Bowen Yang and Dave Chappelle continue to quash any rumours of a feud as the two comedians embraced on the latest episode of Saturday Night Live.
Chappelle returned to host SNL for a fourth time on Saturday night (18 January).
As is customary, at the end of the episode, the SNL regulars gathered at the end of the stage with the host to wave goodbye to the audience.
Before the cameras cut and the credits rolled, Chappelle and Yang (who has been an on-air regular on the sketch programme since 2019) were seen briefly hugging one another. The comedians, however, did not appear in any skits together.
The televised hug comes amid ongoing rumours that Yang actively avoids the controversial comedian whenever he appears on the show.
Last year, fans speculated that there was bad blood between the two stars after noticing an “awkward” interaction during one episode.
In January 2024, Chappelle made a surprise appearance on an SNL episode that was hosted by Madame Web star Dakota Johnson with musical guest Justin Timberlake.
As the hosts and the cast gathered at the end of the episode, fans noticed that Yang and Chappelle were standing at opposite ends to one another and that Yang appeared to look “uncomfortable”.
Fans speculated that Yang, who is gay, took issue with Chappelle who has attracted criticism in recent years for his jokes mocking the transgender community.
His comments have prompted criticism from fellow celebrities and fans. His 2021 Netflix special The Closer led to a staff walkout at the streaming giant.
In June last year, Yang outright denied distancing himself from Chappelle during the episode in question, telling Variety: “I stand where I always stand on [goodnights]… It was not a physical distance that anyone was creating. It had to do with so many things that were completely internal.”
During his opening monologue on Saturday’s episode (18 January) of SNL, Chappelle did not make any jokes about transgender people and instead poked fun at the recent wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles.
“The other day on the news, they said these fires were the most expensive tragedy that ever happened in the United States’ history. I think that’s because people in LA have nice stuff. I could burn 40,000 acres in Mississippi for like six or seven dollars,” he said.
“If you were a rational, thinking person, you’d have to at least consider the possibility that God hates these people.”
More than 35,000 acres of land have been destroyed and 24 people have died as a result of the blaze, which has ripped through the region.
Several celebrities, including Paris Hilton and When Harry Met Sally star Billy Crystal, have lost their homes.
