What Bowen Yang has said about Conversion therapy

4 quotes · 1 episode · Jun 1, 2026

Bowen Yang, American comedian, writer and former Saturday Night Live cast member; co-host of the Las Culturistas podcast, has been quoted on Conversion therapy 4 times in 1 episode of SmartLess, most recently on June 1, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.

In their words

  • Yang said his parents gave him an ultimatum: stay in Colorado or go to college in New York with his sister if he attended conversion therapy.

    “either you stay in state in Colorado, go to Boulder, live with us, Or you can go to college with your sister if you go to conversion therapy”

    SmartLess: "Bowen Yang" (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 26:52

  • Yang said the therapist's slip into the first person revealed the eight weeks of therapy to be phony.

    “oh, I've just undone all of this work that we've, this like fake phony work that we've been doing for the past eight weeks”

    SmartLess: "Bowen Yang" (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 28:47

  • Yang attributed his parents' decision to a cultural fear that he would have a harder life, not to religion or politics.

    “It's just them thinking like, oh, I don't want my child to have a worse, harder life”

    SmartLess: "Bowen Yang" (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 30:34

  • Yang said he and his parents have reconciled and that they have apologized.

    “I think we've patched it up really nicely. They have apologized. I've always kind of understood where they've come from”

    SmartLess: "Bowen Yang" (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 31:33

Episodes

  • "Bowen Yang"

    SmartLess · Jun 1, 2026 · 58 min

    Comedian Bowen Yang talks with Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes about his peripatetic childhood, conversion therapy, his path to and departure from Saturday Night Live, and comedy today.

Bowen Yang on other topics