Bowen Yang is Not Funny

I completely disagree. He’s been hilarious on SNL. I’d like to see him used more.

He's awful.

Making faces is not comedy.

I think he's funny, but to be fair, the bar is pretty low at SNL.

I want to like him because he's one of the few openly gay men SNL has ever had, but all he does is mug and preen. I've never laughed at any skit he's been in.

I still love this -- a comedian who is funny but impersonating a movie I do not like.

Mugs and delivers his lines so fast it kills everything. He's cluless about the fundaments of comedy.

^fundamentals

R5 Gee, no gay man's ever done THAT before.

Zzzzzzzz.

I want to like him but zzzzzzzzzz

Sorry op, but you're going to be cancelled.

Didn't you know that you're not allowed to say anything negative about orientals?

Shame on you.

You're FIRED!

I don't watch SNL, but it will be shocking to me if he or any male cast member from SNL is actually funny!

With the exceptions of Yang and Mikey Day, the man on the show aren't too bad.

Anyway, I hope he's successful in his run for Mayor.

Lol R13.

Yang is a rock star next to Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidson, am I’m exhausted by Keenan.

R13 He actually did a skit as Andrew Yang once. Was awful.

He's funny. You are nasty old (and surely racist) hags. You belong to the We Hate SNL Cabal and the We Hate Bill Maher Cabal and the We Hate Tina Fay and Amy Schumer and Ellen, boy do we hate Ellen, and that old hideous Jew lezzie Fran. We Hate Her and We Hate Them All.

And you trundle it out every week, the same tired life-sucking black hole of witless snark,

That's who you are, miserable cunts.

Tine FEY

R17 Sorry to upset you, Bowen.

R17 Please include Kelly Clarkson in your next rant. I have no idea what DL feels about her but personally I find her very trying.

WHO?

No idea who op is talking about?

Is he part of some fem boy group from the orient?

SO agreed. He has ONE character and it's himself. And that character is irritating as hell.

No one in SNL is funny.

SNL has run out of ideas. Their writers have resorted to stealing bits from 'cancelled' podcasts.

R15 is Pete Davidson still in SNL? I thought he left after his high profile dating with Ariana Grande, I watched a few of his skits, he is not only unfunny also very annoying!

He's no Bobby Lee, that's for sure

are you suggesting Bobby Lee is funny?

Talking about Kenan Thompson, I just googled his name, yes I find him usually funny in the few SNL skits I have watched, but It will not surprise me if many people especially black people find him annoying or unfunny. To non-black people, he is funny because he delivers the exact projections or I should say the stereotypes that people expect from a funny black comedian. Could this also explain why gays or asians are not the biggest fans of Bowen Yang here?

He’s also no Bobby Trendy

R29 That kind of behavior is normally viewed at the Los Angeles zoo!

So often gay actors can only do gay. I can't really picture Dan Levy doing anything but "Gay BFF" over and over.

I auditioned at the Groundlings to move up to the level beyond basic; I had taken the basic classic and coached with a famous soap actress (who had a background in comedy).

At my audition, I mugged and upped my energy and I thought I was horrible, but people laughed. I got accepted to the next level (they could have sent me back to basic).

I thought don't people have to be good to move up?

I got hung up on the politics and eventually stopped taking classes. It gets harder as you try to move up.

I applaud any actor brave enough to stick it out.

I agree.

With a name like that, how could he be funny?

The entire show sucks, and so does everyone on it!

I think he's funny but not sure that SNL is the right outlet for him to really shine. Seems to be some dysfunction in the writer's room that makes even talented people seem lackluster week after week.

I do applaud his aggressive approach to being stereotyped and to criticism that he's one-note. He's been taking every opportunity to play against type on SNL and to be in the foreground instead of fading into the back. Hope it pays off in the long run and he'll be able to write/do some media that's completely to his taste.

Suck it. I think he’s hilarious.

He's not funny at all.

He's doing a minstrel act.

