Bowen Yang (born November 6, 1990, in Brisbane, Australia) is an American comedian and actor who made history as the first Saturday Night Live featured player to receive a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2021, the same year he was promoted to full repertory status after joining the show as a writer in 2018. Raised in Canada and Colorado by Chinese immigrant parents, he was voted "Most Likely to Be a Cast Member on SNL" in high school before studying at NYU. Beyond SNL, he has starred in films like Fire Island and Bros (2022) and the Wicked musical films, while co-hosting the popular podcast Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers. His personal journey includes a challenging coming-out at 17, during which his parents arranged for conversion therapy before he moved to New York, though they have since found a truce and a "great relationship." Initially inspired by Sandra Oh's character on Grey's Anatomy to pursue medicine, he pivoted to comedy, becoming a prominent voice in LGBTQ+ entertainment and landing on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in 2019.