Non-binary writer Celeste Yim is leaving SNL after five years. (Lanna Apisukh/WWD via Getty Images)
Saturday Night Live’s (SNL) first non-binary scriptwriter Celeste Yim is set to leave the show after five years.
Yim, who frequently wrote sketches with Bowen Yang, revealed their departure with a series of posts on Instagram on Monday (25 August).
Writing that the job “made all of my dreams come true”, Yim said it was “also gruelling”. Despite sleeping in the office weekly and being “yelled at” by famous men and women, they “loved it” and “laughed every day”.
The Toronto-born comedian went on to way: “It’s where I grew up. I hate when other people say this, but it’s true that I was the first out trans person to be a writer for SNL.I always felt honoured to be working within the long tradition of queer writing at the show.
“I feel powerless to protect trans people in the world but writing connects us and makes us permanent, so it’s what I will continue to do. Thank you, Bowen, for changing my life and for making me feel normal.”
Reneé Rapp, who came out as a lesbian while appearing as a guest on the show last year, having previously identified as bisexual, shared that she spoke to Yim to request the change to her now-famous line in a sketch.
She was introduced as “little lesbian intern, Reneé,” a revision of the original wording where she was referred to as bi. “[Yim was] were so sweet,” she said. “I was afraid to publicly change my identity, I didn’t want anybody to be upset with me.”
SNL celebrated its 50th anniversary in February with a star-studded special which included Meryl Streep being horny for Pedro Pascal and an “in memoriam” section where Tom Hanks paid tribute to past sketches that had “aged horribly”, including one about Hitler being gay.
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