"Everything in life is just the fragile result of something that could have been so easily different. None of this would've been possible had my parents not emigrated out of China. My parents were the first class of students after Mao's death that were allowed to leave the country to pursue higher degrees. My sister was born in Australia. I would not have been born if they had stayed in China."
"I went back to China this summer for the first time in nine years. I was taking photos outside my dad's childhood home in Inner Mongolia, a dirt-and-straw house that is barely standing. I posted that to Instagram, and it got picked up on RedNote, which is their Instagram-TikTok amalgam. I assumed people wouldn't receive SNL in China, and yet there was just a very spirited contingent of SNL fans in China who kept up with the news and all the cast shake-ups."
"My role models when I was a kidit was Conan, and it was Letterman, and it was Tina and Amy. There's no one like Tina Fey. She's my number one. My mom's philosophy is always to stay in your lane, mind your own business. Don't get caught up in other people's drama. I think I've mostly stayed out of trouble. I grew up without cable. I would adjust the rabbit-ear antenna on my television on Saturday so I could switch from SNL to Mad TV"
Bowen Yang spent seven seasons on Saturday Night Live, skewering many public figures including George Santos and earning five Emmy nominations. At 35, Yang secured a place among the show's hall of fame. Yang expanded into film with roles in Wicked: For Good and The Wedding Banquet and cohosts the pop-culture podcast Las Culturistas. Yang's parents emigrated from China after Mao's death, and Yang credits their move with his existence. Yang returned to China after nine years, photographed his father's deteriorating childhood home in Inner Mongolia, and found spirited SNL fans online in China. Yang cites Conan, Letterman, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler as role models; his mother advised staying in one's lane, and he grew up switching a rabbit-ear antenna between SNL and Mad TV.
Read at www.esquire.com
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