Natalie Oganesyan
Moo Deng, the viral pygmy hippopotamus as portrayed by an angsty Bowen Yang clad in a bulbous, purple animal suit, has had enough.
During Saturday Night Live‘s Season 50 premiere of “Weekend Update” with hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che, Yang called for justice for the beloved zoo animal, who in real life has been subject to visitor harassment.
“For the past 10 weeks, I’ve been going nonstop: running around, eating lettuce, trying to bite the water from a hose, and the response has been overwhelming, but it has come to the point where I need to set some boundaries,” he said. “Reminder: Women owe you nothing! When I’m in my enclosure, tripping over stuff, biting my trainer’s knee, I am at work. That is the project. Do not yell my name or expect a photo just because I’m your parasocial bestie or because you appreciate my talent.”
When Jost questioned what Moo Deng’s talent was, Yang responded with a quickness: “Having a slippery body that bounces.” He added that before his appearance online, the only “hippo representation” was with the popular children’s game Hungry Hungry Hippos and Jada Pinkett Smith’s character in Madagascar.
As the bit went on, featuring several off-screen hosings that had Yang chomping at the mouth and splashed Jost, it became clear that Yang’s Moo Deng was also a stand-in for Chappell Roan, who has been vocal about fan mistreatment. “I’m your favorite hippo’s favorite hippo,” Yang said, paying homage to Roan’s tagline. In continuing with the skit, Yang’s Moo Deng also announced that he would not be making an endorsement in the presidential election as a 10-week-old hippo.
“Ugh, I’m getting stressed out again Colin, can I bite your knee?” Yang asked, which Jost graciously declined.
Before Yang’s star-making appearance, “Weekend Update” featured a visit from Devon Walker as Eric Adams, who claimed his vocabulary was “officious.” In the mocking portrayal, Walker’s Adams claimed he had made New York City a “swag-tropolis” and got crime off the streets by bringing it instead onto the sidewalk and on the subway.
“The internet would have you to believe I have done nothing as the mayor but I … declared war on rats,” he said. “The rats are presently winning, but the game ain’t over baby.”
The SNL actor also made fun of the mayor, who was recently federally indicted and charged with bribery related to illegal campaign contributions, and his involvement with Turkey, in which he accepted luxury travel with the country’s airline in exchange for political sway. He joked, “Have you ever had a Turkish delight? It’s a briefcase with a $100,000 in it.”
He ended the chaotic bit with a final call to “Free Diddy,” referring to the photo of Adams and the disgraced rapper embracing once again making the rounds online, from when the former had given the latter a key to the city.