Bowen Yang Looks Away As Dave Chappelle Joins 'SNL' Goodnight In Apparent Tension
HuffPost
Media outlets buzzed about the "Saturday Night Live" cast member's reaction to a surprise appearance by the transphobic comic onstage.
“Saturday Night Live” cast member Bowen Yang appeared to tense up and withdraw from the show’s goodnight segment last weekend when comic Dave Chappelle appeared on stage. (Watch the video below.)
Chappelle had no role on the show Saturday but had media outlets buzzing about Yang’s reaction to the controversial comedian, a 2022 “SNL” guest host who has been accused of making transphobic jokes in his stand-up act.
In clip shared by “SNL,” guest host Dakota Johnson says her thank-yous to musical guest host Justin Timberlake and others, but Yang, who is gay, looks disengaged.
At first he stands at the far-left wing appearing disinterested with his hands clasped. Then he and castmate Sarah Sherman seem to briefly discuss Chappelle’s presence. Yang claps unenthusiastically as he looks in another direction and gets a hug from Sherman.
The small moment got big play from outlets like the Advocate, which reported that Yang looked “visibly uncomfortable,” and Deadline, which wrote that Yang “didn’t seem too thrilled” and distanced himself from Chappelle.
