Bowen Yang weighs in on the loss of “distinct presences” on Saturday Night Live

Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson were four of "the best to ever do it," says Yang

By Mary Kate Carr | June 2, 2022 | 2:48pm

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Bowen Yang weighs in on the loss of “distinct presences” on Saturday Night Live

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Saturday Night Live audiences are sure to miss Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson–and so will fellow cast member Bowen Yang. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Yang called the departing stars “distinct presences, distinct voices, and four people who were sort of the best to ever do it.”

“It is just these four people who have defined what that show is in the last decade,” he said. McKinnon is reportedly the longest tenured female cast member in the show’s history with 11 seasons under her belt. Bryant was on the show for 10 seasons, Mooney for nine, and Davidson for eight.

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“I haven’t worked there when they haven’t,” reflected relative newcomer Yang (who joined the show as a writer in 2018 and became a cast member the following season). “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.”

During the group’s final episode, Yang and Bryant shared a last hurrah for their newly popular recurring “Weekend Update” characters, the Trend Forecasters. During the segment, the Shrill star gave a nod to her departure by joking, “In: 10 nice years,” while Yang added, “In: A friend I couldn’t have done this without.”

In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Yang said the bit is officially retired (for now). “Honestly, I would never dream of doing it without Aidy,” he said. “So, I feel like the next time we do it is when Aidy comes back to host. And I feel like that day will be much sooner than we think, or I hope it’s much sooner than I think because she is just going to be everyone’s boss at some point in show business. So, I feel like she’ll have her moment to come back, hopefully, and that maybe, if everything aligns correctly, we’ll do it again.”