Overview of Bowen Yang
In this episode of SmartLess, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett talk with Bowen Yang about his unusually winding path to comedy, from being born in Australia and raised in Canada and Colorado to landing at Saturday Night Live as a writer and then cast member. The conversation moves between personal history, identity, comedy culture, and career strategy, with Bowen sharing how family expectations, queer identity, and a love of improvisation shaped his work.
Bowen Yang’s Background and Early Influences
A cross-continental upbringing
- Bowen was born in Brisbane, Australia, then moved to Montreal, Quebec, and later to Colorado at age 8 or 9.
- He notes that the Canada years mattered deeply to his development, even if people tend to default to calling him “from Colorado.”
Family and education
- His father is a scientist/engineer with a PhD in mining explosives, and the family moved often because of work.
- Bowen pursued pre-med chemistry at NYU, but largely as a practical cover for his real goal: getting close to comedy and performance.
- He says Sandra Oh’s character Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy was a major inspiration — in a funny twist, her last name was part of the appeal.
Early comedy exposure
- As a kid, he watched SNL by himself and was later even voted something like “most likely to be on SNL” in high school.
- He started doing improv as a teenager in Denver, performing at the Bovine Metropolis Theater in bar-adjacent open-mic settings.
Career Path: From Writer to SNL Cast Member
How he got to SNL
- Bowen initially believed SNL was too far out of reach.
- His manager urged him to make a tape, and he approached it with a freeing attitude: since he assumed no one would hire an “effeminate Asian guy” for the show, he just made what was funniest to him.
- That lack of pressure became an advantage.
First big SNL moments
- His first major on-camera appearance was as Kim Jong-un in a sketch hosted by Sandra Oh.
- He also became widely known for playing the iceberg that sank the Titanic, one of his first viral sketches.
- He describes one surreal week at SNL where he:
- was off-book because his contacts weren’t ready,
- had to learn lines in Korean,
- and sat in costume next to Lorne Michaels receiving notes.
Reflections on the show
- Bowen says the people around him at NYU and in the comedy ecosystem were a “coterie of freaks and weirdos” being pulled into SNL’s orbit.
- He sees a lot of his early success as a result of being in the right place at the right time, but also from not being overly attached to the outcome.
Family, Identity, and Conversion Therapy
Coming out and family reaction
- Bowen shares that his parents discovered he was gay through a chat window on the family computer.
- In response, they sent him to conversion therapy in Colorado Springs when he was 17.
- He describes the experience as painful, but also says it became part of his comedic material because of how absurd and awful it was.
The complicated family dynamic
- His parents were not motivated by religion so much as by a belief that they were trying to protect him from a harder life.
- Bowen says he understands where they were coming from, and that they’ve since apologized and repaired the relationship.
- He also mentions that his dad still occasionally suggests he “try women,” which Bowen describes as almost endearing homophobia.
Comedy, Representation, and What Makes Humor Work
Why comedy mattered to him
- Bowen says his sense of comedy came from network television and shared cultural references.
- He watched the credits, studied how shows were built, and learned the language of comedy by absorbing performers like Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman.
Representation in comedy
- He talks about how seeing people like Sean and the success of shows like Will & Grace made space feel possible.
- He emphasizes that what started as specifically queer humor often becomes universal once it’s done well.
His view of modern comedy
- Bowen reflects that comedy today has a harder job: it often needs to be funny while also offering some kind of optimism or emotional relief.
- He notes that many projects now get labeled “comedy” even when they function more like dramedy or straight drama.
Life After SNL
Leaving the show
- Bowen discusses the challenge of leaving SNL and planning for the future.
- He says he doesn’t feel able to map out life too rigidly because “trade winds” change too much.
- He’s drawn to both performance and quieter work, but says his motivation is still resetting after the intensity of SNL.
Dating and personal life
- He admits it was hard to date during SNL because he would get swept up in work and disappear.
- He says things are more normal now, though he’s still unlearning habits from the SNL years.
Podcasting and other work
- Bowen mentions that Las Culturistas takes up a few hours each week and has become a major part of his life.
- The hosts also tease his ongoing success and future projects, including The Cat in the Hat.
Fun Recurring Bits and Standout Moments
“I Don’t Think So, Honey”
Bowen shares a classic rant from his podcast segment:
- Outdoor furniture is a scam — it gets dirty immediately, needs constant upkeep, and never looks good for long.
- He also names another pet peeve: people who back into a parking spot and then take forever to leave when you’re waiting for it.
The tone of the interview
- The episode is loose, fast, and full of interruptions in classic SmartLess fashion.
- Bowen fits right in, trading jokes and sincerity with the hosts while still giving a real sense of his background and perspective.
Main Takeaways
- Bowen Yang’s career is rooted in adaptability, instinct, and not forcing outcomes.
- His family story is marked by immigration, science, misunderstanding, and eventual reconciliation.
- He sees comedy as both personal expression and a shared cultural language.
- His success came from being open to opportunity while trusting his own weirdness.
- Even after SNL, he’s still figuring out how to balance ambition, rest, and life outside the machine.