Saturday Night Live rolled out the red carpet to bid farewell to Bowen Yang, celebrating his memorable six-and-a-half-year tenure with an evening filled with humor, emotion, and an unforgettable surprise.

The season finale featured Yang’s good friend and Wicked co-star Ariana Grande as the host. Right from the start, she invited Yang to join her in the opening monologue for a lively rendition of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The audience erupted with applause as soon as Yang stepped on stage, setting a warm, nostalgic tone for the evening dedicated to his contributions to the show.

As the episode drew to a close, Yang took center stage in a cleverly crafted farewell sketch, portraying an airport worker on his last day. “They’re shutting down my station; it’s my last shift,” he announced, eliciting a heartfelt “awww” from the crowd. “I’ll miss everything about this place. The unique smell, the celebrities passing through. Just last week, Josh O’Connor stopped by.”

Grande reappeared in the sketch as Yang’s on-screen wife, Rhonda, offering her support. “I’m so proud of you; all those years of making eggnog. Some batches were fantastic, some not so much.”

Yang quipped back, “And a lot of it got cut. You know, I think eggnog’s a bit like me. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but the ones who appreciate it are my people.”

When Rhonda said she couldn’t believe he was retiring, Yang explained, “I just wanted to go out on top.”

“Oh, everyone knows you’re a bottom, honey,” she shot back, drawing one of the biggest laughs of the night.

The sketch took a more emotional turn as Yang addressed the audience directly. “I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here,” he said through 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’ve done so much for me, especially my boss.”

Instead of a traditional Lorne Michaels cameo, the moment escalated when the night’s musical guest — Cher — walked onstage. The pop legend has long been Yang’s personal icon and dream SNL collaborator, making her appearance especially meaningful.

“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,” Yang told her before asking, “Before I go, do you have any feedback for me?”

“Well, everyone thought you were a little bit too gay,” Cher replied. “But you know what? You’re perfect for me.”

That finally broke him. Yang struggled to finish a rendition of “Please Come Home for Christmas” as Grande and Cher joined in, embracing him as the studio audience roared.

The nostalgia didn’t stop there. During “Weekend Update,” former SNL star Aidy Bryant made a surprise return to reprise the Trend Forecasters alongside Yang. The fan-favorite duo hadn’t appeared together since Bryant’s own departure in 2022, making the sketch an instant crowd-pleaser and a fitting callback to one of Yang’s most beloved recurring bits.

Earlier in the day, Yang confirmed that Saturday’s episode would mark his final appearance as a cast member. He first joined SNL as a writer in 2018 during Season 44 before being promoted to the cast the following year, becoming the show’s first Chinese American cast member and one of the few openly gay performers in its history.

Yang also made SNL history as the first featured player to earn an acting Emmy nomination, scoring his first nod in 2021 for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series — an honor he would receive three more times.

During his tenure, Yang became known for his absurdist, internet-breaking characters, including the Iceberg That Sank the Titanic, the Chinese Spy Balloon, and viral baby pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng. His impression work was just as unpredictable, ranging from Vice President JD Vance to Fran Lebowitz and disgraced politician George Santos.

Outside of SNL, Yang co-hosts the popular Las Culturistas podcast and has appeared in Wicked, Wicked: For Good, Fire Island, Bros, Dicks: The Musical, and The Wedding Banquet.

His exit follows several other recent cast departures, including Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim. While midseason exits are rare, Yang joins a short list of performers — including Cecily Strong, Seth Meyers, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey, and Eddie Murphy — who said goodbye before completing a final season.

After a brief winter hiatus, Saturday Night Live Season 51 returns on January 17, 2026, with Finn Wolfhard set to host and A$AP Rocky as the musical guest.

Watch Bowen Yang’s farewell sketch above.