Bowen Yang (born November 6, 1990) is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, and writer. Yang was hired to join the writing staff of the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
series ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' in September 2018, ahead of its
44th season, and a year later was promoted to on-air cast status for ''SNL''
's
45th season. He made history in 2021 becoming the first ''SNL'' featured player to be nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
(in the Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category).
He was promoted to repertory status before the
47th season.
Yang has appeared in the television series ''
Girls5Eva'', ''
Ziwe'', and ''
The Other Two'', and was recurring on ''
Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens''. He is also known for his appearances in the
LGBTQ
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
romantic comedies ''
Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy once again divided Fire Island into two islands. Together, these two isl ...
'' and ''
Bros'', both released in 2022, and in the 2024 musical fantasy film ''
Wicked''. He co-hosts a comedy pop-culture podcast, ''
Las Culturistas,'' with
Matt Rogers.
In January 2019, he was named to ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' magazine's
30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list.
Early life and education
Yang was born in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
,
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia, to a family that had
emigrated from China in 1986.
His father, Ruilin, was raised in a rural part of the Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
region of mainland China
"Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
, growing up in a straw and mud hut. Yang's mother, from Shenyang
Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...
, was a highly educated, now retired physician who was an obstetrician-gynecologist in China before working in diagnostics
Diagnosis (: diagnoses) is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in a lot of different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " cause and effect". ...
. The couple moved to Brisbane so Ruilin could earn his doctorate in mining explosives.
Yang has an older sister.[ The children spoke ]Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
in their home, and attended Chinese Sunday school. When Bowen was six months old, the family moved to Canada and eventually settled in Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, where Bowen first discovered ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' (''SNL''). When he was nine, they moved again, to Aurora, Colorado
Aurora (, ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, Arapahoe, Adams County, Colorado, Adams, and Douglas County, Colorado, Douglas List of counties in Colorado, counti ...
. As a child, he was drawn to late-night comedians and hosts David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...
and Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'B ...
.
Yang's high school calculus
Calculus is the mathematics, mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithmetic operations.
Originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the ...
teacher, Adrian Holguin, was also his coach for Smoky Hill High School
Smoky Hill High School, commonly Smoky or SHHS, is located in Aurora, Colorado, United States. It has an attendance of 2,133. Smoky Hill is part of the Cherry Creek School District and was the second high school built by the district in 1974.
T ...
's improvisational comedy group, Spontaneous Combustion. Yang graduated from high school in 2008. He was named homecoming king and also voted "Most Likely to Be a Cast Member on ''Saturday Night Live''" in his high school's yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of Annual publication, a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually ...
.
When he was seventeen, Yang's father found out his son was gay from an "open chat window" on the family's computer. His parents were not receptive to the news, stating that such things " did not happen in China". Yang's father cried often over the revelation and, being non-religious but wanting to "solve problems", arranged for him to attend eight sessions of gay conversion therapy
Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have bee ...
. He agreed to attend the sessions to appease his parents, who said they would otherwise not allow him to move to New York to attend New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
, which his sister was already attending.[ He was immediately alarmed by the counselor's mix of religion and use of pseudo-scientific reasoning to explain away positive homosexual manifestations.] In an interview for ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Maureen Dowd
Maureen Brigid Dowd (; born January 14, 1952) is an American columnist for ''The New York Times'' and an author.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Dowd worked for ''The Washington Star'' and ''Time'', writing news, sports and feature articles. ...
questioned why his parents, both scientists, did not see the disconnection. Bowen said, "It was a cultural thing for them, this cultural value around masculinity, around keeping the family line going, keeping certain things holy and sacred." He also said "It was me wanting to meet them halfway but realizing it had to be pretty absolute. It was an either-or thing."
In 2008, Yang moved to New York City and joined his sister at NYU.[ His father assigned her to chaperone him during this period as Bowen tried " straightness on for size and fail dmiserably."] He came to accept being gay, incorporating it into his comedy, and hoped his parents would learn to accept that aspect of him. They have since found a truce and enjoy a "great relationship." At NYU, he was in the improv group Dangerbox, and he occasionally performed with Stephanie Hsu, a member of the school's sketch comedy group.
Yang was inspired by Sandra Oh
Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Rita Wu in ''Arliss (TV series), Arliss'' (1996–2002), Cristina Yang in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–14), and Eve Polastri in ''Kill ...
