Biography - Bowen Yang

Who is Bowen Yang?

Bowen Yang is a comedian, actor, producer, writer by profession, and American by nationality. He rose to fame after being the first Chinese-American to be cast in Saturday Night Live (SNL) and the third openly gay male cast member. 

Bowen Yang – Birth, Parents, Siblings

Bowen Yang’s birth took place on 7 November 1990 in Brooklyn, New York City, USA. He was born to his Chinese immigrant mother, Meng Yang, and his father, whose name is Ruilin Yang. He is not the only child of his parents and has an older sibling, his sister Yang Yang.

Education, Ethnicity

Yang was raised in Denver, Colorado. After completing high school at Smoky Hill High School, he studied at New York University. He graduated from the same university with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. 

His ethnicity is Chinese.

Bowen Yang – Boyfriend, Husband, Children

Bowen Yang is gay by sexuality. He is open about his sexuality, but he has not shared many details about his former boyfriends. Although he is considered to be a single man, a secret boyfriend cannot be ruled out. Currently, he is unmarried, sans husband and children.

Yang revealed in January 2020 that his father had set him up with eight sessions of conversion therapy.

In July 2022, it was reported that he was dating coach Kenny Ferrer. However, the pair has not confirmed their relationship.

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Bowen Yang – Career

Early Career

Although Bowen Yang was determined to pursue a career as a doctor (as he was deeply influenced by Grey’s Anatomy), he eventually turned to acting and performing as a comedian. 

While studying at New York University, Bowen Yang met Matt Rogers, but they were in rival theater groups. It took them some time to become friends. The duo began their own podcast, Las Culturistas, in 2016. The show is mostly about popular culture and gay topics, and helps Bowen Yang build a fanbase through it.

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Since 2018

In 2018, Yang starred alongside Awkwafina and BD Wong in a show that was picked up by Comedy Central. In 2019, he was named Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30.  

Moreover, Bowen Yang has had appearances on numerous shows, including Broad City, The Outs (2012), High Maintenance (2016), Isn't It Romantic (2019), and Wicked: For Good (2025). Yang is also well known for his Twitter lip-syncing videos. His videos have garnered thousands of likes as well as retweets.

In September 2019, Saturday Night Live (SNL) announced that Bowen Yang had been cast as a writer in season 45 of the SNL. He became the first Chinese-American cast member and the third openly gay male cast member on SNL.

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Fellow Cast

Yang was cast alongside Shane Gillis and Chloe Fineman in season 45 of SNL after actress and comedian Leslie Jones departed from the show. But when Gillis’s old racial and homophobic slurs resurfaced, he was fired from the show before his debut performance. 

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Bowen Yang – Net Worth, Salary

His net worth has been estimated at around $3 million, while the figure on his annual salary is still under review and will be updated.

Bowen Yang – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

On social media handles, Bowen Yang is active on Twitter and Instagram, but his absent from Facebook. 

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