Coincidentally, Bowen just reactivated his Twitter to defend himself a bit. I think it must be really hard to be one the first gay Asians to be so loudly visible. He has to deal with finding his comedic voice at the same time as navigating the audience's resistance to change.

R8 I made no such claim of it being unique, just that is — objectively — perfectly done.

He's about as talented as Leslie Jones, except he can read the cue cards without stumbling over his words.

His talent is narrow and shallow. I would like him to move on. Preferably to some streaming niche comedy I will never ever encounter.

R39 Looks like Bowen's a DLer.

SNL should have been canceled decades ago.

I find him terrific on SNL, and his energy and style and wit majorly balances out the "frat boy white dude educated smart ass" style that Lorne Michael's seems to always use as a foundation. Granted, Michaels gave us Tina Fey and we are forever grateful, and I'm beginning to feel the same about Bowen. It think there's something quite significant building. He also seems very, very driven which he will need.

funny how everyone on here is evaluating him as if he's some actor who was hired for the job. He's been writing sketches for years. Clearly some of you can't tell which ones are his which is strange considering how gay and bitchy they are.

He will improve in terms of performance but his stuff is fucking hilarious.

Comparing Bowen Yang to Tina Fey?

LOL!

R46 Please cite one "fucking hilarious" thing he's written or performed in.

He has not been funny once. He just plays himself. He can't even do bitchy queen right. I've seen random gays in bars and parties be funnier. He's a token castmate. That's it. Check Asian. Check queer. Good for nobody.

He's funny on SNL, also very funny on Nora from Queens.

He's in and out for me, but his Fran Lebowitz was so brilliant I give him a pass.

R51 Oh, my God, his Fran Lebowitz was probably one of the worst bits he's ever done .

He is the best thing on SNL in a long time. I find him hilarious.

R53 After Leslie Jones, there's nowhere to go but up.

I love Bowen. He also writes some of the more bizarre sketches out there lately. Like that one with RuPaul in the coal mine, and anything involving a musical or an aging actress.

He's not funny, but he's still funnier than any other guy in the cast right now.

hooked up with dan levy when he hosted. messy AF.

I love him when he plays a Soul Cycle instructor, which they've done many times. I'd like to see him play something other than gay. He can definitely do it. Some of these actors really shined when they had to be creative on zoom last year. Yang, Fineman were real standouts to me. That takes acting. Bowen Yang seems to get the same characters and seems kind of lost in the shuffle of the show. I do think he's very funny with the right material.

"... am I’m exhausted by Keenan."

THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one. He is exhausting.

Keenan is probably exhausted at this point. Every black character rests on his shoulders whether he fits the character or not.

Keenan seems to maintain this happily surprised facial expression at all times. That's probably the most annoying thing about him.

IMO the best cast member is Beck Bennett, runner up is Cecily Strong

r57 if that is true those two drama queens together would be a hot mess

RACIST!!!!!!!!!!!!

R58 I've never seen Bowen Yang play a straight character and be funny. His Soul Cycle instructor bit is awful.

I LOVE Beck Bennett both in looks and his comedy.

I don't hate him because he's not funny, I hate him because he's a cunt.

r63 was a mess. made it hell for everyone that week.

I'm worried that if r17 doesn't change her tampon she'll die of toxic shock syndrome.

[quote] Every black character rests on his shoulders whether he fits the character or not.

???? That makes no sense whatsoever.

The current cast includes:

Chris Redd

Ego Nwodim

Michael Che

Punkie Johnson

In addition, Maya Rudolph, who is mixed-race, regularly appears on the show.

And he's posted a photo of his ass and him wearing lingerie on Twitter

I thought his Titanic iceberg bit from the most recent episode was pretty funny.

He’s office cubicle funny, not TV/Film funny.

SNL is not funny. He fits right in.

[quote]hooked up with dan levy when he hosted. messy AF.

Hahahahaha

That’s hilarious because the FIRST thing that came to mind when viewing this unjustifiably confident train wreck was that he reminded me of an Asian version of one-note Dan Levy.