's character Cristina Yang
Cristina Yang, Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which has aired for 20 seasons on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the ...
on ''Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' for her neurotic and relentless pursuits, and aspired to be a doctor. He went to pre-med classes and graduated from NYU with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. After realizing he was actually inspired by Oh for her acting ability, he decided to pursue a career in comedy instead. At NYU, he met Matt Rogers, with whom he started '' Las Culturistas'', a weekly comedy podcast where Yang "unapologetically expresses his personality, story and himself by sharing his experiences as a member of the LGBTQ community".
Career
Early career
Yang taught himself Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc., Adobe for Microsoft Windows, Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas Knoll, Thomas and John Knoll. It is the most used tool for professional digital ...
and graphic design
Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...
software and later worked at One Kings Lane, a luxury interior and home design website, from 2013 to 2018 as a graphic designer. The company was flexible with Yang's time-off needs for comedy. Yang has also performed improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade
The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Amy Poehler, Matthew Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, ...
. During this time, Yang designed graphics for his own shows and for his friends' comedy shows.
The podcast
A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
that Yang co-hosts with Matt Rogers, '' Las Culturistas'', is described by ''Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
'' as both "delightfully screwy" and a "two-headed snark
Snark may refer to:
Fictional creatures
* Snark (Lewis Carroll), a fictional animal species in Lewis Carroll's ''The Hunting of the Snark'' (1876)
* Zn'rx, a race of fictional aliens in Marvel Comics publications, commonly referred to as "Snarks ...
routine". The podcast premiered in 2016 and , has over 300 episodes. Each one opens with an interview with a pop culture guest, then goes to one-minute rounds of "I Don't Think So, Honey!" (IDTSH) where the hosts and guests each expound on pet peeves. IDTSH has also morphed into its own live show. Yang credits the ''Las Culturistas'' podcast with Rogers for building his fanbase
A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of ...
. In 2018 it was nominated for a Shorty Award recognizing the best in social media.
Yang appeared in shows such as Comedy Central's ''Broad City
''Broad City'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. It was developed from their independent web series of the same name, which was produced between 2009 and 2011. The sitcom, like the web serie ...
'', a Vimeo
Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...
web series '' The Outs'', and the HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
web comedy ''High Maintenance
''High Maintenance'' is an American anthology comedy-drama television and web series created by ex-husband and wife team Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld. The show follows The Guy, a cannabis courier (played by Sinclair), as he delivers his p ...
''. He was a supporting cast member in the 2019 film ''Isn't It Romantic''. Yang performed stand-up on HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
's '' 2 Dope Queens.'' He played fashion designer Alexander Wang in a sketch series on Comedy Central, ''Up Next.'' In 2019, Yang received press coverage for his viral Twitter posts consisting of "expertly-timed lip-sync
Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements ...
videos of famous movie scenes", in which he "reproduces dialogue from diva
Diva (, ) is the Latin word for a goddess. Diva is a name from Roman mythology, and is associated with the nouns divus, diva, which means god, goddess, and the adjective divinius, which means divine or heavenly. It has often been used to refer t ...
scenes" and well-known moments in popular culture. Past videos featured a monologue by Miranda Priestly in ''The Devil Wears Prada'', Tyra Banks
Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15 and was the first Black A ...
yelling at contestant Tiffany Richardson on ''America's Next Top Model
''America's Next Top Model'' (abbreviated ''ANTM'' and ''Top Model'') is an American reality television series and interactive competition in which a number of aspiring models compete for the title of "America's Next Top Model" and a chance to b ...
'', and a viral video of Cardi B
Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female rappers. From 2015 to early 2017, she ga ...
talking about the 2019 government shutdown. Each garnered thousands of likes and retweet
A tweet (officially known as a post since 2023) is a short status update on the social networking site Twitter (officially known as X since 2023) which can include Image, images, Video, videos, GIFs, straw polls, hashtags, Mention (blogging), m ...
s.
''Saturday Night Live''
As writer: 2018
In 2018, Yang was hired as a staff writer
In journalism, a staff writer byline indicates that the author of the article is an employee of the periodical, as opposed to being an independent freelance writer. In Britain, staff writers may work in the office instead of traveling to cover a ...
on ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' for the show's 44th season. He said he "always loved ''SNL'' growing up, but had trouble imagining himself on the show, because he'd never seen people who looked like him associated with the series". Yang has writing credits on 21 episodes of the show for the 2018–2019 season. His writing included: "GP Yass", a play on a vehicle's GPS navigation device
A satellite navigation (satnav) device or GPS device is a device that uses satellites of the Global Positioning System (GPS) or similar global navigation satellite systems (GNSS).
