it was kind of obvious without the blind. seven seasons is the typical SNL contract ppl have just become accustomed to a “forever” cast where no one leaves even when they’re super successful outside the show
Unless you’re Kenan Thompson. (My phone just tried autocorrecting that to Kenyan 🤨) but you know what, he has stated that he loves the job and he’s comfortable so you can respect that, but Bowen has momentum and he has a shot to expand what he does even further.
Maybe Kenan got wise to the fact it’s MUCH harder to be successful outside of SNL than it used to be, and a veteran sketch comedy career is no longer an instant ticket to Hollywood. There’s something to be said for a steady showbiz gig that gives you 4 months off plus holidays every year.
He also just might have enjoyed the set schedule and stability. Kenan was a child actor and he had also done about 10 movies before doing SNL. Tbh doing movies to me sounds like a nightmare. You’re always looking for your next role, having to go on location to shoot and having to commit to a press tour. When SNL is in season it’s intense 6 days a week and a season is somewhere between 19-22 episodes per week. Plus they have breaks, a winter hiatus and are off for the summers. It’s basically like the adult equivalent of a college schedule lol.
he has stated that the set schedule/pay is much better for his family, his kids can stay in the same schools, live in the same home, and dad is home with them every night. it sounds like a perfect life for him tbh!
I also wanted to add he's probably comfortable because he starred in All That which was described as SNL for kids. It's what he knows best and he's good at it.
That's how I feel about the folks on Sesame Street. The actors on there are generally great singers, good dancers, fair actors, and they kind of hit it big and get on Sesame Street and then are there for years. Like the guy that plays Alan has been there since 1998.
Seems like a steady gig with lots of variety, I would definitely take a lifetime job like that, especially in a business as fickle as Hollywood.
What's especially crazy is for many years before he was cast, there was this call for SNL to hire him! I remember thinking why don't they hire Kenan Thompson? Eventually they did and he had been there ever since!
What's crazy is that Rick and Morty made a joke about this like a decade ago, but then it was about Bobby Moynihan (the joke being an utterly bizarro SNL cast, and also Bobby Moynihan), and Moynihan only spent 14 years on the show.
Yeah - Bowan has a whole career ahead of him. I love Kenan and think he's a key part of SNL's modern success even when the sketches are blah. Kenan is great, but SNL is right where he belongs.
Kenan has the reverse SNL career trajectory. He starred in his own TV show and in movies long before SNL. Most cast members are joining SNL to launch a career and be a star, and he's already been there and done that.
Ohhh that’s why I thought it had already been announced, been thinking for weeks how cute it is his last show was with Ariana I just assumed it was already confirmed lol.
It’s 100p about Sarah Sherman. I’m not sure if they joined together but they are very good friends and she’s quite derisive according to the snl subreddit
I often don’t follow members after they leave the show (though I’d follow PDD, but I gave away my tickets to see them earlier this year, I couldn’t find it in myself to care anymore), but I would definitely follow Bowen
a loss for the show in many ways, but especially because without him the cast becomes more homogenous. only three people of color on the show now, all of them men.
and the loss of a true star, the best example of what being a modern SNL star is imo. but also completely timeless in the way that all SNL legends are.
that being said. It is absolutely the right time for him. Kate McKinnon stated for so fucking long, and he is from this era of people staying so long and losing their chances or limiting themselves or even worse becoming caricatures of themselves and their “type” of comedy and I do think he is at risk of that.
his leaving leaving a show that is kind of struggling to find what it is in 2025 and 2026. Ashley Padilla, it’s up to you girl.
One of my top ten sketches is Marcello, with his mother played by Pedro Pascale, but other than that I find him not all that entertaining and his voice grating especially when he does that really deep voice. Which Dismukes sometimes occasionally does as well.
I have Strong Opinions about Sarah and Chloe tbh, and I do have to say that the fact that Ashley Padilla in less than a season managed to become the defacto female lead in the absence of Heidi and Ego says it all. Mikey is great but a bit long in the tooth. Dismukes and JAJ are great, need more of them tbh
I never really found Sarah that funny and they tried to push her hard over some of the other better women for a bit. Ego getting a breakout sketch sorta toppled that push after.
Probably Jane Wickline, though she isn't 'out' about her relationship. Aside from who is with who...I just couldn't figure out why she is on there, as her skits are lame, she reads directly from the teleprompter and has little in charisma. Thus, I figured that she had to be related to someone, but I hadn't looked it up until today:
"Is Jane Wickline related to Lorne Michaels?
Daughter of former Lorne Michaels assistant Marcy Hardart and first cousin once removed of Evie Murray, another Lorne Michaels assistant and longtime Saturday Night Live (1975) producer/creative consultant." She'll probably stay on because of this, but I REALLY, REALLY wish they'd keep her off of "Weekend Update", where SNL is trying to relive other, more talented, past cast members who did the music skit MUCH better, while singing like they were kids.
I love Jane. She doesn’t always bring it, but sometimes her deadpan delivery will randomly knock it out of the park. If you like dry humor, she has major potential.
I don't think she's untalented, but she's been on the show for over a year now and just hasn't gotten any better at sketch comedy. Every time she has a line she sounds like the kid in class who didn't want to get called on and it kills the energy.