They hooked up?! Why not just beat-off in front of their own mirrors?

He wasn’t hired based on ability, OP.

Was that him playing the Titanic iceberg the other night? I loved that. He’s cute.

Beck Bennett is cute.

R71 I think I may have to gouge my eyes out now. Thanks a lot, R71.

R78 - AGREED.

Bowen Yang is the new Lens

I don’t find him funny either. I feel like he is a caricature of a gay man. The over-the-top bitchiness and snide shit gets old. I was hoping that the first openly gay male cast member would be more low key or butch. He feels like a token stereotype.

He definitely infuses his nelliness into every character, but he's the funniest thing on that show right now.

This Fall needs a 90% cast change. Time for some new blood and new stars. You've got people pushing-40 playing teens (badly yo-yo).

R79 Apologies but also, what were you expecting?!

I am going to get used to Bowen Yang as long as he tapped Dan Levy. They’re giving two big skits and then a bunch of meh. Aidy Bryant and Cecily Strong are carrying most of the weight.

There’s a confusing flock of average inoffensive white guys - like five besides Colin.

THE DL CREDO: Any successful out gay man must be cut down to size. We cannot praise our own. Ever.

(Unless they've been dead for over 30 years. Then we can start to make exceptions.)

R86 I would love to praise him, and I would if he was, ya know, funny.

He's good lipsyncing that scene at r5--his reactions are much less overdone than usual in his comedy bits on SNL.

I wish he would choose something less stereotypical than that scene, though. Gay men always treat that scene as if Miranda Priestley were some sort of heroic champion because of that speech-- which gets kind of irritating after a while, as if they're screaming at you, "FASHION IS WHAT MATTERS THE MOST IN LIFE!!!" (it really does not, alas, as fun as it is).

I find him gross. Dan levy could do better than this

He seems potentially funny on SNL, but something there isn’t the right fit.

I'm not digging his humor either. Occasionally funny skit on SNL but mostly not enjoyable

R89 He needs to stop that shit. He's not hot. He doesn't have a good body. He has a flabby ass. And he also has a jockstrap fetish, it seems.

Oh, and he's not funny,

I'm not going to sit here and list his funny sketches (cause there are a ton of them) but he's one of the best things on the show. He's hysterically funny. And I feel like this thread is the same two or three miserable old cunts who obsess over not being able to say the n word any more talking to each other.

Who finds this hot? I’m honestly asking

Lord

His body is better than I imagined. Not hot but quite respectable.

R93 You're not gonna list his "funny sketches" because there are none.

Thanks for posting, though, Bowen Yang's mom,

Aaaaaargh! Stop posting Bowen's undie fetish photos! I'm trying to finish my breakfast here!

WTF? He got a verified account as Faye Dunaway?

R94 There's always an audience for something like this. Thank God the audience is small.

It's so funny how many old angry racists there are on this site.

He's gross. He can only play one thing, an obnoxious queen, himself. If that's talent then there are millions of queens funnier than him. He's only there as another diversity token. The iceberg thing was wildly overrated. Let's guess, next week he plays yet ANOTHER insufferable queen.

Heaven forbid people like a queeny gay comedian who does queeny bits that are funny. Selfhating shut-in bitter unfucked homos won't stand for that!

The people hating Yang in this thread are the same desiccated cunts who tune in every week to watch the "horrible, tired, unfunny" SNL and then come to DL to bitch about how simply dreadful it is and why wasn't it cancelled years ago. Rinse repeat every week.

The same cunts who LOVE that tired queen just love that he's a stereotype. Visibility over talent. Got it.

I loved his bit as the Titanic iceberg last week and the weird skit he did with RuPaul where they were basically Alexis and Dominique in a coal mine.

I liked the time he played a bitchy queen.

Paul Lynde played queeny types all through his career but he was a skilled comedian. He understood timing for one thing. Bowen Yang does not.

R27 Bobby Lee is very funny.

