Bowen Yang said so long to Saturday Night Live last weekend - much to the disappointment of the head honcho, Lorne Michaels! If you missed it, the 35-year-old comedian confirmed last week that he quit the sketch comedy show after seven years. It was a great shock to many fans, and especially upsetting to his boss. Lorne even reportedly tried to get Bowen to stay, but he had enough of the show at that point. A SNL source told Page Six on Tuesday: "Everyone tried to get Bowen to stay, from Lorne down. But he just made up his mind, he was over it. He was not happy, you could tell." In fact, Bowen wanted to leave the show back in September. He reportedly planned to exit at the beginning of Season 51, but Lorne "threw a ton of money" at him to get him to stay. Related: How Ethan Slater Showed Up For Ariana Grande's SNL Taping Amid Breakup Rumors! Another source, however, claimed Bowen had only received a standard raise. Either way, no amount of cash was going to get him to stay the entire season! The SNL insider shared that he "actually only signed up to December, but we all thought he would stay," adding: "No one thought he would go [now]." So why did he exit early? Nothing scandalous reportedly happened over the past few months to make Bowen quit. The source noted that "you can always tell when a cast member is done," and he just apparently reached that point. One former cast member continued: "It's a grueling schedule. It's a tough thing to do, just from the [lack of] sleep alone." It also doesn't help when the series brings on controversial hosts, like Dave Chappelle, who has been blasted for anti-LGBTQ+ jokes in the past, or hosts that make the cast members cry, as Bowen previously revealed. That alone can get frustrating and tiring after a while... Not only does Bowen have a busy schedule with SNL, he's got other work commitments outside of the show. An industry source claimed the actor "overcommitted" himself to projects. He starred in two box office hits with Wicked and Wicked: For Good, which was such a big commitment that he even had to ask permission from Lorne just to get time off to film. Bowen also co-hosts the Las Culturistas podcast with Matt Rodgers. On top of that, he has several shows and film projects in the works, including an upcoming new comedy for Searchlight with his co-host, per Deadline. It's a lot for one person to manage all at once. As the SNL source put it: "It was too much to do it all." According to Page Six, Bowen was also disappointed when his castmate Heidi Gardner was fired from the show in August, along with Emil Wakim, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, and John Higgins. Even Ego Nwodim quit before the season premiere. It was all part of a mass exodus initiated by Lorne. The boss apparently wanted to keep Bowen around, thinking he had "more to do" on the show. But it turns out the Wicked star didn't want to stick around for much longer! Oof! Lorne and everyone else are "supportive" of him, though. The SNL insider concluded: "Everyone at the show is supportive of him and his decision." It really is such a shame to see Bowen go, but we can't wait to see what he does next! What are your reactions, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments! [Image via Saturday Night Live/YouTube] The post Why Bowen Yang REALLY Left <i>SNL</i> -- And How Desperate Lorne Michaels Was For Him To Stay! appeared first on Perez Hilton.