Matt Rogers, with whom he started Las Culturistas , a weekly comedy podcast where Yang "unapologetically expresses his personality, story and himself by sharing his experiences as a member of the LGBTQ community". [7] [20]

Career

Early career

Yang taught himself Adobe Photoshop and graphic design software and later worked at One Kings Lane, a luxury interior and home design website, from 2013 to 2018 as a graphic designer. [8] [22] The company was flexible with Yang's time-off needs for comedy. [8] Yang has also performed improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade. [23] During this time, Yang designed graphics for his own shows and for his friends' comedy shows. [22]

The podcast that Yang co-hosts with Matt Rogers, Las Culturistas , is described by Vulture as both "delightfully screwy" and a "two-headed snark routine". [24] The podcast premiered in 2016 and as of September 2019, has over 300 episodes. [25] Each one opens with an interview with a pop culture guest, then goes to one-minute rounds of "I Don't Think So, Honey!" (IDTSH) where the hosts and guests each expound on pet peeves. [24] IDTSH has also morphed into its own live show. [24] Yang credits the Las Culturistas podcast with Rogers for building his fanbase. In 2018 it was nominated for a Shorty Award recognizing the best in social media. [4] [26] [27]

Yang appeared in shows such as Comedy Central's Broad City , a Vimeo web series The Outs , and the HBO web comedy High Maintenance . [28] [29] [30] He was a supporting cast member in the 2019 film Isn't It Romantic. Yang performed stand-up on HBO's 2 Dope Queens. [29] He played fashion designer Alexander Wang in a sketch series on Comedy Central, Up Next. [31] In 2019, Yang received press coverage for his viral Twitter posts consisting of "expertly-timed lip-sync videos of famous movie scenes", in which he "reproduces dialogue from diva scenes" and well-known moments in popular culture. Past videos featured a monologue by Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, Tyra Banks yelling at contestant Tiffany Richardson on America's Next Top Model , and a viral video of Cardi B talking about the 2019 government shutdown. [8] [20] Each garnered thousands of likes and retweets. [5] [32]

In January 2019, he was named to Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list. [28]

Saturday Night Live

As writer: 2018

In 2018, Yang was hired as a staff writer on Saturday Night Live for the show's 44th season. [9] He said he "always loved SNL growing up, but had trouble imagining himself on the show, because he'd never seen people who looked like him associated with the series". [33] Yang has writing credits on 21 episodes of the show for the 2018–2019 season. [25] His writing included: "GP Yass", a play on a vehicle's GPS navigation device that utilizes drag queens to deliver driving directions; and two sketches co-written with Julio Torres, which features Yang's talent for infusing "drama, tension, and exquisite backstory" into an everyday activity like paying bills in "Cheques" with Sandra Oh, and an actress doing a cameo in a gay pornography film, "The Actress" with Emma Stone. [29] "The Actress" was hailed by Out as the "gayest SNL sketch of all-time," and featured Stone as an earnest method actress taking her role as a cheated-on housewife too seriously alongside real-life gay porn actor Ty Mitchell. [34] [35] The pre-tape—so-called as it is filmed days ahead rather than acted live—was championed by Stone to be included on air. [34] [35] SNL creator Lorne Michaels knew Yang would be an on-air talent but wanted him to be comfortable on their stage first. [9] Yang made a cameo appearance during the Sandra Oh/Tame Impala episode as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un while Oh played his translator. [36]

As on-air cast: 2019–present

In September 2019, Yang was promoted to featured player for the 45th season, alongside improviser Chloe Fineman, both of whom were promoted to repertory status at the start of the show's 47th season in September 2021. [37] Yang is the show's first ever Chinese-American cast member, and third openly gay male cast member after Terry Sweeney and John Milhiser. [38] [39]

