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.
10 hours ago : Bowen Yang Set to Star as Mary Todd Lincoln in Broadway Show Oh, Mary!
Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang will make his Broadway debut. He is taking on the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in the production Oh, Mary!, a project he previously declined.
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.
November 6, 1990: Bowen Yang's Birth
On November 6, 1990, Bowen Yang was born. He is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, and writer.
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.
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.
January 2022: Portrayal of Yao Ming on SNL
In January 2022, Bowen Yang played NBA hall-of-famer Yao Ming in a Saturday Night Live sketch.
2022: Appearances in Fire Island and Bros
In 2022, Bowen Yang appeared in the LGBTQ romantic comedies Fire Island and Bros.
2022: Starring in Fire Island
In 2022, Bowen Yang starred in Fire Island, written by and co-starring his close friend Joel Kim Booster.
2023: Portrayal of George Santos on SNL
Since 2023, Bowen Yang has played embattled Congressman George Santos in multiple Saturday Night Live sketches.
2024: Appearance in Wicked
In 2024, Bowen Yang appeared as Pfannee in the two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked.
September 2025: Film Workers for Palestine boycott pledge
In September 2025, Bowen Yang signed the Film Workers for Palestine boycott pledge.
2025: Most-Nominated Asian Male Performer
In 2025, Bowen Yang became the most-nominated Asian male performer in history with his fourth nomination for NBC's Saturday Night Live.
Mentioned in this timeline
Saturday Night Live SNL is a late-night live sketch comedy...
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China officially the People's Republic of China PRC is located...
George Santos is a former American politician and convicted felon...
Australia officially the Commonwealth of Australia is a country encompassing...
NPR National Public Radio is a prominent American non-profit media...
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