Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang's short-lived pursuit of a medical career at NYU was sparked entirely by his obsession with Sandra Oh and her iconic role on Grey's Anatomy. On the podcast SmartLess, host Sean Hayes pressed Yang on this connection, revealing that he studied "chemistry pre-med... because of Sandra Oh."
The connection goes beyond mere fandom to a bizarrely literal name coincidence. Sean Hayes laughed at how the wires got crossed, pointing out, "And her character name is Cristina Yang. Cristina Yang. ... Isn't that crazy?" Bowen Yang agreed, clarifying that the delusion was strong enough that "it wasn't that I wanted to be a doctor because I saw her, it was because, one, " he was simply a massive fan.
Years later, the fandom came full circle when Sandra Oh hosted Saturday Night Live during Bowen Yang's early tenure. Yang recalled being incredibly nervous during a week he played Kim Jong Un, noting that it "was when Sandra Oh hosted," which only added to the high stakes of his performance. Sean Hayes marvelled at the serendipity of it all, reflecting on how "Sandra Oh ends up hosting the show" right as Yang was finding his footing on the late-night stage.
Though Sandra Oh remains a dramatic powerhouse, her accidental influence on modern comedy is a testament to her far-reaching cultural footprint. As Yang's profile continues to rise, Oh's status as an unexpected comedy kingmaker is firmly cemented.