Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang is opening up about a deeply personal chapter of his life — his teenage experience with conversion therapy, which he described as “painful and detrimental.”
In a moving preview for Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist, Yang shared how his parents, after unexpectedly discovering his sexuality, gave him an ultimatum: undergo conversion therapy or stay in Denver. Yang chose therapy in order to move to New York for college.
“Those poor people did not realize that [NYU] is one of the gayest schools in the country,” Yang joked, shedding light on the painful irony.
Despite the humor, Yang reflected seriously on how the experience left emotional scars:
“I kind of played along… I didn’t realize how painful it would be.”
He emphasized that his parents simply had no context for how to support a gay child, and he has since extended them grace and understanding.
💬 Healing and Humor
Today, Yang says he has undergone a significant healing journey, often using comedy as a tool. The Las Culturistas podcast co-host even shared his story with Lady Gaga, crediting her Born This Way era as a crucial part of reclaiming his queer identity.
“I think I had to come out again when ‘Born This Way’ came out,” Yang said on his podcast.
🗓 Bowen Yang’s full interview airs Sunday, April 13 on NBC’s Sunday Sitdown.
✨ Yang’s story serves as a reminder of the resilience in the LGBTQ+ community — and the importance of love, laughter, and living authentically.
0 Comments