“Saturday Night Live” star Aidy Bryant also returned to help say goodbye to the Emmy-nominated actor.

Bowen Yang bursts into tears in final *SNL *episode as Cher comforts him

"Saturday Night Live" star Aidy Bryant also returned to help say goodbye to the Emmy-nominated actor.

By Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm is news director at *. *She has worked at EW for more than eight years. Jillian has previously worked as a reporter, social media editor, and homepage producer at NBC News, Digital First Media, Newsday, and *Random Lengths News.*

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December 21, 2025 8:00 a.m. ET

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Bowen Yang and Cher on 'Saturday Night Live' on Dec. 20, 2025. Credit:

*Saturday Night Live* sent Bowen Yang off with a fittingly hilarious and heartwarming goodbye for his final episode on the show's cast.

The year-end episode was hosted by Yang's friend and *Wicked *costar Ariana Grande, whom he joined in the monologue to sing a rendition of "All I Want for Christmas Is You," with a big reaction from the live studio audience from the moment he appeared.

Next, during "Weekend Update," *SNL *alum Aidy Bryant made a surprise return to join Yang and reprise their fan-favorite characters the Trend Forecasters who haven't been seen since Bryant left the show herself in 2022.

Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang on 'Saturday Night Live'.

Later came a meta sketch featuring Yang as an airport employee on his final day on the job. "They're closing my station, it's my last shift," he said, garnering a huge "awww" from the audience. "It's sad. I'm gonna miss everything about this place. The way it smells, the celebrities who would come through. You know, just last week Josh O'Connor was here."

He gets a call from his wife Rhonda (Grande), who told him, "I'm so proud of you; all the eggnog you've made over the years. Some of it was great, some of it was rotten."

"And a lot of it got cut," he interjected. "You know, I also think eggnog's kinda like me. It's not for everyone, but the people who like it are my kind of people."

Rhonda told him she can't believe her husband is retiring, to which Yang stated, "I just wanted to go out on top." She retorted, "Oh, everyone knows you're a bottom, honey," to rapturous laughter from the crowd.**

"I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here," Yang said, bursting into tears. "I just wanted to enjoy for a little bit longer, especially the people. I've loved every single person who works here because they're done so much for me, especially my boss."

Then, instead of a Lorne Michaels cameo, out walked the night's musical guest, Cher, whom the comedian has called his personal icon and dream *SNL *guest.

"Ma'am, I just want to say it's been an honor working for you and any success I have after this will be thanks to this place," he told her, asking, "Before I go, do you have any feedback for me?"

She replied, "Well, everyone thought you were a little bit too gay. But you know what? You're perfect for me."

That fully broke Yang, who could barely get through the end of a rendition of "Please Come Home for Christmas" as Grande and Cher sang along and embraced him.**

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Yang confirmed earlier in the day that Saturday's show would be his last after he spent six and a half seasons as a cast member. Yang joined *SNL *first in the writers room in 2018 for season 44 before being promoted to the cast for season 45, becoming the first Chinese American cast member and one of only a few out gay stars in the show's history.

He also became the first featured player to be nominated for an acting Emmy with his 2021 nod for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, which he earned three more times over the years.

Yang brought a series of absurdist characters to life on *SNL, *including the Iceberg That Sank the Titanic, the Chinese Spy Balloon, and viral baby pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng. He also did a series of unexpected impressions, including Vice President JD Vance, humorist Fran Lebowitz, and disgraced politician George Santos.

Bowen Yang as The Iceberg That Sank the Titanic on 'SNL' in 2021.

Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Outside of *SNL, *Bowen hosts the popular *Las Culturistas *podcast, and he has starred in* Wicked, Wicked: For Good, Fire Island, Bros, Dicks: The Musical, *and *The Wedding Banquet.***

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

Yang's departure comes after several of his former costars exited ahead of the current season: Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim.

Although rare, this isn't the first time an *SNL* cast member has left midseason. The most notable example in recent years is Cecily Strong, who also said goodbye in the Christmas episode to much onstage fanfare back in 2022. Seth Meyers, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey, and Eddie Murphy also exited before their final season was over.

After a brief winter hiatus, *Saturday Night Live* season 51 will continue with new episodes on Jan. 17, 2026, with host Finn Wolfhard and mustcal guest A$AP Rocky.

Watch Yang's farewell sketch above.

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Source: “EW SNL”