Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Bowen Yang

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: November 10, 2025

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Bowen Yang made an impact.

Bowen Yang is an American actor, comedian, writer, and podcaster known for his work on Saturday Night Live (SNL). He joined SNL as a writer in 2018 and was promoted to a featured player in 2019, becoming the first SNL featured player to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2021. He was promoted to repertory status before the 47th season. His contributions span both writing and performing, solidifying his presence in the entertainment industry.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

2013: Graphic Designer at One Kings Lane

In 2013, Bowen Yang began working at One Kings Lane, a luxury interior and home design website, as a graphic designer.

2016: Las Culturistas Podcast Premiere

In 2016, the podcast Las Culturistas, co-hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, premiered.

September 2018: Joined Saturday Night Live as a Writer

In September 2018, Bowen Yang joined the writing staff of NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) ahead of its 44th season.

2018: Departure from One Kings Lane

In 2018, Bowen Yang departed from One Kings Lane.

2018: Hired as Writer for Saturday Night Live

In 2018, Bowen Yang was hired as a staff writer for Saturday Night Live for the show's 44th season.

September 2019: Over 300 Episodes of Las Culturistas

As of September 2019, the podcast Las Culturistas, co-hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, has over 300 episodes.

September 2019: Promotion to Featured Player on SNL

In September 2019, Bowen Yang was promoted to featured player on Saturday Night Live for the 45th season.

September 28, 2019: First Episode as SNL Cast Member

On September 28, 2019, Bowen Yang's first episode as a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live aired, featuring Woody Harrelson as host.

October 2019: Weekend Update Debut

In October 2019, Bowen 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.

2019: Viral Twitter Posts

In 2019, Bowen Yang received press coverage for his viral Twitter posts of "expertly-timed lip-sync videos of famous movie scenes".

2019: Writing Credits on Saturday Night Live

In 2019, Bowen Yang received writing credits on 21 episodes of Saturday Night Live.

January 2020: Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens Premiere

In January 2020, Bowen Yang appeared in Comedy Central's Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens as Nora Lin's mobile app-developer cousin.

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September 2021: Guest on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

In September 2021, Bowen Yang appeared as a guest on the NPR news quiz Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!

September 2021: Promotion to Repertory Status on SNL

In September 2021, Bowen Yang was promoted to repertory status at the start of Saturday Night Live's 47th season.

2021: First SNL Featured Player Emmy Nomination

In 2021, Bowen Yang became the first SNL featured player to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

2021: Speaking Out Against Anti-Asian Violence and Time 100

In 2021, Bowen Yang spoke out against violence against Asian-Americans during a Weekend Update segment and appeared on the Time 100, Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.