Sep 30
Watch: Bowen Yang Does Charli XCX, Riffs on Chappell Roan in 'SNL' Season Opener
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.
"Saturday Night Live" returned for its 50th season and jumped right in with pop culture and politics – including out cast member Bowen Yang pretending to be Charli XCX on a "Brat" talk show and doing a riff on Chapell Roan while in a pygmy hippo costume.
In Season 50's inaugural episode "Yang transformed into Charli XCX to host a fictional series called 'The Talk Talk Show,' in a nod to one of the British pop star's song titles," Variety reported.
"In the segment, Yang welcomed 'Australian dingo twink Troye Sivan,' with whom Charli XCX is currently on the Sweat Tour," the entertainment news outlet added. "Playing the 'Rush' singer was Sarah Sherman, who lifted up her shirt to reveal fake washboard abs."
The segment included Yang playing a round of "Brat or Nat."
"The verdict: Hunter Biden's laptop is 'brat,' and Mark Robinson's search history is 'nat,'" Variety relayed.
The fictional talk show went on to feature "guests" introduced by Yang as "queer nightlife icon Susanne Bartsch and hetero CNN icon Kaitlan Collins," the former portrayed by "Hacks" star (and "SNL" host for the season opener) Jean Smart, while the latter was impersonated by Chloe Fineman.
Yang swapped his black wig for a pygmy hippo costume for an appearance on the "Weekend Update" segment that riffed on Chappell Roan. The comic portrayed "Moo Deng, the pygmy hippopotamus from Thailand who has become a viral sensation in recent weeks," Variety relayed in a separate article.
Anchor Colin Jost "noted that visitors have begun throwing bananas and shellfish at internet star Moo Deng in her zoo enclosure in order to get the hippo's attention," and introduced Yang as the world famous hippo, Variety said.
"For the past 10 weeks, I have been going nonstop," Yang, as Moo Deng, joked. "Running around, eating lettuce, trying to bite the water from a hose." Yang then proceeded to compare the hippo's "experiences with those of Roan, who recently announced she needed to take a break from performing and focus on her health," Variety added.
"It has come to the point where I need to set some boundaries," Yang declared, before going on to rewrite some of Roan's own recent comments, saying: "Reminder: Women owe you nothing. When I'm in my enclosure tripping over stuff, biting my trainer's knee, I am at work.... Do not yell my name or expect a photo just because I'm your parasocial bestie or because you appreciate my talent."
The riff continued with Yang telling Jost, "Colin, before me, the only hippos in media were either hungry hungry or Jada Pinkett Smith in 'Madagascar.' But now, I'm your favorite hippo's favorite hippo" – a twist on Roan's famous declaration that she is "your favorite artist's favorite artist."
Yang went on to add: "Honestly, sometimes I feel like I live my life in a cage, like an animal trapped in a zoo for people to look at," inviting Jost's riposte of, "That's kind of what you are."
When Jost noted that "Your life sounds a lot like Chappell Roan's lately" and asked, "Do you know Chappell Roan?" Yang declared: "I'm 10 weeks old, Colin. Of course I know Chappell Roan!"
A short time later Yang hit on another of Roan's recent comments, declaring, "I will not be making an endorsement in this year's election." Then: "Oh! I'm getting stressed out again, Colin. Can I bite your knee?"
Yang stood up for mental health and women's rights, telling Jost to "Let [Roan] take as much time as she needs for her mental health," before slamming "society" for "put[ting] young women on pedestals only to knock them down with shellfish."
Watch Bowen Yang as Moo Deng below.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.