NEWS'SNL' Star Chris Redd Says He 'Felt Bad' About Dating Pal Kenan Thompson's Ex-Wife: 'I Did Choose Love'
Chris Redd broke his silence on his relationship with Kenan Thompson’s ex-wife, Christina Evangeline.
Jan. 8 2026, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
Former Saturday Night Live star Chris Redd opened up about his relationship with Christina Evangeline.
Evangeline is the ex-wife of longtime SNL cast member Kenan Thompson, and Redd admitted the situation was emotionally complicated and far from intentional.
Chris Redd opened up about his relationship with Kenan Thompson's ex-wife, Christina Evangeline.
Redd made it clear the relationship wasn't planned or done behind anyone’s back, explaining that it developed organically at a difficult time in both of their lives.
After more than a decade together, Thompson and Evangeline split in June 2022 — just months before Redd began dating her that fall.
"I know everybody talks about me dating Kenan Thompson's ex-wife and how that came to be, and I'm gonna just tell it to you straight," Redd began.
Redd made it clear he never crossed lines while Evangeline was married, insisting there was no scheme behind the romance and claiming everything was fine before it "got crazy."
"She helped me with my therapy journey, and she told me things about her life that made me look at a lot of people involved differently," he said. "And in that time, we fell in love, and I felt bad from the start."
The pair started dating in 2022.
Despite his feelings, Redd admitted the hardest part was knowing the romance could hurt Thompson, someone he worked alongside for years.
Redd admitted the situation weighed on him from the beginning, calling it an "emotional double-edged sword."
"I really love everything me and Kenan did, bro. I really appreciated every piece of work we put together," he said. "I think that we were a great team, and I hate doing something to somebody that I know would hurt them."
"I don't feel player for this s--- at all. But I did choose love," Redd said.
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The comedian said Kenan Thompson was aware of the couple's relationship before it went public.
According to Redd, Thompson was aware of the relationship before it became public.
He agreed to keep it private, but a year later "everybody found out."
"But I was in love, and I was spiraling out," he shared. "By the time everybody found out — the world found out — I was out of there, SNL, you know?"
Chris Redd joined Saturday Night Live in 2017.
Redd joined Saturday Night Live in 2017 and quickly became known for his high-energy performances and musical comedy sketches.
He remained on the show for five seasons before departing in 2022, the same year Thompson and Evangeline split.
During his time on the long-running NBC series, Redd frequently appeared alongside Thompson, who has been a cast staple for more than two decades.
He also made an appearance on Thompson’s self-titled sitcom, Kenan, in 2021, which was later canceled after two seasons.
