Bowen Yang
Born 1990 · Age 35
Bowen Yang (b. Nov 6, 1990) is a Chinese-American comedian, actor, writer and podcaster known for Saturday Night Live, the podcast Las Culturistas, and film roles including Fire Island, Bros and Wicked.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Bowen Yang and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Born in Brisbane, Australia
Bowen Yang was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, to parents who emigrated from China.
Family moves to Canada (Brossard, Montreal area)
Family relocated from Australia to Canada when Bowen was about six months old; they settled outside Montreal (Brossard).
Family moves to Aurora, Colorado
Yang's family moved to the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, where he grew up and became a fan of Saturday Night Live.
Exposed to Margaret Cho and comedy influences
As a young teen Yang was inspired by the comedy of Margaret Cho—an early influence on his interest in queer Asian-American comedy.
Joins high school improv troupe (Spontaneous Combustion)
Became a member of Smoky Hill High School's improvisation troupe 'Spontaneous Combustion.'
Parents discover sexual orientation; conversion therapy
At about 17 his parents discovered he was gay from an open chat window and arranged for him to attend conversion therapy sessions in Colorado Springs.
Graduates Smoky Hill High School
Graduated high school in 2008; was voted 'Most Likely to Be a Cast Member on Saturday Night Live' and served as homecoming king.
Enrolls at New York University (NYU)
Moved to New York to attend NYU (followed his sister), studied pre-med chemistry while participating in college improv (Dangerbox).
Graduates NYU with bachelor's in chemistry
Completed a bachelor's degree in chemistry at NYU, deciding afterward not to pursue medical school and instead to focus on comedy.
Meets Matt Rogers at NYU
Began a creative friendship/collaboration with Matt Rogers, later co-founding the Las Culturistas podcast.
Begins working as graphic designer at One Kings Lane
Taught himself Photoshop and worked as a graphic designer for the luxury home site One Kings Lane; company flexible for comedy pursuits.
Launches podcast 'Las Culturistas' with Matt Rogers
Co-founded the weekly comedy/pop-culture podcast 'Las Culturistas'; it would grow into a major platform for interviews and live shows.
Appears on web series The Outs (season 2)
Appeared on the second season of the web series The Outs, gaining early screen experience.
Performs with musical sketch team Pop Roulette
Performed with Pop Roulette, a musical sketch comedy group formed by friend Matt Rogers; part of early comedy portfolio.
Las Culturistas nominated for Shorty Award
The Las Culturistas podcast was nominated for a Shorty Award recognizing excellence in social media/content.
Hired as staff writer on Saturday Night Live
Joined the SNL writing staff for season 44 (hired September 2018) — major career breakthrough into mainstream TV comedy writing.
Gains viral attention for lip-sync social videos
Received press attention for viral lip-sync videos on social media reproducing iconic diva/movie moments (2019).
Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 (Hollywood & Entertainment)
Recognized by Forbes on its January 2019 30 Under 30 list for accomplishments in entertainment.
SNL writing staff nominated for Emmy (Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series)
Yang, as part of the SNL writing team, received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (2019).
Appears in film 'Isn't It Romantic' (supporting)
Had a supporting role in the feature film Isn't It Romantic (2019), marking a feature film credit.
First on-camera appearance on SNL (Kim Jong-un)
Made his first on-camera appearance on SNL in the Sandra Oh-hosted episode, portraying Kim Jong-un in a pre-taped sketch.
Promoted to SNL featured player (on-air cast)
Elevated from writer to featured on-air cast member for SNL's 45th season; first Chinese-American cast member in SNL history.
Debut on Weekend Update as 'Trade Daddy'
Made a Weekend Update debut as Chinese trade representative Chen 'Trade Daddy' Biao in Oct 2019.
Cast in Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens (series premiere)
Portrayed Nora Lum's successful Stanford-graduate cousin when the series premiered in January 2020.
Receives Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award
Recognized by the Human Rights Campaign with a Visibility Award for advocacy and presence as an out gay performer (2020).
Ranked No. 2 on Variety's Power of Pride list
Listed No. 2 among the most influential queer artists in Hollywood by Variety (2021).
Named to Time 100 list
Included on Time magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world (2021).
Joins scripted podcast 'Hot White Heist' cast
Starred in the queer scripted podcast Hot White Heist alongside notable queer performers (2021).