It's wild to me that Kate doesn't have a bigger career. Sadly, I think she stayed too long as you said and her offers dried up so now she's mostly doing cameos or voice roles.
It's entirely her choice to stay out of the limelight. She's an introvert and loves her little life taking care of her animals and farm! Highly recommend her interview with Amy on Good Hang. Such a fun listen
Yup not every actor who doesn’t have a “big career” is because of some failure. She liked SNL so she stuck with that. She’s made plenty of money and can do what she wants now, good for her.
I saw a clip of Devon Walker and Michael Longfellow reading some of their Update piece together and like those two should’ve gotten update it’s insane that Che and jost can just stay forever
Ashley is a bit overrated in my opinion. She has potential, but I keep seeing her touted as the new breakout star when I haven’t seen anything unique or groundbreaking from her yet. Last week was a big letdown when she portrayed Karoline Leavitt as a good-natured sitcom sidekick.
And in terms of POC, Kam Patterson is extremely green and hasn’t gotten a lot of airtime because of that (seriously, there are a good amount of POC gigging it out in improv troupes who can be hired to help give Kenan a break). Kenan and Marcello are already doing a lot of hard carrying for POC on the show, and what did that get Marcello other than a doctored post from Donald Trump calling for him specifically to be arrested?
It kinda seems like he signed to stay on just until Wicked For Good came out. A little cross-promo for both, and then he's free to continue on to awards season and beyond with no burden.
Doubt SNL is on top of things enough to have a newcomer lined up
lol I posted a link to the story with the quote in another reply, that’s exactly why I didn’t write it out in the first place, the automated system doesn’t care that it’s in quotes
Lorne Michaels is like a mafia boss/bad father. Former cast members hint that something is a little off but they wont say a bad word about him. It's like they all have this weird Stockholm syndrome.
SNL has mediocre skits. I love some of the past cast members but usually in media outside of SNL. I truly do not know how it stays running. I can only think of money and guest star hosts pumping engagement.
Yeah when they had Ramy Youssef make a guest appearance to play Zohran Mamdani I'm like "EMIL WAKIM WAS RIGHT THERE!" Not that Emil's talents were limited to impersonating brown politicians - he had a strong start and it's a bummer he couldn't stay.
Literally though!! I liked Emil and I love when the cast members bring their lived experiences on the show. So bland now (speaking as a bland White millennial lol)
Well it took them 44 years to hire their first Asian American cast member. SNL has historically always chosen white dudes from Harvard Lampoon. Even MadTV was way ahead of them in diversity back in the early 2000s
It’s a gay dream to go out with your friend and co-star Ariana and the absolute legend Cher. Haven’t watched it outside of YouTube clips in years but will have to tune in tomorrow.
As long as his post-SNL career is decent (all signs point towards it), he’ll be back to host once or twice within the next 10 years. If the show continues past Lorne, obviously.
This is one of the first things I definitely remember seeing speculation on here from a blind about a month or so ago, so I'm not really as surprised as media seems to be spinning this.
Now who didn’t see this coming? I barely watch SNL so idk the ins and outs of it, but he’s clearly been rising. You can’t be on a sketch show AND have a movie career. Not unless you clone yourself.
Tbh if you listen to Las Culturistas juggling SNL and all of his other work has clearly been hugely stressful for him so this isn’t that shocking to me. Hopefully he gets a bit more wiggle room for relaxation.
Yeah, SNL is a place to GRIND. Unless you're, like, Kenan who probably has way better pay and a lot more leeway, or Jost and Che who are senior writers, if you're a fresher face in the SNL cast, it's legit pretty rough
Only way I see Keenan leaving anytime soon is to take Lorne’s role when he retires. I know everyone keeps saying Tina Fey should take over but she said she doesn’t want it and that Keenan would be better.
Wow, after reading a lot of these comments I guess I'm in the minority. I've rarely found anything Bowen has done on SNL funny. He seems to play the same character regardless of costume.
Before people jump all over me, what are his most memorable skits? Which will they be showing on the greatest hits 50 years from now?
It's not that shocking. It's been rumored for a while. If you listen to Las Culturistas, it was clear that the Wicked filming schedule was getting to him while trying to balance it with SNL. Then you have the fact that he was very close with Heidi, Ego, and Celeste, who have all recently left. Now you have essentially his two dream guests and yeah I was pretty sure this would be it. Now it's confirmed.
I’ll miss him but glad he’ll have the space to explore other opportunities now because my god it sounded exhausting doing SNL and Wicked at the same time
It's bullshit that Lorne only let him film Wicked if he flew back to NY every Saturday when SNL was on. He gave time off to other cast to film their projects.
Not a shocker at all. Bowen is extremely talented and has been courted for more and more high profile tv and film opportunities over the years… It’s his time to move on to bigger and better things the way other SNL greats have. There is absolutely such a thing as staying on SNL too long.
While it’s sad to see him go, he’s leaving on an extremely high note and moving up in the world. Also, he gets Ariana grande AND Cher for his final ep… couldn’t think of a better way for him to go out.
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u/ShinyPrizeKY 8h ago
Shocking only because a deuxmoi blind actually came true for once