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Saturday Night Live Star Bowen Yang has criticized a skit in which he was accused of “mocking” Chappell Roan.

In recent weeks, singer Roan, who recently divided fans with her comments about the upcoming US election, made headlines for speaking candidly about her sudden rise to fame and criticizing the intrusive behavior of “creepy” fans who, like her says they did this, followed and harassed them.

hours before SNL When Roan aired the season 50 premiere on Saturday (September 28), she canceled two scheduled appearances at the All Things Go festival, telling her fans, “Things have gotten really overwhelming.”

On the show, Yang then comedically merged Roan's comments about fame and her desire for boundaries with another famous character currently going viral on social media: the pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng, who lives at Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi.

Disguised as Moo Deng but pointing out Roan's comments, Yang continued SNL's Weekend Update segment: “I've been traveling non-stop for the last 10 weeks. Walking around, eating salad, trying to bite the water out of a hose, and the reaction was overwhelming.”

Referencing a statement Roan shared on social media, he added: “As a reminder, women don't owe you anything. “If I'm in my pen, tripping over things, or biting my coach in the knee, I'm with of work. This is the project. Don’t call my name or expect a photo just because I’m your parasocial best friend or because you appreciate my talent.”

When co-star Colin Jost pointed out that Moo Deng's situation sounded similar to Roan's, Yang made it clear that he supported the “Good Luck, Babe!” campaign. Singer said: “By the way, leave her alone. Give her as much time as she needs for her mental health. We both deserve patience and grace.”

After the skit, Yang was criticized for claiming he was making fun of Roan – an accusation that the comedian was outraged at. Responding to the backlash on Instagram Stories, Yang wrote: “Oh my god, 'mock'? If my personal stance and the piece regarding the support (Roan) are not entirely clear, then I guess it is.

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“Everything she's ever asked for has been reasonable and even then we can tie it into another story about boundaries or whatever.”

Roan will appear on SNL as a musical guest on the US sketch show on November 2nd.