Bowen Yang was on “Saturday Night Live” for about seven seasons as an on-air cast member, plus one additional season as a writer before that, for a total of roughly eight seasons with the show overall.

Quick Scoop

  • Bowen Yang first joined SNL as a staff writer in 2018 for the show’s 44th season.
  • He was promoted to the on-air cast starting with the 2019–2020 season (Season 45), becoming the show’s first Chinese American cast member.
  • He remained a cast member for seven seasons, leaving mid-season during what was reported as his eighth overall season at SNL (one as writer, seven as cast).

So, when people ask “how long was Bowen Yang on SNL” , the most accurate nutshell answer is:

He spent about eight seasons with Saturday Night Live in total — one as a writer and seven as a featured/repertory cast member before his mid-season exit in late 2025.

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