Bowen Yang
Teary-Eyed In Emotional Final ‘SNL’ Sketch
…With Help from Ariana Grande, Cher
Published
December 21, 2025
6:07 AM PST
Bowen Yang bawled like a baby during his final “Saturday Night Live” sketch, hours after confirming he was moving on from the show.
Check out his touching final scene — he plays a Delta One Lounge employee working his last shift, an obvious parallel to his real-life situation. He gets a phone call from Ariana Grande, and they reminisce about all the “eggnog” he’s made over the years … another obvious parallel to the sketches he’s contributed to over this 7-year run on the show. He and Ariana then break out into song, dueting Charles Brown’s 1960 song “Please Come Home for Christmas.”
His “Wicked” co-star then joins him right before he breaks down in tears, saying how much he loved working at the Delta One Lounge. He raves … “I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here, and I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer. Especially the people. I’ve loved every single person who works here, because they’ve done so much for me, especially my boss.”
His words echo those of the “goodbye” letter to ‘SNL’ he posted Saturday afternoon, in which he thanked all of his co-workers for their support over the years … plus his boss, ‘SNL’ creator Lorne Michaels.
In the touching scene, Cher plays his boss — the “CEO of Eggnog at Delta” — who offers some laughter amid the high emotion. Bowen asks her for some feedback, to which she replies … “Well, everyone thought you were a little bit too gay. But you know what? You’re perfect for me.”
The scene wraps with some more song as Bowen’s character continues crying, with Ariana and Cher both hugging him.
Bowen took his final bow at Studio 8H in the iconic 30 Rock building one day after we confirmed the news he’d be exiting the show. It’s unclear why he is departing mid-season.
He’s enjoyed a successful tenure on ‘SNL,’ first being hired as a writer in 2018 and making his debut on the cast the following year. He’s also earned 5 Primetime Emmy nominations — 1 as a writer and 4 as a supporting actor in a comedy series.
