SNL Star Bowen Yang Denies Swipe at Singer Chappell Roan Over Kamala Harris Snub
On the season premiere of Saturday Night Live over the weekend, Bowen Yang compared pop star Chappell Roan’s struggles with her newfound fame to the imagined plight of Thailand’s viral pygmy hippo, Moo Deng.
“I have to say, Moo Deng, your life sounds a lot like Chappell Roan’s lately, you know? Do you know Chappell Roan?” Colin Jost asked Yang-as-hippo after he expressed the need to set boundaries.
Sometimes, Yang joked, he feels like he lives his life in a cage.
“I’m ten weeks old, Colin, of course I know Chappell Roan,” Yang responded. “By the way, leave her alone. Let her take as much time as she needs for her mental health. We both deserve patience and grace, so stop harassing her and stop throwing shellfish at her.”
The skit comes on the heels of Roan’s decision to cancel several shows she was set to headline this weekend. “I feel pressure to prioritize a lot of things right now, and I need a few days to prioritize my health,” she said in a statement. “I want to be present when I perform and give the best shows possible.”
Roan, who catapulted to fame from relative music obscurity earlier this year, has been subjected to intense scrutiny on the last few weeks following her statements on the election, in which she refused to endorse a candidate despite being outspoken on political issues. Her recent interview with the Guardian sparked criticism from fans of Vice President Kamala Harris who faulted her for declining to endorse the Democrat in her campaign against Donald Trump.
“I have so many issues with our government in every way,” Roan told The Guardian. “There are so many things that I would want to change. So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote – vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city.”
Yang took to social media to make clear he supports Roan, who is set to appear on SNL later this year, after a headline covering the skit said he “mocked” her.
“Oh geez. Mocks???” he wrote. “If my personal stance and this piece aren’t absolutely clear in terms of supporting her 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.”
Yang previously spoke with Roan for Interview magazine, during which they opened up about the pressures of fame.
Roan has been active in speaking out on political issues in her short time in the spotlight, advocating for Palestine, as well as trans rights and women’s rights, even declining an invite from the Biden administration to perform in honor of Pride Month, citing Israel’s war in Gaza. She said she would not perform until “liberty, justice, and freedom for all” could be secured.
Those stands didn’t stop social media users from digging into Roan’s personal life for evidence that she might actually be a “closet conservative.”
Just last week, Newsweek reported that the pop star’s uncle, Darin Chappell, is a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Missouri, who co-sponsored a bill to stop public funds in Missouri from going to abortion facilities throughout the state.
Roan told to Rolling Stone earlier this month that she has conservative relatives and friends from her hometown in Missouri, a state that has voted Republican in every election since 2000.
“I have family that are very Republican, and they love me and I love them,” she told Rolling Stone. “It’s so hard for kids who grew up on the coast to understand why maybe I can … understand.”
In several videos posted to TikTok in recent days, Roan addressed the criticism and said that while she will not endorse Harris, she will be voting for her.
@chappellroan
“Hear it from my mouth, if you’re still wondering, no, I’m not voting for Trump,” she explained, later adding that she is voting for “fucking Harris.” She continued, “I will always question those in power and those making decisions over other people, and I will stand up for what’s right and what I believe in, and it’s always at the forefront of my project.”
@chappellroan Im done talking about it. If you dont get what im saying from this, its a lost cause. And im not forcing you to agree with me. This is my statement. Have a good day
Roan went on to add that those who have accused her of playing both sides are not properly understanding her reasoning. She said she cannot endorse a single candidate because of the issues she sees on both the right and left.
“Vote for who in your mind is the best option for what we have right now because it’s all we can do, and I hope this makes it clear that, no, I’m not picking sides [from] what we have right now,” she said. “Yes, one’s obviously better than the other, but Jesus fucking Christ, I hope you don’t settle for what we have and put your name behind someone that you don’t full, fully trust because of their blatant actions.”
