Bowen Yang recently issued a heartfelt apology to fellow actor Ariana Grande for his enthusiasm during an on-screen kiss in a skit from Saturday Night Live, where Grande served as host on October 12. In a candid moment on his podcast “Las Culturistas,” Yang, 34, confessed to Grande, 31, that he felt he had “opened up [his] mouth too much” during their kiss.
“I really have to apologize to you in person,” Yang expressed to Grande. “I opened up my mouth too much when we kissed on SNL.” Grande responded with a laugh, saying, “You absolutely did. I was shaking after, not in a bad way. Just in a disarming way.”
Despite Yang’s repeated apologies, Grande reassured him that she held no hard feelings regarding their kiss. “We were dropped in. It felt like what these people needed at that time,” she explained, emphasizing that their characters required the passionate moment.
In the skit, Yang portrayed the boyfriend of Grande’s son, and their kiss came after her character praised him for being the protective figure her son needed. Interestingly, the kiss was not part of the original script. Grande revealed on the podcast that she had a spontaneous idea to include the kiss, thinking it would be funny. After expressing this thought, Yang humorously mentioned that he had the same idea and later texted her about it.
As they reflected on the intense moment, Grande playfully decided she was “kidding” about Yang’s mouth being too open. “For the characters, I think it was perfectly open,” she stated with a smile.
Yang and Grande both expressed their love for working on the live comedy show, which marked Grande’s second appearance as host. She shared how she thrives in the high-pressure atmosphere of SNL, stating, “It’s just a really safe and fun experience. It’s so much fun, and I think I just love comedy.”
