Summary
Saturday Night Live’s Bowen Yang reveals that one past host upset multiple cast members. Yang joined theSNLteamas a writer in 2018 before being promoted to an on-air cast member a year later in 2019. Since joining the cast, Yang has become a favorite on the series, going on to be nominated forthree Emmys for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Seriesfor hisSaturday Night Livework.
Speaking onWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Yang reveals anSNLhorror story involving a past host.
In the segment, Yang was asked to describe the worst behavior that he had ever witnessed from a host onSaturday Night Live, without naming names. Yang cited a “man,” later correcting to “person” who ended upmaking “multiple cast members cry"on the table read on Wednesday. The reason for this upset was because the host in question “hated the ideas” for the episode. Check out the full quote from Yang below:
“This man who…this person, this host made multiple cast members cry on Wednesday during the, before the table-read, because he hated the ideas. Terrible.”
Who Could Bowen Yang Be Referring To?
Multiple Past SNL Hosts Have Been Controversial
While Yang was asked not to name names regarding the host, he did provide some clue as to who this person may be. For starters, Yang started off byslipping up and saying that it was a “man.“This rules out any pastSNLhosts who were not men, though that still leaves a wide number of people. Because of when Yang began working on the show, it had to be a man who hosted between 2018 and now, and most likely would involve someone with a negative reputation.
One ofthemost controversial hosts in recent memory is Elon Musk.Musk hosted the sketch comedy series in May 2021, and the decision to have the Tesla CEO host was controversial before the episode even aired. Following the announcement that Musk would be hosting, the internet erupted with criticism and memes surrounding the hosting stint, critiquingSNLand mocking the choice. Musk also received criticism for his performance on the show itself for falsely claiming that he was the first person with autism to hostSNL.
Among Musk, other controversial hosts during Yang’s tenure includeBill Burr and David Chappelle. Both are comedians who have drawn ire from a number of communities for their problematic jokes. Chappelle’s 2022 hosting stint went notably poorly, using his monologue slot for a rant about Kanye West and antisemitism, while Burr’s 2020 monologue contained some anti-LGBTQ+ jokes. Either of these jokes could have made Yang and other cast members uncomfortable, and serve as a reminder of how manycontroversialSaturday Night Livehoststhere have been over the years.
Saturday Night Live
Cast
Saturday Night Live is a live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels, premiering in 1975. It features comedy sketches parodying contemporary culture and politics, performed by a rotating cast. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest and includes musical performances.
