Chris Redd Breaks His Silence on a Relationship That Changed His Life — and His Career
Chris Redd is used to making people laugh. This time, he wasn’t joking.
In a long, emotional Instagram video posted on January 6, the former Saturday Night Live cast member spoke openly about a chapter of his life he had avoided discussing for years: his relationship with Christina Evangeline, the ex-wife of his longtime collaborator and friend, Kenan Thompson.
Redd framed the video as part of a personal reset for the new year — a decision, he said, to live with more honesty and vulnerability, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Addressing years of speculation
For four or five years, rumors about how the relationship began had followed Redd online and within comedy circles.
In the video, he pushed back against the idea that there was any plotting or betrayal involved. He said there was no plan, no secret scheme, and no intention to hurt anyone.
According to Redd, when feelings first emerged, everyone involved was still on friendly terms. The situation, he said, only became complicated later.
A difficult season behind the scenes
Redd described the period when the relationship developed as one of the hardest of his life.
He spoke candidly about struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, and misuse of prescription pills while working on SNL. He said he often felt isolated, watched, and judged rather than supported.
Evangeline, he said, was the person who noticed his downward spiral and stepped in — urging him toward therapy and helping him confront issues he had been avoiding.
Over time, that emotional support turned into something deeper.
Love mixed with guilt
Even as the relationship grew, Redd said he was deeply conflicted.
He spoke warmly about his bond with Thompson, praising their creative partnership on Saturday Night Live and later on Thompson’s sitcom, Kenan. The idea of causing pain to someone he admired weighed heavily on him.
“I don’t feel cool about this at all,” Redd said in the video, acknowledging how the situation looked from the outside — and how badly it made him feel.
Trying to keep things quiet
Redd claimed he spoke directly with Thompson about the relationship and that they mutually agreed to keep it private.
For a time, that worked. Redd said they continued working together for about a year before word spread more widely.
Once the relationship became public, he said, the atmosphere around him shifted. Not long after, he announced his departure from SNL in September 2022.
Representatives for the show declined to comment.
A year that unraveled
The video also touched on a violent incident later that year, when Redd was punched outside New York’s Comedy Cellar and taken to a hospital.
In a moment of raw reflection, he suggested he saw the attack as a form of karma — not something he fought against, but something he accepted.
It was a rare glimpse into how personally he has carried the fallout of the past few years.
Why this story resonates
Thompson and Evangeline married in 2011 and share two daughters. Thompson filed for divorce in June 2022.
For fans, Redd’s video offers the first detailed account of a situation that had long existed as whispers and online speculation. More than that, it reveals how quickly professional success can collide with personal turmoil — and how messy real life can be, even behind the scenes of a beloved comedy institution.
Redd didn’t ask for forgiveness or approval. What he seemed to want was understanding — or at least the chance to tell his story in his own words.
Sometimes, the hardest thing for a comedian to do isn’t make a joke. It’s stand still and tell the truth.
