As Saturday Night Live (SNL) enters its 45th season, for the first time in the show’s history, a comic of full-Asian descent will join the cast. In the past, SNL has had cast members of Asian descent, but these individuals were only partial Asian or Middle Eastern including Rob Schneider (quarter Filipino), Fred Armisen (quarter Korean), and Nasim Pedrad (Iranian).
Bowen Yang is one of three new recruits that will appear on the sketch comedy series when the new season starts. Yang, who is of Chinese heritage and part of the LGBTQA+ community, joined the show as a staff writer last season, but now he will be the first full East Asian cast member. In addition to SNL, Yang co-hosts the Podcast Las Culturistas and performs on the comedy club circuit. He also contributed his writing talent to the Golden Globes and appeared on Broad City. He’s also known for his lip-sync videos posted on Twitter.
During SNL’s 44th season, in addition to writing for the show, Yang did appear in a sketch where he played North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Yang will be joined by fellow newbies Shane Gillis and Chloe Fineman. Gillis is a controversial addition to the cast given his alleged racist past with joking about Chinese people, but NBC has yet to comment on the issue, but Gillis has apologized.
SNL’s new season begins September 28, 2019. Are you looking forward to Yang’s new role?
—-Olivia Murray
User Review
( votes)Related Articles
Lee Michelle Returns With New Digital Single – “Lost In You” That Is Sure To Make Your Playlist!
Powerful vocal Korean soloist, Lee Michelle has returned with what some are calling a “Groovy R&B” sound with her digital single, “Lost... Read More
Korean Singer-Songwriter GSoul Releases First-Ever English EP
WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “NATURAL” LISTEN TO THE FULL EP “NATURAL” We’ve got something to celebrate! South Korean singer and... Read More
BTS Earns 2022 Grammy Awards Nomination For Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
BTS has been nominated again for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for its Billboard No.1 hit "Butter", according to... Read More
Japanese boyband BE:FIRST’s debut song ‘Gifted.’ hits No.2 on the Billboard US Hot Trending Songs global chart!
Seven-member dance and vocal group BE:FIRST formed on the hit Japanese TV audition show ‘THE FIRST’. Now, their November 3 debut single... Read More
Mondo Grosso and KLKTN Unveil NFT Audio Stem Player “SMPLR,” a First-of-Its-Kind Experience
LOS ANGELES and TOKYO, November 15, 2021 -- Shinichi Osawa, a world-renowned musician, composer, and producer best known under his stage name... Read More
Japan’s pioneering MONDO GROSSO release ‘MONDO GROSSO OFFICAL BEST’, alongside video for all-new Japanese version of ‘Everything Needs Love feat. BoA’!
Since forming as a band in 1991 and later becoming a solo project for Shinichi Osawa, MONDO GROSSO has been a fixture of the music scene in not... Read More
Dreamcatcher Raised the Bar for Online Concerts with ”HALLOWEEN MIDNIGHT CIRCUS”
Dreamcatcher turned the night of October 30th into their own spooky celebrations party with jaw-dropping performances backed by a live band... Read More
Kaz from Tokyo boyband INTERSECTION releases gospel-infused music video for ‘Summer is Over’
INTERSECTION member Kaz has released a music video for ‘Summer is Over’, the closing track on his debut solo EP ‘CODE LOVE’, which was... Read More
FAKY’s AKINA releases new single “FUTURE” produced by LUCKY TAPES’s Kai Takahashi and will perform it online at “Rolling Stone on Twitch” live stream as the first Japanese female artists to be featured
AKINA, member of Japanese Girl Group FAKY, has released a new single “FUTURE”. She is a Half American and half Japanese singer-songwriter who... Read More
Leave a Reply