Bowen Yang Wants ‘SNL’ to Say ‘Shit’ and ‘Fuck’ on Air: ‘If We’re Dismantling the FCC, Let Us Have It’

Bowen Yang thinks it’s time to loosen up the rules at Saturday Night Live — and he’s not being subtle about it.

During a fiery and hilarious “I Don’t Think So, Honey” segment on his podcast Las Culturistas (co-hosted with Matt Rogers), Yang argued that SNL should be allowed to say “shit” and “fuck” freely on air, at least a few times per season. Sitting opposite Rogers and SNL legend Amy Poehler, Yang referenced a recent moment when Ego Nwodim’s “Weekend Update” bit led the live studio audience to accidentally yell “shit” — a moment he gleefully called his “favorite moment in televised history.”

“We should be able to say at least five ‘shits’ and five ‘fucks’ on SNL per season,” Yang declared, adding, “We are so hampered in our comedy by not being able to say ‘shit’ and ‘fuck.’ It would bring a sketch to the next level. Shit and fuck are so comedically powerful.”

Yang’s frustration taps into a bigger conversation: with media rules loosening in a post-Trump FCC era, why should TV still tiptoe around a few four-letter words? Especially when network comedies like SNL, Abbott Elementary, and Ghosts are some of the last shows playing under old broadcast standards.

Poehler had her own tongue-in-cheek solution: why not monetize the swears? She joked NBC could set up a voting system like American Idol to let audiences choose which cast members get to drop the coveted f-bombs on air. Yang loved the idea and suggested setting up a legal defense fund just in case the FCC got involved.

Rogers offered his own theory: if Kenan Thompson — the longest-running cast member in SNL history — ever leaves, he should be allowed to unleash every “shit” and “fuck” he wants during his final show.

But Poehler, ever the seasoned comedian, pointed out that part of the magic is in the restraint. “You want it because you can’t have it,” she said, suggesting that the real comedy sometimes comes from navigating the network restrictions rather than bulldozing through them.

Yang also took the moment to clarify exactly where the current limits stand: you can say “ass” on SNL — but not “asshole.” And weirdly enough, “taint” is acceptable because it’s technically a body part.

For Yang, though, the dream is clear: if the FCC rules are coming undone, then let SNL finally live a little dirtier — and a whole lot funnier.