SNL has had "little representation from Asian actors, as cast members or hosts" over several decades. [20] [36] Up until Yang's promotion there had been only three cast members, [lower-alpha 3] and six hosts who were of Asian descent. [lower-alpha 4] [20] [33] A 2016 study of SNL revealed: 90% of 1975–2016's show hosts (826 total) were white, 6.8% were black, 1.2% were Hispanic, and 1.1% were labelled "other". [40] Similarly SNL has had comparatively low representation of LGBTQ on-air cast and guest hosts since the series started in 1975. Yang is the third openly gay male, and sixth LGBTQ cast member. [lower-alpha 5] News of the Chinese and openly gay Yang's new job was reported internationally, but within hours was overshadowed by revelations that comedian Shane Gillis, who had been hired at the same time, aired homophobic and anti-Asian jokes. [46] [47] Gillis issued an apology, but within days was fired by SNL. [48] [47]

Yang's first episode as a regular cast member was the season's opening episode September 28, 2019, with host Woody Harrelson. [49] Notably he was included in the show's cold open playing Kim Jong-un giving advice to Trump on handling the Ukraine controversy including the whistleblower who helped trigger the 2019 impeachment hearings. [49] In other sketches he portrayed Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang in a parody town hall debate, and was an extra in a mock movie trailer for Downton Abbey. [49] In October 2019, Yang made his debut on Weekend Update (WU), as Chinese trade representative Chen "Trade Daddy" Biao in a segment about Donald Trump's trade war that was "brief, funny and took some clever satirical shots". [50] [8] Yang's Biao character returned to WU as the newly appointed health minister for the COVID-19 pandemic which he unconvincingly tries to assure China has in control. [51] Perhaps his "filthiest" sketch, also co-written with friend Julio Torres, was for guest host Harry Styles as an incompetent Sara Lee Corporation social media manager who mixes up his own gay BDSM account on Instagram with the company's "wholesome bread brand". [8] He was listed #2 in Variety 's Power of Pride list of most influential queer artists in Hollywood in 2021. [52] The same year, Yang was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He is the first featured player to ever be nominated. He also played NBA hall-of-famer Yao Ming in January 2022. [53] Since 2023 he has also played embattled Congressman George Santos in multiple sketches which have received critical praise. [54] [55]

In 2021, Yang was applauded for speaking out on the recent surge in violence against Asian-Americans [56] during a Weekend Update segment. He told audiences to "fuel up" (using the Chinese cheer Jiayou ) and do more for Asian Americans. Also in 2021, he appeared on the Time 100, Time 's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. [57]

Other work

Yang plays Nora Lum's mobile app-developer cousin in the Comedy Central sitcom Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens , which premiered in January 2020 and was renewed for a third season in 2022. [58] [59] [60] [61]

Yang is a writer on the Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon! , which stars his former SNL castmate Cecily Strong. [62] In September 2021, he appeared as a guest on the NPR news quiz Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! . In 2022 he starred in Fire Island, written by and co-starring his close friend Joel Kim Booster, whom he met at the beginning of his comedy career. [63] He appeared in the 2022 film Bros and is part of the cast of Dicks: The Musical with Aaron Jackson, Josh Sharp, and Megan Thee Stallion. [64] Yang will appear as Pfannee in the movie adaptation of the musical Wicked, set to be released in 2024. [18]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleRef.
2019 Isn't It Romantic Donny's Guy [65]
2020 Cicada Hudson [66]
2022 The Lost City Ray the Moderator [67]
Fire Island Howie [68]
Bros Lawrence Grape [69]
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again Ronnie (voice) [70]
2023 The Monkey King Dragon King (voice) [71]
Dicks: The Musical God [72]
Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain Deetch Nordwind [73]
Good Burger 2 Himself [74]
2024 The Tiger's Apprentice Sidney (voice)
The Garfield Movie Nolan (voice) [75]
Wicked Pfannee [76]
2025 The Wedding Banquet Chris [77]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016 Broad City Sales Associate2 episodes
The Outs Jason4 episodes
2018 High Maintenance BrianEpisode: "Globo"
2019 Jon Glaser Loves Gear BowenEpisode: "Survival"
2019–present Saturday Night Live Various roles76 episodes
2020–present Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens Edmund17 episodes
2020 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Kim Jong-un Special: "Kimmy vs the Reverend"
Archer Win Li (voice)Episode: "Bloodsploosh"
2021 Girls5eva Zander2 episodes
Ziwe HimselfEpisode: "Wealth Hoarders"
The Other Two HimselfEpisode: "Chase & Pat Are Killing It"
Ten Year Old Tom (voice)Episode: "The Spelling Bee is Rigged/Dakota's Dad"
2022 The Kardashians HimselfEpisode: "Life from New York"
Duncanville (voice)2 episodes
2023 HouseBroken Lonnie (voice)Episode: "Who's a Homeowner?"
The Simpsons Richard (voice)Episode: "Homer's Adventures Through the Windshield Glass"
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai Celestrial Administrator (voice)4 episodes [78]
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars HimselfGuest judge; Episode: "Snatch Game of Love" [79]
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked Special guest; Episode: "All Stars Untucked: Snatch Game of Love"
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off TV Gossip #2 (voice)Episode: "Whatever"
2024 Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld (voice)In production

