Bowen Yang feels very bleeping strongly that ‘SNL' should be able to use profanity for comic effect

CNN

24-04-2025

Bowen Yang is pleading his case for why he thinks he and his 'Saturday Night Live' castmates should be able to use profanity on the sketch show.
Yang spoke his mind on Wednesday's episode of his podcast 'Las Culturistas,' which he cohosts with Matt Rogers, telling Rogers and their guest Amy Poehler that he thinks the cast should be able to buck Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and use certain swear words on live television throughout the season.
'We should be able to say at least five s—s and five f—s on 'SNL' per season,' Yang said, adding that he feels 'so hampered in our comedy at 'SNL' by not being able to say' those two words in sketches.
Yang argued that 'SNL' should get an exception from the FCC, a federal organization that prohibits the use of profanity from being broadcast on TV.
'It would bring a sketch to the next level,' he said. The 'Wedding Banquet' star added that he feels s— and f— 'are so comedically powerful as words, I really think it would help us.'
Rogers asked Yang if the FCC 'came down' on 'SNL' after profanity was used during the April 6 episode, albeit unplanned.
In the sketch, 'SNL' castmember Ego Nwodim did a bit on 'Weekend Update' where she lobbied to be the White House Correspondents Dinner event's comedic host by showing off her standup comedy chops.
Nwodim, appearing as her standup persona 'Miss Eggy,' issued a call and response to the audience at one point when she asked, 'because men ain't what?' and held her mic out toward the audience, who responded by saying 's—' – much to Nwodim, and 'Weekend Update' anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che's, surprise.
'We're gonna get fined for that,' Nwodim quipped in the skit.
As it turns out, nothing ever came of it, at least as far as Yang is aware. 'I don't think anything came down, which I love,' he shared on his podcast this week.