Saturday Night Live cast member Bowen Yang joined “Weekend Update” to deliver an impassioned plea against anti-Asian racism. Yang began his segment by mocking his introduction as “Asian American cast member”, to which Colin Jost replied, “That’s how you told me to introduce you.”
“I set your ass up. It feels good,” Yang responded. He continued, “things for Asians in this country have been bleak for the past two weeks — and all the weeks before that since forever.” Yang then rattled off action items he found online to help, such as checking in with AAPI friends to assure them they’re still attractive, amplifying Asian voices who want more Paneras in North Brooklyn, and calling senators to demand they know about the lesbian characters in Sailor Moon.
Yang turned serious after those suggestions, admitting “What can I say to help how insanely bad things are? If someone’s personality is punching Asian grandmas, it’s not a dialogue. I have an Asian grandma, you want to punch her, there ain’t no common ground, mama.”
“I’m just a comedian. I don’t have all the answers,” he added, joking that he would rather be doing his Gay Passover Bunny character instead. “But I’m not just looking for them online. I’m looking around me. The GoFundMe for Xiao Zhen Xie, the grandmother who fought back against her attacker raised $900,000, which she immediately gave back to the community. That’s where we are as Asians. Now come meet us there.”
Yang ended the segment by sharing a Mandarin cheer that means “fuel up”, adding “I don’t know what’s helpful to say to everyone, but that’s what I say to myself. Fuel up, do more. It’s the year of the metal ox, which basically means a car. So everyone, get in, buckle up. It’s no pee breaks. We ride at dawn, Grandmas!”
And just before cutting to commercial break, Yang yelled, “Save Kim’s Convenience!”, the Asian-Canadian series which was abruptly cancelled after 5 seasons on CBC.
Anti-Asian hate crimes have seen a spike since last year when the COVID-19 pandemic began. In the last 12 months alone, the organization Stop AAPI Hate, has tracked 3,795 hate incident reports from APIs in all 50 states and DC. This spike was exacerbated by republicans and Donald Trump continually labelling COVID-19 “the China virus” and other racist monikers. The result has been countless acts of violence and hate, culminating in the Atlanta spa shootings that killed 8 people and injured several more.
Many took to Twitter to celebrate Bowen Yang’s segment and message:
bowen yang is easily one of the funniest smartest people on television who is having THAT conversation
— ziwe (@ziwe) March 28, 2021
i will sleep on a mattress of pineapples for Bowen Yang https://t.co/rqmIJtXity
— Jenny Yang (@jennyyangtv) March 28, 2021
Thank you, Bowen Yang and @SNL. Yes, we're fueling up! https://t.co/ba5uCjBphn
— Daniel Dae Kim (@danieldaekim) March 28, 2021
Bowen Yang is 👑! Thank you for your honest words, and needed laughs. Meet the Asian community where we’re at. FUEL UP AND DO MORE!
Also, hearing him drop “save Kim’s Convenience” at the end got me teary eyed. ❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/Z0OyuJd2M0
— Andrew Phung (@andrewphung) March 28, 2021
Bowen Yang is everything.
pic.twitter.com/klDfrvjxJv— Ken Jeong (@kenjeong) March 28, 2021
#icymi it’s this kinda thing that REALLY makes @nbcsnl what it’s meant to be to me. BRAVO, NEPHEW #bowenyang #fuelup https://t.co/nFAEkOsesZ
— BD WONG (@wongbd) March 28, 2021
(featured image: screencap/NBC)
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