NEW YORK (AP) — Bowen Yang bid an emotional farewell to “Saturday Night Live” with music, laughter and help from his “Wicked” buddy Ariana Grande.

Yang starred in the night’s final sketch, playing a retiring airport lounge worker working his final shift on Christmas Eve, serving eggnog to travelers. He sang “Please Come Home for Christmas” and was joined by Grande, the night’s host, and Cher, its musical guest. The women joined Yang in song and hugged him.

The sketch gave Yang a chance to say goodbye to some castmates — he delightfully sprayed Kenan Thompson with eggnog — and its premise gave a chance for Yang to deliver lines about moving on. “I just wanted to enjoy it for a little longer,” an emotional Yang said. By the end of the performance, he was in tears.

The show closed with a brief photo tribute to slain director Rob Reiner and the cast curtain call.

“We love you so much,” Grande told Yang, who was a constant presence throughout Saturday’s show and drew huge applause with each appearance.

Yang joined the show as a writer in 2018, became a featured player the following season and was promoted to the main cast two seasons after that. Yang was a fan favorite with five Emmy nominations over the years.

In an Instagram post Saturday, Yang wrote: “i loved working at SNL, and most of all i loved the people. i was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem futile, but working at 30 rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile.”

Yang, coming off a huge year or two of projects, departed “SNL” mid-season.

Grande helped kick off Saturday’s show with a parody of “All I Want for Christmas is You” about buying gifts for people you barely know during her opening monologue. Yang slid onto the stage to huge cheers and helped her complete the song.