Bowen Yang has worked with dozens of Saturday Night Live hosts since he joined the show as a writer in 2018. He became a featured player the next season and a full-time cast member in 2019. Throughout his tenure, one host stands out for particularly unsettling reasons.
During Sunday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Yang was asked about the worst behavior he’s witnessed from an SNL host. Without hesitation, Yang responded, This person, this host made multiple cast members cry on Wednesday during the, before the table-read, because he hated the ideas.
Yang’s comment refers to the mid-week pitch meeting, a crucial part of the SNL creative process. Even specifying the host’s gender—confirming it was a man—does little to narrow down the possibilities from a long list that includes names like Woody Harrelson, Dave Chappelle, Steve Martin, Adam Driver, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Austin Butler.
In June, Yang addressed an incident involving Chapelle. He clarified his position during the end scene of their January episode: I was standing where I always stand.
Dakota Johnson was the actual host for that episode.
SNL has a long history of off-screen drama involving its hosts and stars. Chevy Chase is one such example; original cast members often referred to him as difficult to work with. In 2018, Pete Davidson spoke bluntly about Chase, calling him a genuinely bad, racist person.
Chase dismissed these allegations in 2022 with I don’t give a crap!
The early days of SNL were notorious for backstage antics, including drug use and wild parties with hosts. Seth Green shared his own distressing encounter with Bill Murray on Good Mythical Morning. At just nine years old, Green angered Murray in a greenroom incident over seating preferences. The exchange ended with Murray dangling Green over a trash can and dropping him into it.
As we anticipate the 50th season of Saturday Night Live premiering Sept. 28 on NBC, we also look forward to Jason Reitman’s upcoming movie titled Saturday Night, which sheds light on behind-the-scenes stories and drama from the iconic show. The film is set to release on Oct. 11.
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