Bowen Yang throws Emmy support behind SNL costar Kenan Thompson despite being nominated in same category
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Bowen Yang is playing the part of an iceberg again — quite possibly Titanic-ing his own chances at the Emmys.
The Saturday Night Live star used his Instagram story on Thursday night to throw his Primetime Emmys support behind his castmate and fellow Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominee Kenan Thompson.
Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Bowen Yang and Kenan Thompson on 'SNL'
"There's no chic way of saying this," Yang began in his video message. "I have been told we are a week away from Emmys voting, and I felt the need to express my top line campaign message, which is that if you're in the Television Academy, please vote for Kenan Thompson for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series."
As Yang continued, the SNL star was quite specific about how he'd like to wield his influence — on only the Supporting Actor category. (He and Thompson are up against four stars from Ted Lasso (Jeremy Swift, Nick Mohammed, Brendan Hunt, and Brett Goldstein), Carl Clemons-Hopkins of HBO Max's Hacks, and Paul Reiser from The Kominsky Method.)
"Vote however you'd like in other categories, but for that one please vote for Kenan," Yang shared. "He is one of the best sketch comedians of all time. He's one of the kindest people I know and that many others know."
And lest anyone question his motives, Yang ensured those watching his story that his heart is totally behind support of his castmate.
"This isn't a faux humility thing. I don't want it, to be honest," he said of the award. "And it's not that I'm too cool for it, because I'm not, but I'm just being real: I don't want it and Kenan deserves it. And I know this is messy... and that someone on my team will be mad at me, but I'm just being real."
Bowen Yang/Instagram
Yang's nomination in the Supporting Actor category was historic. He's the first featured member of the SNL cast to get a nod.
Thompson is actually up for two Emmys this year — Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, for his work in NBC comedy Kenan, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, for SNL. He was nominated for the same award in 2018 and 2020. Before that, he was twice nominated for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2017 and 2018, with the latter year — and his "Come Back Barack" song with then-host Chance the Rapper — earning him his first Emmy Award.
Thompson earned the honor of being the longest serving SNL cast member (outpacing Darrell Hammond) in 2017. The former Nickelodeon star joined the cast in 2003.
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