Bowen Yang says Lorne Michaels encouraged him not to quit Saturday Night Live.
The 34-year-old comedian has decided to stay on the show through season 51, despite notable departures including Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow, Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim and Bowen credits SNL boss Michaels for his decision.
He told PEOPLE: "I've always gone by the instinct of, do I have more to do? And I feel like I do. Even Lorne [Michaels] and I talked about it, and Lorne was like, ‘You have more to do,’ and that means a lot, because I even confessed to him. I was like, ‘I feel the audience is maybe getting sick of me.’ And he was like, ‘That's not true. There's more for you to do. I need you.’
“That man has changed my life, and I owe a lot of my life to that show. And I love working there, the people are the best. I really love each of them so much.”
Yang is now returning for a sixth season but admitted it will be bittersweet due to the departures of many of his co-stars and friends.
He said: “What I've always thought, what I think everybody knows, is that SNL is this boot camp, and that implies that there is a next phase you train for something else. It's always a transitional place, and I think it is always a launching pad.”
“Even for people who stay on the show, like Kenan [Thompson], let's say, he has still used that show to help expand his possibilities. I think that's going to be true for all of the people who aren't coming back. I'm so excited to see what they do. I'm excited for the new cast.”
And Bowen tries not to overthink his work on the show.
He said: “I let that go, and I think it served me well. I like having no road map. If there's any place to do that, it's SNL, where it's week to week. Sometimes you're up for the challenge. Sometimes you show up even if you aren't, and that's kind of what makes interesting things happen.”
