Saturday Night Live (SNL) released a comedy skit which aired on television Sept. 28 mocking Chappell Roan with a human impersonation of the internet’s favorite pygmy hippo, Moo Deng.
SNL mixed their impression of Chappell Roan’s attitude towards the press embodied with the personification of Moo Deng to poke fun at pop culture’s “Feminenomons.”
Bowen Yang, an Asian-American comedian, acted out as if Moo Deng had a humanized personality with the statement “I’m your favorite hippo’s favorite hippo,” a phrase Roan coined in her live performances.
Yang also repeated Roan’s statement “Women don’t owe you shit” proceeding to demand literal sprays from a hose squirted at them.
Towards the end of the bit, Yang directly mentioned Roan saying “I'm 10 weeks old, Colin. Of course I know Chappell Roan.”
Most SNL viewers have praised the comedian and skit for being hilarious and the references to current cultural phenomena. However, I find the segment to be extremely problematic.
If you are unaware of her artistry, Chappell Roan is a queer pop singer who has attracted tens of thousands to her festival shows and became an overnight star credited to her April 2024 single “Good Luck, Babe!” and debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”
Roan has been making music for over a decade, hailing from a small town in Missouri, and was signed to Atlantic Records at 17 years old, according to Billboard.
Roan’s growth has been slow but steady and eventually peaked with her hit single “Good Luck, Babe!” where she shares the experience of falling in love with a woman who eventually leaves her for a man and later regrets it.
The media and fans of Roan have bombarded her with derogatory comments, harassment and stalking which has been an unfortunate result of her sudden burst of fame.
Roan took to her Instagram to express her boundaries towards this behavior which has been received as a joke to some.
“I’ve been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you shit,” Roan said via Instagram on Aug. 23.
At the 2024 VMAs in September, paparazzi allegedly shouted slurs at Roan while she was on the red carpet in which she responded with “You shut the f**k up!” and “Not me b***h,” according to The Rolling Stones.
People have since been negatively commenting that Roan complains “too much” and needs to toughen her skin since she is now a big name in the music industry, according to The U.S. Sun.
In the likeness of Chappell Roan’s behavior, Moo Deng has some similarities with the pop star who has also blown up overnight.
Moo Deng is a baby pygmy hippo from Thailand who has won hearts all over the world, achieving a viral status on the internet.
Her personality is funky; she bites items and her trainers ferociously, loves being sprayed with water from a hose and scales slopes within her habit alongside her mother.
Pygmy hippos can only be found in four countries in West Africa and are considered an endangered species with less than 3,000 hippos remaining in their natural habitat, according to the San Diego Zoo.
Thousands of visitors have traveled to see Moo Deng at Khao Kheow Open Zoo and have been throwing items like shellfish and bananas at the baby hippo to get her attention.
Queer women in the music industry and endangered animals in zoos have had quite a few things in common as far as mistreatment.
Most queer people in the music industry have been forced to be seen as invisible—despite being some of the most influential individuals—being threatened with harassment, assault and even death threats because of the hate towards the LGBTQIA+ community.
Over one third of LGBTQIA+ musicians/artists have experienced or witnessed discrimination and over one in four musicians/artists have experienced it directly, according to Forbes.
Since the SNL skit was aired, Bowen Yang has responded to criticism saying on his Instagram story, “If my personal stance and the piece aren't absolutely clear in terms of supporting then there it is I guess.”
Nonetheless, creating a comedic bit like Yang’s on SNL perpetuates the idea that queer celebrities creating boundaries is something to laugh about.
When it comes down to people’s lives at stake and that’s a subject to be cracking jokes at, there is something incredibly wrong with our society.
I’ve seen countless memes about the Sean Combs Diddy allegations and case as well as many other sensitive topics that people create comedic posts of that make my stomach churn.
While you may chuckle when initially viewing these seemingly lighthearted memes, the darker side of the situation will eventually cause you to rethink this form of comedy
Even if you have not been directly impacted by an issue like what Chappell Roan’s facing, empathizing with her as a human and seeing more than what meets the eye is critical to preventing these issues from repeating.
A national and globally known show like SNL has no business commenting and making fun of queer people and animal welfare.
Even though Bowen Yang identifies as a gay man, he has never experienced the struggles that Roan has been forced to grapple with as a lesbian and the type of celebrity stardom she has arisen to in such a short time.
These ideas presented in the SNL skit lead to more problematic behavior and commentary from pop culture and only furthers the issues the queer community faces and the mistreatment of animals in zoos.
Perhaps we may be able to see a future where someone asking for basic treatment or an animal being in its natural habitat isn’t laughable, which can only be possible if we recognize these problems in our culture now.
