The numbers are in! Saturday Night Live Christmas Special 2025, hosted by Wicked actress & singer Ariana Grande with musical guest Cher, became the most-watched episode in more than a year, drawing 5.4 million viewers. The episode, which aired on NBC on December 20, also marked the final appearance of Canadian-American actor and writer Bowen Yang as a cast member.Bowen Yang first joined Saturday Night Live back in 2018 as a staff writer, before being promoted to repertory status. In 2021, Yang became the first SNL featured player to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category.Before Saturday Night Live's Christmas Special 2025, the Oct. 4 season premiere (with host Bad Bunny and musical guest Dua Lipa) held the record for the most-watched episode of the season with 4.6 million viewers.More on this in our story.Bowen Yang bid an emotional farewell to Saturday Night Live View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe recently released Saturday Night Live Christmas Special 2025, which marked Bowen Yang's final appearance as cast, became the most-watched episode in more than a year for the late-night sketch show. After the news of Yang's departure flooded social media, fans flocked to watch his last gig on SNL.The episode kicked off with Grande appearing as Antonio, a role she played in a Saturday Night Live Season 50 sketch, to introduce musical guest Cher on stage, who sang Christmas songs like "DJ Play a Christmas Song" and "Run Rudolph Run" with Captain Kirk Douglas and the band. Later, Cher returned on stage to join Bowen Yang in the "Delta Lounge" sketch, the actor's final act on the late-night show. Yang played a befitting character, of a Delta One Lounge employee working his last shift on Christmas Eve, for his final sketch on SNL. Cher appeared as Yang's boss and the 'CEO of Eggnog at Delta.'Addressing his exit from the show, Bowen Yang took his final bow in front of the live audience. His Delta Lounge employee addressed Grande before taking his leave from his 'shift':“I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here, and I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bitlonger. Especially the people. I've loved every single person who works here, because they've done so much for me, especially my boss.”The trio then concluded the skit by singing "Please Come Home for Christmas,'' which made Grande visibly emotional and teary-eyed, as Bowen Yang spoke his final line on Saturday Night Live:“This place will always be home, but ah, it's time to go.”Revisiting Bowen Yang’s impactful run on Saturday Night Live View this post on Instagram Instagram PostBowen Yang joined SNL as a staff writer in 2018, when the popular late-night sketch show was in its 44th season. Yang's writing gig on SNL produced many memorable sketches, including "GP Yass" with co-writer Julio Torres & starring Sandra Oh and "The Actress,'' starring Emma Stone and Ty Mitchell, the latter of which was hailed as the "gayest SNL sketch of all time" by Out.Bowen Yang continued to deliver amazing performances after being promoted to featured player for the 45th season. The actor was promoted to repertory status during the Saturday Night Live Season 47 premiere, becoming the third gay male cast member after Terry Sweeney & John Milhiser and the first Chinese-American cast member. Some of Bowen Yang's most memorable characters on the show include the Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang in a parody town hall debate, the Chinese trade representative Chen "Trade Daddy" Biao in his Weekend Update debut and an extra in a mock movie trailer for Downton Abbey.After years of hard work, numerous characters and memorable scripts, Bowen Yang exited Saturday Night Live, leaving a heartfelt message on social media:“I’m grateful for every minute of my time there. I learned about myself (bad with wigs). I learned about others (generous, vulnerable, hot). I learned that human error can be nothingbut correct. I learned that comedy is mostly logistics and that it will usually fail until itdoesn’t, which is the best.”You can stream Bowen Yang's final episode on Peacock.For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.