Bowen Yang is funny, too. No, he doesn't nail every sketch, but I think he has room to grow. You have to remember he started as a writer first. I like when he does corporate stuff – the Sara Lee bread bit with Cecily Strong & Harry Styles was hilarious. There was a recent similar one on the SNL "Cut for Time" YouTube about Beanie Babies with him & Aidy Bryant:

R109 He's pretty amateurish there. On the other hand, Aidy Bryant knows what she's doing.

I actually find him very funny on SNL but I think he’s embarrassing on social media with those lingerie thirst trap photos.

How does that make me racist?

As the iceberg

Coal mine

R110 No doubt! But she's also been on the show since 2012. I like Bowen a lot better than most of the other male cast members right now. I generally like Kenan Thompson, Chris Redd, and Beck Bennett. Once in a great while, Pete Davidson pulls off something funny (like that weed gummy song when Regina King hosted.)

I've tried but he's another performer that breaks in every sketch and it just is never funny enough to warrant that. He also just never seems to have any of it memorized or prepared.

Yang's hit or miss with me. I can tell when a sketch is his and they aren't as bad as Pete's stoner schtick.

Cecily Strong has vastly improved since she started on the show. Her Marge Taylor Greene is very funny.

R116 Agree on Cecily. She is consistently fantastic and deserves more credit for her work on there. One of my favorites of hers was when Bill Hader hosted and played her geriatric boyfriend in the motorized wheelchair. Everyone in the sketch broke.

She, Aidy Bryant, and Kate McKinnon have been the SNL glue for so many years now.

I think Bowen wrote this one. It's fucking hilarious even though he's playing the "straight" man in it and Harry Styles gets all the good lines.

Emmys are so kiss ass

He's funny enough. He's not totally not funny..

R118 That was one of the worst skits.

[quote]He definitely infuses his nelliness into every character, but he's the funniest thing on that show right now.

Then they need to cancel that show because that's sad.

Nothing has made me feel my age more than Bowen and particularly his Las Culturistas podcast. He and his (much more talented) cohost Matt Rogers are entertaining, but so clearly from another generation than me. They are perhaps the biggest social justice warriors I’ve ever listened to, policing and censoring and occasionally apologizing for anything not completely PC. Bowen constantly whines the traumas of being employed on SNL, as if he works in the damn coal mines or something. It’s very much younger millennial/Gen Z, which is fine. It’s just very different from comedy of the past, which is why I think so many of us are confused by Yang (and some of current SNL in general).

r123 I really don't think it's a generational thing - I think he and Matt Rogers are just insufferable assholes.

I've tried to listen to that podcast too and it's maddening. I really think his fans are a bunch of flyover fraus who find it hysterical and edgy when they yell "YASSSS QUEEN" every 3 minutes. And aspiring or less successful comedians/actors who kiss his ass on social media in the hopes that he will somehow get them ahead. Aside from those 2 groups, I don't know who actually enjoys him.

Yang has about one note that he hits again and again and again. His talents are few.

Openly gay, Asian funny man gets an Emmy nomination and, of course, DL has to shit all over him. He's hardly the voice of a generation, nor does he have great range, but when he hits I think he's pretty damn funny. And it's nice to have such an unapologetically gay sensibility so prominent on the boys club of SNL.

And, I don't know what R121 is on about. R118 was one of the funniest SNL sketches in ages.

r126 we don't have to like someone just because he is gay. Do you like every gay man you meet? I don't.

I am glad you find Bowen funny - I think he plays the same tired gay stereotype in every skit he does and I find his podcast obnoxious.

Different strokes.... it's interesting to me that people get pissed when DL doesn't love every successful gay man who is famous. Isn't THAT a bit reductive? Not all straight people love every straight celebrity. Why should we be any different?

Every queen I've ever met is funnier than Boring Yang...

SNL isn’t funny

And neither is Aidy Bryant. She's not even a good actress. Where do they find these people? Lorne is asleep at the wheel, and has been for at least a decade and a half.