SNL star Bowen Yang announces ‘short break’ from podcast due to ‘bad bouts of depersonalisation’

‘Saturday Night Live’ cast member co-hosts popular culture podcast with fellow comedian Matt Rogers

Bowen Yang has announced that he will be taking a brief hiatus from his podcast Las Culturistas to focus on his mental health.

The Saturday Night Live cast member made the announcement on his Instagram Story over the weekend.

“Taking a very short break from [Las Culturistas]. Bad bouts of depersonalisation are f***ing me up bad, but I am doing my best to get better! Please take care, be soon,” Yang wrote, as reported by People.

The Mayo Clinic describes depersonalisation as a psychological condition in which a person feels like they are having an out-of-body experience, as if they’re observing their acts, thoughts, or feelings at a distance.

Yang, 32, has hosted the popular culture podcast with fellow comedian Matt Rogers, 33, since 2016.

In each episode, they break down the “hottest-pop culture moments of the day” and will regularly interview celebrity guests. Kelly Clarkson was a guest on the most recent episode of the podcast.

Yang has previously spoken about his mental health problems, revealing in 2021 that his parents sent him to gay conversion therapy when he was a teen.

“There was a huge chasm of misunderstanding," Yang told People at the time. “Neither side really understood where the other was coming from, and it led to very dangerous situations overall.

Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers (Invision)

“What was always constant was the intention of love from both sides,” he said. “It pushed me into questioning what it meant, what was protected and what I should be protective about in terms of being a queer person. I don’t take it for granted.”

Last month, Yang and Rogers hosted the Las Culturistas Culture Awards, a send-up of award ceremony culture.

Among the winners at the live show, which was attended for free by 2,600 fans of the podcast, was Oscar-winning actor Cate Blanchett. The Australian actor who took home the Cate Blanchett Award for Good Acting for her role in Tár.

Responding to the honour, Blanchett shared a hilarious clip of herself falling to her knees and wailing as confetti rained down on her.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.