Bowen Yang is taking a step back from his podcast to prioritize his mental health.
Over the weekend, the Saturday Night Live star, 32, announced that he will take a brief pause from his Las Culturistas podcast due to “bad bouts of depersonalization.”
“Taking a very short break from [Las Culturistas]. Bad bouts of depersonalization are f—ing me up bad, but I am doing my best to get better! Please take care, be soon,” Yang wrote on his Instagram Story.
According to the Mayo Clinic, depersonalization is a psychological condition in which a person regularly feels that they are having an out-of-body experience and that their surroundings are not real.
Yang has been a co-host of Las Culturistas alongside Matt Rogers since 2016. The comedians discuss the biggest moments in pop culture on the podcast with celebrity guests, including Kelly Clarkson, who was recently featured.
Las Culturistas comes from iHeartMedia and Will Ferrell’s Big Money Players Network, and was named Podcast of the Year at the 2023 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.
The Fire Island actor has been vocal about his personal life in the past, as he opened up about being sent to gay conversion therapy by his parents as a teen while chatting with PEOPLE for 2021’s Sexiest Man Alive issue.
“There was a huge chasm of misunderstanding,” Yang said. “Neither side really understood where the other was coming from, and it led to very dangerous situations overall.”
“What was always constant was the intention of love from both sides,” he added. “It pushed me into questioning what it meant, what was protected and what I should be protective about in terms of being a queer person. I don’t take it for granted.”
At the time, the comedian also shared his experience with PEOPLE about being the first Chinese-American actor on SNL and one of its first openly gay stars. Although he doesn’t feel any added pressure, he admits “there’s some humility that has to be constant.”
“And If I ever put pressure on myself to represent in any meaningful way for Asian people, then that would just get in my way in terms of thinking that I am destined to speak on behalf of multiple people,” he added.
Bowen Yang Stepping Away from His Podcast Due to ‘Bad Bouts of Depersonalization’ Bowen Yang Stepping Away from His Podcast Due to ‘Bad Bouts of Depersonalization’