Writer

YearTitleNotes
2018–2019 Saturday Night Live 21 episodes
2019 76th Golden Globe Awards
2021 Schmigadoon! Episode: "Cross That Bridge"

Accolades

Awards nominations
YearAssociationWorkCategoryResultRef.
2019 Primetime Emmy Award Saturday Night Live Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series Nominated[ citation needed ]
2021 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated[ citation needed ]
2022 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated[ citation needed ]
2019 Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy/Variety Sketch SeriesNominated[ citation needed ]
2020 Nominated[ citation needed ]
2021 Dorian Awards Best Supporting TV PerformanceNominated[ citation needed ]
Best TV Musical Performance "Pride Month Song"Nominated[ citation needed ]
Best TV Musical Performance "Loverboy"Nominated[ citation needed ]
2022 Hollywood Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, ComedyNominated [84]
Gotham Awards Fire Island Ensemble TributeWon [85]
2023 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards Las Culturistas Podcast of the YearWon [86]
Best Comedy PodcastNominated [87]

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. Terry Sweeney (1985–1986) and John Milhiser (2013–2014) were the first and second openly gay male cast members respectively. Danitra Vance (1985–1986), Kate McKinnon (2012–2022), Punkie Johnson (2020–), and Molly Kearney (2022–) are the four other known LGBTQ cast members.
  2. Rob Schneider (1990–1994) is part Filipino, Fred Armisen (2002–2013) is part-Korean, and Nasim Pedrad (2009–2014) is Iranian.
  3. Fred Armisen (2002–2013) had a Korean grandfather; Rob Schneider (1988–1994) had a Filipino grandmother; and Nasim Pedrad (2009–2014) was born in Tehran, Iran. [36]
  4. The six hosts have been: Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu in 2000; Aziz Ansari and Kumail Nanjiani in 2017; Awkwafina in 2018; and Sandra Oh in 2019. [36] [40]
  5. Denny Dillon was a cast member during the 1980–1981 season, but was not out at the time. [41] For the 1985–1986 season, Terry Sweeney was their first openly gay male cast member, [42] [43] John Milhiser was second, in the 2013–2014 cast; [44] he was the fourth LGBTQ cast member overall; Danitra Vance was also in the 1985–1986 cast but was in the closet, all three left after one season; Kate McKinnon has been an out lesbian before becoming a cast member in 2012 and has continued to the present. [45]

Related Research Articles

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> American late-night live TV sketch comedy and variety show

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and streams on Peacock. Michaels currently serves as the program's showrunner. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that was usually based on political events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", properly beginning the show.

James Anderson is an American television writer and actor. From 2000 to 2020, he was a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Spade</span> American comedian and actor (born 1964)

David Wayne Spade is an American comedian and actor. After several years as a stand-up comedian, Spade rose to prominence as a writer and cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1996. Following his departure from SNL, he began an acting career in both film and television, starring or co-starring in the films Tommy Boy (1995), Black Sheep (1996), Senseless (1998), Joe Dirt (2001), Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003), The Benchwarmers (2006), Grown Ups (2010) and its 2013 sequel, The Ridiculous 6 (2015), The Do-Over (2016), and The Wrong Missy (2020).

Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created and produced by Lorne Michaels for most of the show's run. The show has aired on NBC since 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noël Wells</span> American actress

Noël Kristi Wells is an American actress, writer, director, and musician. She is known for her television roles as Rachel Silva in the Netflix comedy-drama Master of None (2015–2017), as the voice of Kelsey Pokoly in the Cartoon Network animated television series Craig of the Creek (2018–present), as the voice of Ensign D'Vana Tendi in the Paramount+ animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020–present), and her brief tenure as a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live during its 39th season between 2013 and 2014. She also wrote, directed, and starred in the film Mr. Roosevelt (2017). She has also ventured into music; her debut album It's So Nice! was released in 2019.

Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created and produced by Lorne Michaels for most of the show's run. The show has aired on NBC since its inception in 1975.

Christopher Jerell Redd is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, rapper, and singer. After several years performing stand-up comedy, Redd was hired to join the cast of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live ahead of the show's 43rd season in 2017, making his debut alongside Heidi Gardner and Luke Null, and serving as a cast member for five seasons until 2022. For his work on the show, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2018 for co-writing the SNL song "Come Back Barack". He is also known for his roles in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016), Disjointed (2017–2018), and Kenan (2021–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Villaseñor</span> American comedian (born 1987)

Melissa Anne Villaseñor is an American comedian and actress. First garnering attention for her stand-up shows and impressions, Villaseñor found wider success when she was hired to join the cast of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live ahead of the show's 42nd season in 2016. She then departed SNL at the end of the 47th season in 2022, after six seasons as a cast member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Moffat</span> American actor and comedian

Alexander Everett Moffat is an American actor and comedian. Moffat was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, where he debuted as a featured player during the show's 42nd season in 2016, alongside Mikey Day and Melissa Villaseñor. After two seasons as featured players, all three became repertory cast members in 2018, beginning with the show's 44th season. Moffat left SNL in 2022, after six years as a cast member. In 2023, he made his Broadway debut in The Cottage.

The forty-fifth season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on September 28, 2019, during the 2019–20 television season with host Woody Harrelson and musical guest Billie Eilish, and concluded on May 9, 2020 with host Kristen Wiig and musical guest Boyz II Men. This season featured the return of Eddie Murphy as host, on December 21, 2019, for the first time in 35 years. Murphy's episode was the most watched episode since 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloe Fineman</span> American actress and comedian (born 1988)

Chloe Fineman is an American actress and comedian. She became a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live starting in its 45th season in September 2019, and was promoted to repertory status in 2021 at the beginning of season 47.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Gillis</span> American comedian and actor (born 1987)

Shane Michael Gillis is an American stand-up comedian. He is co-host, along with fellow stand-up comedian Matt McCusker, of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, the most subscribed-to podcast on Patreon. In 2019, the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal named Gillis one of its "New Faces".

<i>Las Culturistas</i> Comedy and pop-culture podcast

Las Culturistas is a pop-culture and comedy podcast co-hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, produced by Will Ferrell's Big Money Players podcast network and iHeartRadio. Started in March 2016, it was previously part of the Forever Dog podcast network.

The forty-sixth season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 3, 2020, during the 2020–21 television season with host Chris Rock and musical guest Megan Thee Stallion, and concluded on May 22, 2021, with host Anya Taylor-Joy and musical guest Lil Nas X. With the previous season cut short amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the show instead airing three remotely produced episodes referred to as Saturday Night Live at Home, the season premiere marked the return to Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Lorne Michaels said that the show aimed to have a "limited" in-studio audience, and that they would "work closely with Gov. Cuomo's team."

Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created and produced by Lorne Michaels for most of the show's run. The show has aired on NBC since 1975.

Matt Rogers is an American comedian, actor, writer, podcaster, television host, and recording artist. He is best known for co-hosting the pop culture podcast Las Culturistas with Bowen Yang since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Sherman</span> American comedian and actress

Sarah Sherman, also known professionally as Sarah Squirm, is an American comedian, actress, and screenwriter. Sherman is known for using surreal and body horror comedy. She became a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live starting with its 47th season in October 2021, and was promoted to Repertory Status in October 2023.

