History of Bowen Yang in Timeline

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.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1975: Start of Saturday Night Live

Since the start of Saturday Night Live in 1975, there has been comparatively low representation of LGBTQ on-air cast and guest hosts.

1986: Family Emigration from China

In 1986, Bowen Yang's family emigrated from China to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

November 6, 1990: Bowen Yang's Birth

On November 6, 1990, Bowen Yang was born. He is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, and writer.

Others born on this day/year

2008: High School Graduation

In 2008, Bowen Yang graduated from high school. He was named homecoming king and voted "Most Likely to Be a Cast Member on Saturday Night Live".

2008: Moved to New York City to Attend NYU

In 2008, Bowen Yang moved to New York City and joined his sister at NYU.

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: Study of SNL Host Demographics

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".

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.

2018: Las Culturistas Shorty Award Nomination

In 2018, Las Culturistas was nominated for a Shorty Award recognizing the best in social media.

January 2019: Forbes 30 Under 30

In January 2019, Bowen Yang was named to Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list.

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.

Loading Video...

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.

2021: Variety's Power of Pride List and Emmy Nomination

In 2021, Bowen Yang was listed No. 2 in Variety's Power of Pride list of most influential queer artists in Hollywood, and he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.