‘Kenan Owes You a Fade’: Chris Redd’s Emotional Explainer About Dating Kenan Thompson’s Ex-Wife Backfires as ‘SNL’ Fans Say It Only Made Things Worse
Standup comic Chris Redd says he has lived with one of the loudest rumors of his career long enough. Now, he’s finally saying his part.
The former “Saturday Night Live” cast member opened 2026 by directly addressing a discussion that has followed him for years since leaving the sketch comedy series, involving the origin of his relationship with Christina Evangeline, the ex-wife of his co-star, Kenan Thompson.
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In an emotional video released on Instagram to promote his upcoming New York City show, Redd explains why he stayed silent and why confronting the narrative has become necessary for his creative growth.
The clip also serves as a preview of a new live set rooted in love, accountability, and the complicated lines between friendship and personal choice.
“I wanted to address something that’s been around for a long time — about four or five years now,” Redd says. “I’ve never addressed it, but I know a lot of people talk about me dating Kenan Thompson’s ex-wife and how that came to be.”
He immediately pushes back on the idea that the relationship was calculated.
“I’m gonna be straight, man — it wasn’t no plan,” he says. “I saw everything everybody said. Every single thing. And bottom line, I’m not the type of person to scheme on someone. I’m not the type of person to even date somebody that like, one of my homies has dated.”
Redd describes what happened as “a very unique, nuanced thing,” emphasizing that it didn’t begin with crossed lines or hidden intentions.
“We were all cool,” he insists. “There was nothing. I was never hitting on anybody. It was never anything crazy — until it got crazy.”
According to the comic, the relationship formed during a period when he was struggling privately while still maintaining a professional presence. During that time, he says, he was dealing with dependency issues that affected his mental health.
“I had some pill problems,” Redd admits, “I’d be around people talking about me, judging me, but nobody was concerned. This lady was the only one who called me on my shifts, helped me through my therapy journey.”
Adding, “She told me things about her life that made me look at a lot of people differently.”
Over time, that support deepened, and they “fell in love.”
The emotional weight of that relationship, Redd says, was amplified by his close friendship and working relationship with Thompson, of whom he credits as a mentor and creative partner who played a meaningful role in his rise.
“I felt bad from the start,” Reed admits, later adding, “I don’t feel proud of this at all… The only thing is—I chose love.”
He explains that hurting someone he valued went against his character, and the fallout troubled him long before it became public.
According to Redd, he and Thompson addressed the situation directly and continued working together afterward.
“Me and him talked about it,” he says. “We worked together for a year after that conversation… I remember it specifically being said, ‘Let’s just keep this under wraps.’”
Months after going public with Thompson’s ex-wife in September 2022, Reed released his first hour-long comedy special, “Why Am I Like This?” However, once the story of his messy love life became public, everything changed because he had already left the show.
After the video was shared by Ice Cream Convos, reactions poured in.
“Why is the plot always ‘She saved me,’” one commenter wrote.
A second offered a more measured take: “She helped him and they fell in love during the process. It’s not cool but it happens.”
Still fans of Thompson were not settled on accepting this new relationship.
Another added, “Kenan owes you a straight up fade. You was never his friend.”
“What in the world. Drugs were involved and a white woman. Double Trouble. A mess. Doesn’t Keenan have kids with her. Lordy,” one person quipped.
One person bluntly asked, “Why are you crying.. Out of guilt?”
Thompson and Evangeline share two daughters, Georgia Marie and Gianna Michelle, born in 2014 and 2018. Reports claimed that the two had been separated for over a year before officially splitting in April 2022 after 10 years of marriage and 15 years together, in total.
(@yoevangeline)He first joined the show in 2017 for Season 43, when Thompson was already a 14-year veteran. He stayed on for five seasons. Yet after years working side by side, some fans say the bond didn’t just disappear for Reed, with one noting, “Seems like he’s missing the friendship as well.”
Redd also addressed the incident that followed shortly after the story became public, when he was sucker-punched in the face outside the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, around 9:40 p.m., before a scheduled performance in October 2022, according to NBC New York.
He recalls being taken to the hospital that night, treated, and later released. Kenan was not named as a suspect. The experience forced Reed to slow down and reflect on how quickly his life had spun beyond his control. As he prepares to bring the story to the stage, Redd insists the upcoming show isn’t about spectacle.
“This wasn’t meant for laughs,” he says. “I just wanted to put some narrative on something people talk about but won’t bring to me.”
The set centers on love — what people sacrifice for it and what can’t always be repaired. For the first time, Redd isn’t letting the story speak for him. He’s finally saying his part.
Meanwhile, Thompson has kept quiet about their split, briefly mentioning it in his new memoir, “When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice from a Professional Clown – A Hilarious Memoir on Fatherhood and Positivity from an SNL Icon.”
During an appearance on the “Today” show, former news anchor Hoda Kotb asked why he held back from discussing the divorce in his book, Thompson said, “I didn’t want to speak out of turn on people who aren’t there to tell their version of the story.”