Chappell Roan has set the record straight on her feelings about Bowen Yang’s Saturday Night Live sketch.
Back in September, the Fire Island star was accused of mocking ‘The Giver’ singer when he portrayed the viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng on Weekend Update.
In the sketch, Yang’s character opened up about the challenges of her viral fame, disclosing that she had been “going nonstop, running around, eating lettuce, trying to bite the water from a hose. And the response has been overwhelming.”
“But it has come to the point where I need to set some boundaries. Reminder, women owe you nothing. When I’m in my enclosure tripping over stuff, biting my trainer’s knee, I am at work. That is the project,” Moo Deng exclaimed.
“Do not yell my name or expect a photo just because I’m your parasocial bestie or because you appreciate my talent. The only hippos in media were either hungry, hungry or Jada Pinkett Smith in Madagascar. But now I’m your favourite hippo’s favourite hippo.”
Towards the end of the sketch, Collin Jost pointed out that Moo Deng’s complaints were similar to Roan’s recent statements about fame, which resulted in Yang telling everyone to leave the singer alone.
Following the episode’s release, some of Roan’s fans accused the Wicked star of making fun of the ‘Pink Pony Club’ singer and her journey navigating the entertainment industry.
While Yang shut down the claims at the time, the ‘Hot to Go’ singer has remained mum about her thoughts on the sketch… until now.
When discussing the skit and fan backlash during a recent appearance on the Las Culturista podcast, Roan revealed to co-hosts Matt Rogers and Yang that she “wasn’t even mad.”
“I was like, ‘I bet she thinks it’s funny,” Rogers exclaimed, prompting the ‘Coffee’ songstress to say, “I did! I didn’t feel anything.”
Yang also recalled the conversation he had with Roan’s drag mother, Sasha Colby, who assured him that the singer wasn’t angry.
“Sasha Colby and I were talking, and I was just like, ‘Yeah, everyone’s mad,'” he said. “I was like, ‘Is she okay?’ And Sasha was like, ‘Yeah, girl, she’s laughing. She’s loving it.’ I was like, ‘Okay, well, then that’s fine.”
Building upon Yang’s story, Roan assured fans that they don’t have to get mad on her behalf, adding: “We’re fine. So what is there to be mad about? Also, this is what happens, that is SNL. It’s comedy.
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“And for people to – even if you were to push it further, harmless. It’s comedy. I don’t understand. I just don’t know the line anymore. Even if you didn’t think the Moo Deng sketch was funny or anything, you didn’t have to say anything.”
Toward the end of the segment, Roan doubled down on not being offended by the skit, stating that she didn’t feel protected or unprotected.
“People sticking up for me in that situation, or not sticking up for me, made me feel no different. Because I didn’t need it either way. Because I was not offended,” she concluded.
Check out Roan’s full interview on the Las Culturistas podcast here or below.
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