A satnav device can determine the user's geographic coordinat ...
that utilizes drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...
s to deliver driving directions; and two sketches co-written with Julio Torres
Julio Torres (born February 11, 1987) is a Salvadoran-American writer, comedian, and actor. He is known as a writer for ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the co-creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO series '' Los Espookys'' and '' Fant ...
, which features Yang's talent for infusing "drama, tension, and exquisite backstory" into an everyday activity like paying bills in "Cheques" with Sandra Oh
Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Rita Wu in ''Arliss (TV series), Arliss'' (1996–2002), Cristina Yang in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–14), and Eve Polastri in ''Kill ...
, and an actress doing a cameo in a gay pornography
Gay pornography is the representation of Sexual practices between men, sexual activity between males with the primary goal to sexual arousal, sexually arouse its audience. Softcore pornography, Softcore gay pornography also exists; which at o ...
film, "The Actress" with Emma Stone
Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress and film producer. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2017, she was the world's highest-paid actr ...
. "The Actress" was hailed by Out as the "gayest ''SNL'' sketch of all-time," and featured Stone as an earnest method actress taking her role as a cheated-on housewife too seriously alongside real-life gay porn actor Ty Mitchell. The pre-tape—so-called as it is filmed days ahead rather than acted live—was championed by Stone to be included on air. ''SNL'' creator Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian and American television writer and film producer. He created and produced ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and produced the ''Late Night (franchise) ...
knew Yang would be an on-air talent but wanted him to be comfortable on their stage first. Yang made a cameo appearance during the Sandra Oh
Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Rita Wu in ''Arliss (TV series), Arliss'' (1996–2002), Cristina Yang in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–14), and Eve Polastri in ''Kill ...
/Tame Impala
Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian singer and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker (musician), Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring a ...
episode as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un
Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...
while Oh played his translator.
As on-air cast: 2019–present
In September 2019, Yang was promoted to featured player for the 45th season, alongside improviser Chloe Fineman
Chloe Rose Fineman (born July 20, 1988) is an American actress and comedian. She became a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' starting in its Saturday Night Live (season 45), 45th season in September 2019, and ...
, both of whom were promoted to repertory status at the start of the show's 47th season in September 2021. Yang is the show's first ever Chinese-American cast member, and third gay male cast member after Terry Sweeney and John Milhiser
John Milhiser (born November 29, 1981) is an American actor and comedian. He first garnered attention for his work as a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch group Serious Lunch, before achieving further notice for his brief stint as a c ...
.
''SNL'' has had "little representation from Asian actors, as cast members or hosts" over several decades. Up until Yang's promotion there had been only three cast members, and six hosts who were of Asian descent. A 2016 study of ''SNL'' revealed: 90% of 1975–2016's show hosts (826 total) were white, 6.8% were black, 1.2% were Hispanic, and 1.1% were labelled "other". Similarly, ''SNL'' has had comparatively low representation of LGBTQ on-air cast and guest hosts since the series started in 1975. Yang is the third gay male, and sixth LGBTQ
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
cast member. The announcement of Yang's casting on ''Saturday Night Live'' was reported internationally, and within hours was overshadowed by revelations that comedian Shane Gillis, who had been hired at the same time, aired homophobic
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
and anti-Asian jokes. Gillis issued an apology, but within days was fired by ''SNL''.
Yang's first episode as a regular cast member was the season's opening episode September 28, 2019, with host Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...
. Notably he was included in the show's cold open
A cold open (also called a teaser sequence) is a narrative technique used in television and films. It is the practice of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. In North ...
playing Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...
giving advice to Trump on handling the Ukraine controversy including the whistleblower who helped trigger the 2019 impeachment hearings. In other sketches he portrayed Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, political commentator, and author. He founded the political party and action committee Forward Party (United States), Forward Party in 2021, for which he serves ...
in a parody town hall debate, and was an extra in a mock movie trailer for ''Downton Abbey''. In October 2019, Yang made his debut on ''Weekend Update
''Weekend Update'' is a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast and been featu ...
'' (''WU''), as Chinese trade representative Chen "Trade Daddy" Biao in a segment about Donald Trump's trade war that was "brief, funny and took some clever satirical
Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
shots". Yang's Biao character returned to ''WU'' as the newly appointed health minister for the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
which he unconvincingly tries to assure China has in control. Perhaps his "filthiest" sketch, also co-written with friend Julio Torres
Julio Torres (born February 11, 1987) is a Salvadoran-American writer, comedian, and actor. He is known as a writer for ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the co-creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO series '' Los Espookys'' and '' Fant ...
