Bowen Yang will miss the Oct. 18 taping of “Saturday Night Live.”
According to a source close to the series, Yang’s absence was timed so the “Wicked” star could accept the Academy Museum’s Vantage Award, which honors an emerging artist who challenges and recontextualizes dominant narratives in television and film. He was reportedly still on hand to help write tonight’s episode and will appear in a pre-recorded sketch.
Yang took to her Instagram Stories on Saturday to announce her one-night departure from the show.
“I’m missing the show tonight but it will be so much fun,” he wrote, “[Sabrina Carpenter] is incredible.
As noted by Yang, Sabrina Carpenter will serve as host and musical guest for Saturday’s show. This is the debut for the two-time Emmy winner, although she previously appeared as a musical guest on the season 49 finale hosted by Jake Gyllenhaal. She also appeared on “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 by Doja Cat. Amy Pohler hosted the next episode, joined by musical guest Role Model. Other upcoming hosts include Miles Teller, who will join for his second time as host on November 26, as well as newcomers Nikki Glaser and Glen Powell, who will host November 8 and November 15, respectively.
“Saturday Night Live” airs every Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and streams on Peacock. Lorne Michaels created and produced the show, produced in association with Broadway Video.
