'SNL' Weekend Update: Bowen Yang as Moo Deng as Chappell Roan on the pitfalls of sudden fame

Don't expect a presidential endorsement from Moo Deng.
 By 
Cecily Mauran
 on 
Bowen Yang as baby hippo Moo Deng in a segment on SNL's weekend update
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One is a baby hippo who lives in a Thail zoo, the other is your favorite artist's favorite artist. Both are struggling with their newfound meteoric rise to fame.

On SNL's Weekend Update, Bowen Yang highlighted the parallels between Moo Deng, the internet's favorite new baby animal, and musician Chappell Roan as they grapple with parasocial relationships and fandom. The segment, featured Yang as Moo Deng in her rubbery, glistening glory, as she pleaded for boundaries and respect from her fans. If that sounds familiar, it's lifted from a recent video and social media posts by Roan who has been calling out "creepy" fan behavior, and the invasion of privacy that comes with fame in the digital era.

Let's give them some space, people. And don't expect Moo Deng to make an endorsement in this year's presidential election.

Topics SNL Fandom

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Cecily Mauran
Tech Reporter

Cecily is a tech reporter at Mashable who covers AI, Apple, and emerging tech trends. Before getting her master's degree at Columbia Journalism School, she spent several years working with startups and social impact businesses for Unreasonable Group and B Lab. Before that, she co-founded a startup consulting business for emerging entrepreneurial hubs in South America, Europe, and Asia. You can find her on X at @cecily_mauran.


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