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The biggest friendship no-no? Dating a friend’s ex. Even when intentions are genuine, it’s messy for everyone. Chris Redd recently gave his perspective on falling for Kenan Thompson’s ex-wife. The comedians were close buddies and coworkers on Saturday Night Live for Redd’s five-season run. But things got uncomfortable quickly when Redd and Christina Evangeline connected.

Here’s Chris Redd’s relationship timeline with Thompson’s ex:

November 2020: Kenan Thompson and Christina Evangeline separate

Kenan Thompson and Christina Evangeline married in 2011 after dating for several years. The actor and former model went on to have two daughters together, Georgia (b. 2014) and Gianna (b. 2018). Then, in late 2020, the couple quietly separated. At the time, reports stated they “grew apart” after more than a decade together, and they continued co-parenting amicably.

February 2021: ‘Kenan’ premieres on NBC, starring Thompson and Chris Redd

The sitcom follows Thompson as Kenan Williams, a widower with two daughters. His character hosts an Atlanta morning show while juggling his personal life. Chris Redd portrays Gary Williams, Kenan’s brother. In April 2021, Kenan was renewed for a second season.

Late 2021: Thompson agrees to keep Redd’s relationship with Evangeline ‘under wraps’

Redd eventually revealed that he discussed his love for Evangeline with the Good Burger actor about a year before “everybody found out, and s*** changed.” (More from Redd on that later in this article.) According to the timeline, this means he and Thompson conferred around September 2021 regarding the new relationship, mutually agreeing to keep it “under wraps.”

Mid-2022: Thompson officially files for divorce from Evangeline

After being separated for over a year, Thompson and Evangeline agreed on joint custody of their daughters while maintaining a friendly co-parenting relationship. Thompson continued his reign as the longest-tenured cast member of SNL. Evangeline focused on their daughters, sharing moments of her life with them via social media, where she has over 25,000 followers.

May 2022: ‘Kenan’ is canceled

The second season of Kenan follows the morning show host for 10 episodes. Despite its strong start, low ratings and a declining viewership motivated NBC’s decision to end the sitcom.

September 2022: News broke that Redd and Evangeline were dating

TMZ broke that Chris Redd and Evangeline became official sometime in the last year, meaning that they began dating before the divorce was official. However, sources stated that no cheating or overlap occurred. TMZ even alleged that Thompson and Evangeline had been living “separate lives” since 2019.

At this point, Redd and Evangeline had known each other for six years via Thompson. Redd had also recently announced his exit from Saturday Night Live as he had several other projects in the works.

January 2026: Redd addresses the situation on social media for the first time

On January 6, 2026, Redd posted an emotional video on Instagram, addressing the controversy. Nearly 3 and a half years after news first broke that he was dating Thompson’s ex, the comedian said he did not initially “plan” to fall for Evangeline. Redd explained that his New Year’s resolution for 2026 is to lead “with a lot more vulnerability and openness,” spurring his decision to share how they got together.

The Power Book III: Raising Kanan actor shared that he’s “not that type of person to scheme on a person. I’m not the type of person to even date somebody that, like, one of my homies has dated. This is a very unique, nuanced thing that happened.” Redd said he had some issues with pills while he was on SNL. “Nothing too crazy, but crazy for my Black ass,” he explained.

Redd said he was experiencing panic attacks and struggles with drugs on set, and Evangeline was the only person who called him out. “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 stated. This was when they “fell in love.”

Redd said he felt “bad from the start” about dating his friend’s soon-to-be ex-wife. “I really loved everything me and Kenan did,” he explained. “. . . I think that we were a great team. And I hate doing something to somebody that I know would hurt them.”

Redd shed tears as he shared that he “chose love” and knew this would make him look “terrible” to outsiders. “To all the fans I disappointed, just know this was not something — I don’t feel like a pimp,” he continued. “I don’t feel cool about this at all, besides the fact that I found someone that makes me feel like I didn’t even know what love was for real. And I just feel like I couldn’t miss out on it. And love is not sensical.”

So, are Redd and Evangeline still together? It seems so! According to our relationship timeline, they’ve been together for over four years. Now that Redd has revealed the details, he might be more public with his love on social media.

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