References

  1. Dowd, Maureen (January 25, 2020). "Bowen Yang of 'S.N.L.' is a Smash. And a Mensch". The New York Times .
  2. Venkatraman, Sakshi (July 13, 2021). "Bowen Yang makes history with Emmy nomination". NBC News . Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  3. Porter, Rick (September 27, 2021). "Beck Bennett Departs 'Saturday Night Live' After 8 Seasons". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Berg, Madeline. "Get To Know 'SNL' Writer Bowen Yang". Forbes . Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Wright, Megh. "Bowen Yang's Lip-Sync Videos Are Next-Level Art". www.vulture.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Towle, Andy (December 17, 2019). "Seth Meyers Reveals That Bowen Yang's High School Classmates Predicted His SNL Future: WATCH". Towleroad Gay News . Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Chang, Stina (September 26, 2019). "Bowen Yang's Rise to Fame Cut Short by Ignorance". Study Breaks. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Dowd, Maureen (January 25, 2020). "Bowen Yang of 'S.N.L.' Is a Smash. And a Mensch". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gayomali, Chris (March 16, 2020). "Bowen Yang Is Making SNL a Little Bit Weirder". GQ . Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  10. "Bowen Yang, episode #83 of The Three Questions with Andy Richter on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  11. "Bowen's dishes come from simple restaurants and make 'SNL' history". Press Insider Daily. June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Goldstein, Adam (October 4, 2019). "Smoky Hill alum, Saturday Night Live cast member keeps up ties with former teacher". Denver Post . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  13. Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers (June 14, 2018). "Doyenne". Las Culturistas (Podcast). Forever Dog. Event occurs at 1:02:05.
  14. 1 2 "Bowen Yang, 'Saturday Night Live's' first Chinese-American cast member, is from Denver". Denver Post . September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  15. Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers (April 15, 2020). "This Is King". Las Culturistas (Podcast). iHeart Radio. Event occurs at 19:29.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Wong, Curtis M. (January 27, 2020). "Bowen Yang Opens Up About His Experience In 'Gay Conversion' Therapy". HuffPost . Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  17. Macias, Ernest (January 21, 2020). "Fashion Mourns Opening Ceremony". Interview Magazine . Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  18. 1 2 Stern, Marlow (June 5, 2023). "Bowen Yang Went Through Hell to Get to 'SNL'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  19. Voss, Erik (August 27, 2012). "12 Colleges with Great Improv Groups". Vulture. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Liu, Jennifer (September 17, 2019). "Before his historic promotion to the SNL stage, Bowen Yang was voted 'most likely to be a cast member on Saturday Night Live' in high school". CNBC . Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  21. "Bowen Yang Was Fooled by Grey's Anatomy" (Podcast). Nancy. December 10, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2019 via WNYCStudios.org.
  22. 1 2 Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers (May 9, 2018). "Blonde Ambition". Las Culturistas (Podcast). Forever Dog. Event occurs at 25:03.
  23. "Bowen Yang". Upright Citizens Brigade . Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  24. 1 2 3 Malin, Sean (September 19, 2019). "Want to Try Las Culturistas? Start Here". Vulture . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  25. 1 2 Jakiel, Olivia (September 13, 2019). "Bowen Yang: 5 Things To Know About 'SNL's First Asian Cast Member". MSN . Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  26. "These Queers of Comedy Are Anything But a Punchline". www.out.com. January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  27. "Las Culturistas – The Shorty Awards". Shorty Awards . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  28. 1 2 3 "30 under 30 – Hollywood & Entertainment 2019". Forbes.com. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  29. 1 2 3 "Who is Bowen Yang? Get to know the new 'Saturday Night Live' cast member". Entertainment Weekly . September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  30. Murphy, Eryn (September 19, 2019). "An Introduction to Bowen Yang and Chloe Finemen of 'Saturday Night Live'". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  31. Wang, Jessica (October 7, 2019). "Here's Everything Bowen Yang Did Before His Breakout 'SNL' Role". Bustle . Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  32. "Man Flawlessly Recreates Iconic 'The Devil Wears Prada' Scene". Time. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  33. 1 2 Chan, Tim (September 16, 2019). "'SNL' Hired Bowen Yang, But It Still Has a Diversity Problem". Rolling Stone . Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  34. 1 2 Street, Mikelle (September 22, 2019). "Emma Stone Fought for That Infamous 'SNL' Gay Porn Parody". Out . Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  35. 1 2 Dommu, Rose (November 21, 2019). "Bowen Yang Is Bringing the Queer Agenda to Television". Out . Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  36. 1 2 3 4 Coleman, Nancy (September 12, 2019). "'S.N.L.' Has Long Lacked Asian Players. One Just Joined the Cast". The New York Times . Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  37. Abad-Santos, Alex (September 13, 2019). "Racist jokes by new SNL cast member Shane Gillis prompt backlash — and a non-apology about "risks"". Vox. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  38. "'Saturday Night Live' Adds Trio to Season 45 Cast". THR. September 12, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  39. Voss, Brandon (September 29, 2019). "Watch Gay Comedian Bowen Yang Shine in "SNL" Season Premiere". NewNowNext . Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  40. 1 2 Kilkenny, Katie (October 5, 2018). "'SNL': Awkwafina to Become First Asian Woman to Host in 18 Years". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  41. "Denny Dillon Reflects on Saturday Night Live's Infamous 6th Season". August 12, 2020.
  42. Shales, Tom; Miller, James Andrew (2002), Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, Back Bay, p. 316, ISBN   0-316-73565-5
  43. Milhiser, John [@JohnMilhiser] (March 16, 2018). "Hey, @thedailybeast I'm pretty sure that I was out and proud as a gay man when I was an SNL cast member for a hot sec. 2nd after Terry. There should be more though. Go see @lovesimonmovie !!! :)" (Tweet). Retrieved March 23, 2018 via Twitter.
  44. Pierce, Robbie X (August 22, 2016). "A Brief LGBT History of 'Saturday Night Live'". The Advocate . Here Media . Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  45. 1 2 Lewis, Sophie (September 13, 2019). "New "SNL" cast member Shane Gillis exposed in videos using racist and homophobic slurs". CBS News . Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  46. 1 2 3 Seemayer, Zach (September 28, 2019). "New 'SNL' Castmembers Bowen Yang & Chloe Fineman Make Impressive Debut". Entertainment Tonight . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  47. Andrews, Travis M. (October 6, 2019). "'We actually built our wall': SNL's Bowen Yang shines as Chinese trade representative on 'Weekend Update'". The Washington Post . Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  48. Fredette, Meagan (February 2, 2020). "Worried About Coronavirus? "SNL" Is Not Here To Make You Feel Any Better". Refinery29 . Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  49. 1 2 Willman, Daniel D'Addario,Kate Aurthur,Ramin Setoodeh,Matt Donnelly,Jazz Tangcay,Adam B. Vary,Caroline Framke,Elizabeth Wagmeister,Marc Malkin,Jem Aswad,Ellise Shafer,Chris; D'Addario, Daniel; Aurthur, Kate; Setoodeh, Ramin; Donnelly, Matt; Tangcay, Jazz; Vary, Adam B.; Framke, Caroline; Wagmeister, Elizabeth (June 2, 2021). "Variety's Power of Pride 2021 List". Variety. Retrieved June 1, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  50. "Saturday Night Live Roasted the NBA over Its Covid Situation, and Bowen Yang Dropped a Yao Ming Impression". January 16, 2022.
  51. Stern, Marlow (October 22, 2023). "'SNL' Cold Open Crashed by George Santos With a Random Baby". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  52. Johnson, Ted (January 22, 2023). "'Saturday Night Live' Spoofs George Santos' Fabulist Claims And His Fabulous Drag Performer Past". Deadline. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  53. "'Fuel up, do more': Bowen Yang of 'SNL' speaks out on anti-Asian hate". NBC News. March 29, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  54. 1 2 Maurice, Emma Powys (November 1, 2021). "Saint Dolly Parton honoured for dedication to queer community in TIME influence list". PinkNews . Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  55. Greene, Steve (November 29, 2018). "Awkwafina Is Getting Her Own Comedy Central Series". IndieWire . Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  56. Pedersen, Erik (September 9, 2019). "Awkwafina's Comedy Central Series Gets A Title; Directors Set". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  57. Lowry, Brian (January 31, 2020). "'Awkwafina is Nora From Queens' doesn't add to its star's current moment". WFSB via CNN . Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  58. White, Peter (May 12, 2022). "'Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens' Renewed For Season 3 At Comedy Central". Deadline. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  59. Cinco Paul [@cincopedia] (January 31, 2020). "I'm making a show called Schmigadoon. It's starring Cecily Strong. It's a musical. I wrote it w/ @KDaurio @allisonsilvermn @julieklausner @thekategersten & Bowen Yang. And I think you're gonna like it" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  60. ""Something Special and Unique and Gay": Your First Look at Fire Island". Vanity Fair. March 4, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  61. Kroll, Justin (February 17, 2022). "Megan Thee Stallion, Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally & 'SNL's Bowen Yang Set For 'F*cking Identical Twins'; Larry Charles Directing Musical For A24 & Chernin Entertainment". Deadline. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  62. "This Breakout Rom-Com Star Is Embracing Big Gay Stereotypes". www.logotv.com. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  63. "Outfest 2020 Film Review: Cicada ★★★★". The Queer Review.
  64. "Bowen Yang, Patti Harrison Help Make 'Lost City' Best Rom-Com in Years". www.out.com. March 25, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  65. Gao, Max (June 7, 2022). "'Fire Island' Wants You to Rethink the Rom-Com". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  66. Donnelly, Matt (November 4, 2021). "Bowen Yang, Harvey Fierstein Join Billy Eichner's Gay Rom-Com 'Bros' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  67. Boyle, Kelli (November 29, 2022). "'Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again' Trailer Brings Back Classic Movie Characters". TV Insider. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  68. "'The Monkey King': Everything You Need to Know About the Animated Movie". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  69. Scorizello, Sophia (August 3, 2023). "'Dicks: The Musical' Trailer: Megan Thee Stallion and Bowen Yang Help Twins Reunite Their Parents in Raunchy A24 Comedy". Variety . Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  70. Grobar, Matt (July 27, 2022). "Conan O'Brien, Bowen Yang, 'Hacks' Breakout Meg Stalter & More Join Uni Buddy Comedy From 'SNL' Trio Please Don't Destroy". Deadline. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  71. Mehra, Vansh (November 23, 2023). "Good Burger 2 Cast: Luna Foxx, Roxanne & All Cameos in The Movie". Yahoo Entertainment . Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  72. Galuppo, Mia (November 7, 2022). "Brett Goldstein, Bowen Yang Join 'Garfield' Animated Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  73. Kroll, Justin (December 9, 2022). "'Wicked' Adaptation At Universal Rounds Out Inclusive All-Star Cast With Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James". Deadline. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  74. Parsad, Sumith (April 23, 2024). "Lily Gladstone to Star in The Wedding Banquet Remake". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  75. "'Gremlins' Star Zach Galligan, Sandra Oh, George Takei & More Join 'Secrets of the Mogwai' Guests". July 22, 2022.
  76. P. Frank, Jason (June 2, 2023). "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Recap: Jimbo's Drag Race". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  77. "Bowen Yang Is Bringing the Queer Agenda to Television". www.out.com. November 21, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  78. Beresford, Trilby (February 11, 2020). "Human Rights Campaign to Honor Bowen Yang With Visibility Award (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  79. Guglielmi, Jodi (November 9, 2021). "Bowen Yang Makes His Sexiest Man Alive Debut — and Reveals What Really Happens at SNL Afterparties". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  80. Earl, William (July 27, 2021). "Just for Laughs 2021 Honorees: Big Names to be Feted at Annual Ceremony". Variety. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  81. Verhoeven, Beatrice (July 7, 2022). "'This Is Us,' 'Succession, 'Severance' Lead 2022 HCA TV Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  82. Zee, Michaela; Malkin, Marc (September 20, 2022). "Fire Island to Receive Gotham Awards' Ensemble Tribute (Exclusive)". Variety.
  83. "'Las Culturistas' Takes Podcast Of The Year Honor At Fifth Annual iHeartPodcast Awards". Inside Radio. March 15, 2023.
  84. Fields, Taylor (December 15, 2022). "2023 iHeartPodcast Awards: See The Full List Of Nominees". iHeart.