'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAIRAAAgEDBAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMCAAQFERIhgQYUMUH/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADBP/EABgRAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERAAID/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwCDgvIVW1pmUesbTZj2tjcWpBaCGfdZfvIHVbUpK2qgydqnfOIkdJcanqlKl9mdIZwsu//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Singer Chappell Roan has shared her thoughts regarding Bowen Yang’s Moo Deng SNL sketch that allegedly mimicked her. During the 50th season premiere of the sketch comedy show, Yang dressed up as the viral pygmy hippo. Netizens felt that the sketch made indirect references to the Good Luck, Babe! singer.
However, on April 17, 2025, on an episode of iHeartRadio’s “Las Culturistas” podcast, co-host Matt Rogers brought up the incident, saying Roan must have thought of it as funny. The singer agreed, mentioning that “she didn’t feel anything.”
Chappell Roan said that even if someone didn’t find the Moo Deng sketch funny, they didn’t have to comment. She felt that people choosing to defend her or not didn’t affect how she felt. She neither felt supported nor unsupported because, in the end, she didn’t feel the need for that kind of protection. Roan added:
“Because I was not offended.”
Bowen Yang pointed out how everyone became mad after that, but Roan said she was not. The songstress added:
“People don’t have to get mad on my behalf. We are fine and like so what is there to be mad about? Also, this is what happens like that is SNL. It’s comedy.”
Chappell Roan shared that she saw the situation as light-hearted and harmless. Even if things were taken a bit further, she still believed it was meant to be funny and not offensive. Bowen Yang noted how people get worked up over someone they admire, calling it an obsession with the singer.
Bowen Yang dismissed the viral claims of mocking Chappell Roan in a previous Instagram story
The Fire Island actor responded to the viral claims in an Instagram story in September 2024. Bowen Yang reshared a piece by Variety in which it was claimed that SNL mocked Chappell Roan. He wrote:
“Oh geeez. "mocks"??? if my personal stance and the 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. needing the hose rn.”
In the comedy sketch, Bowen Yang, dressed as Moo Deng, talked about being busy over the past several weeks, doing things like running around, eating lettuce, and trying to bite at water from a hose. The character explained that things had become overwhelming, and it was time to set some limits.
Moo Deng, played by Yang, reminded people that women didn’t owe anyone anything and that when she was doing things like stumbling around or playfully biting her trainer’s knee, she was working. She asked people not to call out to her or expect photos just because they felt personally connected to her or liked her work.
Colin Jost told Bowen Yang that Moo Deng’s life seemed similar to Chappell Roan's. Moo Deng responded by asking people to leave Roan alone and give her the time she needed to focus on her mental health.
She added that both of them deserved kindness and understanding and asked people to stop bothering Chappell Roan and throwing shellfish at her. Moo Deng went on to say that society often lifts up young women just to tear them down in harsh ways.
Your perspective matters!
Start the conversation
