Bowen Yang Opens Up About “Painful and Detrimental” Experience With Conversion Therapy

On Saturdays, I find myself sharing my thoughts with you all as a gamer. Today, I want to talk about something personal that’s been weighing heavy on my heart. As a star on Saturday Night Live, Bowen Yang has decided to share his journey, a journey that was both painful and damaging – the experience of going through conversion therapy.

In a sneak peek for NBC’s Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist, Yang openly spoke about his experience with gay conversion therapy, which was imposed on him by his parents during his teenage years. “I ‘came out,’ in a way, when my parents accidentally discovered this aspect of me and were taken aback, realizing they hadn’t recognized it before,” Yang explained to Willie Geist in the video preview.

Yang mentioned that his parents were unsure of how to deal with the situation. “I’m very understanding about this, considering they had no prior experience or understanding of it,” he explained.

The comedian and performer shared that his parents had presented him with a choice: attend conversion therapy or forgo it and be unable to attend New York University while living with his elder sister. Jokingly, he stated that those individuals didn’t understand that NYU is one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly universities in the nation. He also mentioned that the only way he could leave Denver was by agreeing to undergo conversion therapy.

The Las Culturistas podcast host explained that they somewhat participated and essentially entertained both them and others to see what it was all about. At first, they weren’t aware of how distressing the circumstances would turn out, but since then, they’ve undergone significant healing.

Previously, Yang has shared his personal experiences on numerous occasions. Most recently, during a podcast conversation with co-host Matt Rogers and special guest Lady Gaga, he discussed how her music significantly impacted his journey as part of the LGBTQ+ community. During this discussion, he mentioned that he felt like he had come out again when ‘Born This Way’ was released, because he had undergone conversion therapy beforehand, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.

Yang’s full Sunday Sitdown episode is expected to air on April 13.

Read More

2025-04-12 03:54