, was for guest host Harry Styles
Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture.
Styles's musical ca ...
as an incompetent Sara Lee Corporation
The Sara Lee Corporation was an American consumer-goods company based in Downers Grove, Illinois. The Sara Lee name was used of a number of frozen and packaged foods, often known for the long-running slogan "Everybody doesn't like something, b ...
social media manager who mixes up his own gay BDSM
BDSM is a variety of often Eroticism, erotic practices or Sexual roleplay, roleplaying involving Bondage (BDSM), bondage, Discipline (BDSM), discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given ...
account on Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
with the company's "wholesome bread brand". He was listed No. 2 in '' Variety'''s Power of Pride list of most influential queer artists in Hollywood in 2021. The same year, Yang was nominated for a . He is the first featured player to ever be nominated. He also played NBA hall-of-famer Yao Ming
Yao Ming ( zh, c=姚明; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Baske ...
in January 2022. Since 2023 he has also played embattled Congressman George Santos in multiple sketches which have received critical praise.
In 2021, Yang was applauded for speaking out on the recent surge in violence against Asian-Americans during a Weekend Update segment. He told audiences to "fuel up" (using the Chinese cheer '' Jiayou'') and do more for Asian Americans. Also in 2021, he appeared on the ''Time'' 100, ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
''s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Other work
Yang plays Nora Lin's mobile app-developer cousin in the Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
sitcom '' Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens'', which premiered in January 2020 and was renewed for a third season in 2022. Yang is a writer on the Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...
musical comedy series ''Schmigadoon!
''Schmigadoon!'' is an American musical comedy television series created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, with all songs written by Paul, who also serves as showrunner. The Apple TV+ series premiered July 16, 2021, starring an ensemble cast led b ...
'', which stars his former ''SNL'' castmate Cecily Strong
Cecily Legler Strong (born February 8, 1984) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2012 to 2022. She is the longest-tenured female cast member in the show's histor ...
. In September 2021, he appeared as a guest on the NPR news quiz '' Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' In 2022 he starred in ''Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy once again divided Fire Island into two islands. Together, these two isl ...
,'' written by and co-starring his close friend Joel Kim Booster, whom he met at the beginning of his comedy career''.'' He appeared in the 2022 film '' Bros'' and is part of the cast of '' Dicks: The Musical'' with Aaron Jackson, Josh Sharp, and Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter.
Megan initially gained recognition when videos of her freestyling began to circulate widely on social me ...
. Yang appears as Pfannee in the two-part film adaptation of the musical '' Wicked'', released in 2024. He will reprise the role in its sequel, '' Wicked: For Good''.
Filmography
Film
Television
Writer
Accolades
* 2019 – ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list
* 2019 – ''Out'' 100 Entertainer of the Year list
* 2020 – Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for L ...
Visibility Award
* 2021 – ''People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' Sexiest Man Alive
* 2021 – '' Variety'' Power of Pride list
* 2021 – ''Time'' 100 Most Influential People
* 2021 – Just for Laughs Breakout Comedy Star of the Year
See also
* LGBT culture in New York City
New York City has been described as the gay village, gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ political sociology, sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Br ...
* List of LGBT people from New York City
New York City has been described as the gay village, gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ political sociology, sociopolitical ecosystem. It is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ populations. LGBTQ ...
Explanatory notes
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Bowen
1990 births
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American LGBTQ people
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American screenwriters
American comedians of Chinese descent
American comedy podcasters
American comedy writers
American gay actors
American gay writers
American LGBTQ comedians
American LGBTQ people of Asian descent
American LGBTQ screenwriters
American male actors of Chinese descent
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male screenwriters
American male television actors
American male television writers
American male voice actors
American sketch comedians
American television writers
Australian emigrants to the United States
Comedians from Brisbane
Comedians from Colorado
Comedians from Montreal
Comedians from New York City
Gay comedians
Gay screenwriters
LGBTQ people from Colorado
LGBTQ people from New York (state)
Living people
Male actors from Brisbane
Male actors from Colorado
Male actors from New York City
New York University College of Arts & Science alumni
People from Aurora, Colorado
Screenwriters from Colorado
Screenwriters from New York (state)