Following the departure announcements for longtime cast members Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney, breakout star Bowen Yang detailed the “so emotional” last day on set with the Season 47 cast during May 21 finale. Davidson, McKinnon, Mooney, and Bryant were “distinct presences, distinct voices, and four people who were sort of the best to ever do it,” Yang told Entertainment Tonight. “It is just these four people who have defined what that show is in the last decade,” Yang added, citing that McKinnon had been on the show for 11 seasons, Bryant for 10, Mooney for nine, and Davidson for eight. Yang joined “SNL” in 2018 as a writer and recently completed his second season as an on-air cast member.
“I haven’t worked there when they haven’t,” the “Fire Island” star said. “So, it’s going to be an interesting sort of envisioning of the show and recalibration. But I’m excited to see where it goes.”
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“SNL” creator Lorne Michaels previously hinted that this year would be a “year of change” for the live sketch comedy series, with Season 47 featuring the largest “SNL” ensemble cast to date.
Davidson, who is staying within the NBCUniversal family with the upcoming Peacock autobiographical comedy series “Bupkis,” shared that he was “super scared” at going “toe to toe” with great sketch performers Kenan Thompson or Kate McKinnon when he joined “SNL” at just 20 years old.
“I got to share so much with this audience and literally grow up in front of your eyes,” Davidson, the live comedy show’s “resident young person,” wrote on Instagram. “We were together through the good and the bad, the happiest and the darkest of times. I owe Lorne Michaels and everyone at ‘SNL’ my life. I’m so grateful and I wouldn’t be here without them. I appreciate you guys always having my back and sticking up for me even when that wasn’t the popular opinion.”
The viral star added, “‘SNL’ is my home. I’m so happy and sad about tonight’s show. For so many reasons I can’t explain. Can’t wait to be back next year in a [John] Mulaney musical number.”
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