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Matt Rogers shared insight into what led his longtime friend and Las Culturistas podcast co-host, Bowen Yang, to exit Saturday Night Live
"Seven and a half years on the show, five Emmy nominations, countless memorable characters and sketches," Rogers reflected of Yang's successes before leaving on the Monday, Jan. 5 episode of Today with Jenna & Friends, adding, "I think then there was the opportunity for an episode with Ariana and Cher, what was he supposed to do, stay after that?"
"I think that's what makes it so hard to say goodbye is you know that what you have in the day in and day out is so good but sometimes you do have to leave the party just a little bit early," Rogers explained
Matt Rogersis sharing some insight into what led his longtime friend andLas Culturistaspodcast co-host,Bowen Yang, to exitSaturday Night Live.
Yang's final episode of the NBC sketch comedy show aired Dec. 21 with hostAriana Grandeand musical guestCher.
"Seven and a half years on the show, I know a lot of people are surprised because they feel like he's such a fixture, but seven and a half years on the show, five Emmy nominations, countless memorable characters and sketches," Rogers reflected of Yang on the Monday, Jan. 5 episode ofToday with Jenna & Friends. "And he was there for the 50th. And I think then there was the opportunity for an episode with Ariana and Cher, what was he supposed to do, stay after that?"
Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty
Yang, who joined the cast ofSNLas a writer in 2019, has recently gone on to blockbuster success with his role as Pfannee in bothWickedfilms.
And while he felt it was right move, Rogers noted that the exit was "hard" for Yang.
"I think that's what makes it so hard to say goodbye, is you know that what you have in the day in and day out is so good but sometimes you do have to leave the party just a little bit early," Rogers explained. "You don't want to be the last one."
Will Heath/NBC via Getty
He praised Yang, adding, "Against a lot of odds [he] became the face of that show. I told him at the end, 'Not only did you succeed here, you thrived here,' and I just, I couldn't be prouder of him."
As for next steps, Rogers said, "The good news is we're busy as hell now," revealing that theirTwo Guys, Five Ringspodcast will be returning to the 2026 Milan Olympics next month.
Will Heath/NBC
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Yang joinedSNLin 2019, becoming the series' first Chinese American cast member. At the time, he was one ofSNL's first openly gay stars.
Yang addressed hisSNLexit in a Dec. 20Instagram post, ahead of his final appearance on the show. "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," he wrote in his caption.
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