Bowen Yang will miss the Oct. 18 taping of “Saturday Night Live.”
According to a source close to the show, Yang’s absence was preplanned so that the “Wicked” star could accept the Academy Museum’s Vantage Award, which honors an emerging artist who challenges and recontextualizes the dominant narratives in TV and film. He was still reportedly present to help write tonight’s episode and will appear in a pre-taped sketch.
Yang took to his Instagram stories on Saturday to announce his one-night departure from the show.
“Missing the show tonight but it will be sooooo fun,” he wrote, “[Sabrina Carpenter] is amazing.”
As noted by Yang, Sabrina Carpenter will serve as host and musical guest for Saturday’s show. This marks the hosting debut for the two-time Emmy winner, although she previously appeared as a musical guest for the Season 49 finale hosted by Jake Gyllenhaal. She also appeared in “SNL 50: The Anniversary Special,” during which she sang with Paul Simon and appeared in a sketch alongside Marcello Hernandez.
The Season 51 premiere was hosted by Bad Bunny with music from Doja Cat. Amy Pohler hosted the following episode, joined by musical guest Role Model. Other upcoming hosts include Miles Teller, who will join for his second time as host on Nov. 26, as well as newcomers Nikki Glaser and Glen Powell, who will host on Nov. 8 and Nov. 15, respectively.
“Saturday Night Live” airs every Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and streams on Peacock. Lorne Michaels created and executive produces the show, which is produced in association with Broadway Video.
