Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Chris Redd is ready to be more open and vulnerable in 2026. He committed to the resolution by publicizing revelations about his “pill issues” and his relationship with comedian Kenan Thompson’s ex-wife.
“I saw everything that everybody said. Every single thing everybody said, I saw it,” Redd said in an emotional Instagram video shared Tuesday.
The 40-year-old comedian, whose tenure on the NBC sketch series lasted from 2017 to 2022, spoke candidly about how his “pill problems” during his time on “SNL” led to his relationship with Thompson’s ex-wife, Christina Evangeline, whom he did not name in his video. Redd explained in his video that the personal woes prior to his exit in September 2022 were a “very unique, nuanced thing that happened.”
In addition to struggling with substance abuse, the “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” actor said in his video that he sold pills to fellow “SNL” cast members. He kept their identities concealed, assuring them he wouldn’t “snitch on y’all.”
Redd, who said he suffered panic attacks behind the scenes, claimed his cast mates would talk about him behind his back and showed no concern for his health. “It’s crazy that somebody would watch you destroy yourself,” he said.
Evangeline, Redd simply called her “this lady,” was the only person to encourage him to seek treatment and therapy, he said. Her support and their bonding led to them falling in love.
“I felt bad from the start,” Redd said, adding that the relationship was an “emotional double-edged sword” given his collaborations with Emmy-winning “SNL” fixture Thompson.
He added: “I hate doing something to somebody that I know would hurt them.”
Thompson filed to divorce Evangeline in 2022 after more than a decade of marriage. They share two young daughters. That same year, Redd left “SNL” and celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi posted a blind item speculating on the circumstances of his departure. TMZ also reported on Redd and Evangeline’s romance, noting “there was no overlap or cheating” when the pair got together.
Redd said in his video that he chose love, though it made him “look terrible to people that I love and a lot of my fans.” The comedian spoke about his therapy revelations (“I realized I’m more sad than angry”) and assured followers he doesn’t feel “cool” about dating Thompson’s ex-wife. Still, he said, Evangeline was someone who made him “feel like I didn’t know what love was and I just felt like I couldn’t miss out on it.”
Though Redd acknowledged there was probably another way to balance his friendship with Thompson and his relationship with Evangeline, he said, “I was in love and I was spiraling out.”
Redd was known on “SNL” for his impressions of prominent figures such as former New York City Mayor Eric Adams and rapper Kanye “Ye” West. In recent years, he turned his focus back to stand-up comedy and is promoting an upcoming project set for Jan. 28.
