Bowen Yang and Chappell Roan held hands at the end of Saturday Night Live, just weeks after the comedian was criticised by her fans for apparently mocking her while dressed as pygmy hippo Moo Deng.
Hours before SNL aired its season 50 premiere on Saturday, September 28, Roan cancelled two scheduled appearances at All Things Go festival, telling her fans: “Things have gotten really overwhelming.”
On air, Yang comedically conflated Roan’s comments on fame, and her desire for boundaries, with the hippo residing at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo who went viral on social media.
Dressed as Moo Deng, but hinting at Roan’s comments, Yang said on SNL’s Weekend Update segment: “For the past 10 weeks, I have been going non-stop. Running around, eating lettuce, trying to bite the water from a hose, and the response has been overwhelming.”
Referencing a statement Roan shared on social media, he added: “Reminder, women owe you nothing. When I am in my enclosure, tripping over stuff, biting my trainer’s knee, I am at work. That is the project. Do not yell my name, or expect a photo, just because I am your parasocial bestie, or because you appreciate my talent.”
Yang received backlash on social media for the skit amid claims he was mocking Roan, but the comedian rejected that idea. On Instagram stories, Yang wrote: “Oh geez ‘mocks’? If my personal stance and the piece aren’t absolutely clear in terms of supporting [Roan] then there it is I guess.
“Everything she has ever asked for has been reasonable and even then we can connect it to another story about boundaries or whatever.”
Roan appeared as the musical guest on last night’s episode of SNL (Novembe 2), and while she didn’t participate in any sketches with Yang the fact they prominently held hands throughout the closing goodbyes seemed to be a clear indication that there’s no bad blood between the pair.
Elsewhere in the episode, Kamala Harris poked fun at Donald Trump‘s garbage truck struggles as she made a surprise appearance during the cold open.
The vice president, who has been played on the 50th season of the comedy show by Maya Rudolph, flew to New York City on Saturday evening after a campaign event in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Harris made the unscheduled stop while on her way to Detroit, Michigan, with Air Force Two landing at LaGuardia Airport in Queens. It was the final episode of the show before Election Day on Tuesday.
She appeared in the show’s cold opening opposite Rudolph’s version of her as the actress looked into a mirror and said she wished she could “talk to someone who has been in my shoes.”
The camera then panned to the reflection in the mirror, where the beaming vice president sat, receiving a huge cheer from the studio audience.