Weekend Update: speaks out on anti-Asian violence
Used Weekend Update in March 2021 to address the surge in violence against Asian Americans and encouraged action.
Viral 'Iceberg' sketch (SNL) — submitted for Emmy consideration
Portrayed a bedazzled diva iceberg promoting an EDM album (April 2021); the sketch went viral and was used for awards consideration.
First featured SNL player nominated for Primetime Emmy (Supporting Actor)
Made history in 2021 as the first SNL featured player to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series).
Promoted to SNL repertory (full) cast member
Elevated from featured player to repertory status at the start of SNL's 47th season (September 2021).
Guest on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Appeared as a guest on the popular news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! (Sept 2021).
Appears in feature film 'Fire Island' (2022)
Starred in the LGBTQ romantic comedy Fire Island, written by and co-starring Joel Kim Booster.
Appears in feature film 'Bros' (2022)
Had a role in the high-profile romantic comedy Bros (2022).
Gotham Awards: Ensemble Tribute for 'Fire Island' (ensemble)
Part of the Fire Island ensemble given a Gotham Awards Ensemble Tribute (2022).
Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens renewed (continues recurring role)
The Comedy Central sitcom in which Yang appears as Nora's cousin was renewed for a third season in 2022.
Las Culturistas wins iHeartRadio Podcast Award: Podcast of the Year
The Las Culturistas podcast received Podcast of the Year at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards (2023).
Voices a character in 'The Garfield Movie' (voice role)
Provided voice work in The Garfield Movie (2024).
Portrays Pfannee in film adaptation of 'Wicked' (2024)
Cast as Pfannee in the 2024 film adaptation of the musical Wicked — a major mainstream film role.
Las Culturistas reaches >1,000,000 downloads per month (late 2024)
By late 2024 the Las Culturistas podcast was downloading more than one million times per month.
Emmy nomination (Supporting Actor) — additional nomination
Received further Primetime Emmy recognition for work on SNL in 2024 (Supporting Actor category per Britannica summary).
Appears on The Jennifer Hudson Show (air date noted Apr 21, 2025)
Featured guest appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show in an episode aired April 21, 2025 (image credit noted by Britannica).
AAE speakers profile updated (speaking fees published)
AAE Speakers Bureau profile (updated May 22, 2025) lists Bowen's approximate speaking fees: $100k–$200k live; $50k–$100k virtual.
Honored at Academy Museum Gala (2025 honoree)
Listed among 2025 Academy Museum Gala honorees alongside Penélope Cruz and Bruce Springsteen (news item Jul 17, 2025).
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Bowen Yang and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Iman Hariri-Kia
Born 1995 · Age 30
Iman Hariri-Kia is a New York–based writer, editor, and novelist who covers sex, relationships, identity, and adolescence. She is the author of A Hundred Other Girls (2022) and the forthcoming The Most Famous Girl in the World (Sept 2024) and Female Fantasy (Oct 14, 2025). Her journalism has appeared in Teen Vogue, Vogue, The Cut, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and more.
Jabari Parker
Born 1995 · Age 30
American professional basketball player. Standout at Simeon (Chicago), one season at Duke (2013–14), 2nd overall pick in 2014 NBA Draft, played multiple NBA teams (2014–2022), rebounded career in Europe with FC Barcelona (2023–2025) and signed with Partizan in 2025.
Logan Paul
Born 1995 · Age 30
American influencer, actor, professional wrestler, entrepreneur, podcaster and boxer who rose to fame on Vine and YouTube. Co-founder of Prime and Lunchly, host of Impaulsive, and signed to WWE.
Henrique Dubugras
Born 1995 · Age 30
Brazilian entrepreneur and co-founder of Pagar.me and Brex. Started coding as a child, built payments business in Brazil, then co-founded Brex to reimagine corporate finance for startups.
Hannah Einbinder
Born 1995 · Age 30
American actress and stand-up comedian, best known as Ava Daniels on HBO Max's Hacks; multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and Critics' Choice nominee/winner.
Nick Skovgaard
Born 1995 · Age 30
Danish fashion designer and founder of the eponymous womenswear label Nicklas Skovgaard. Self-taught weaver who launched an artisanal, narrative-driven brand rooted in handwoven textiles and theatrical presentations at Copenhagen Fashion Week.