'SNL' star Bowen Yang addresses claims he ‘mocked' Chappell Roan

Bowen Yang has spoken out after major publications claimed that his Saturday Night Live skit “mocked” Chappell Roan.

Yang took to Instagram to share a Variety article with the headline: ‘SNL’ Mocks Chappell Roan as Bowen Yang’s Moo Deng Takes on Crazy Fans.

He wrote: “Oh geeez. ‘Mocks’???,” adding, “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.”

He continued: “If my personal stance and the piece aren’t absolutely clear in terms of supporting her then there it is I guess.”

In the said skit during the latest SNL episode, Yang appeared as Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippopotamus from a Thailand zoo who has become popular on social media. Speaking to Colin Jost, he complained of fans throwing things at him in the zoo.

He said: “For the past 10 weeks, I have 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.”

Channeling Roan, he said: “But now, I’m your favorite hippo’s favorite hippo — and I’m thirsty thirsty. Trust me, I would not be in this position without my fans … [and] my Moo Deng boo thangs. But the harassment has been intolerable. Oh, my God, they’re throwing shellfish and bananas at me!”

“I have to say, Moo Deng, your life sounds a lot like Chappell Roan’s lately,” Jost replied. “Do you know Chappell Roan?”

Yang said: “Of course I know Chappell Roan. And, 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.”

“This is what society does,” Bowen Yang’s Moo Deng continued. “It puts young women on pedestals only to knock them down with shellfish.”