Chris Redd Tears Up While Reflecting on Dating Kenan Thompson’s Ex-Wife: ‘I Did Choose Love’

Chris Redd is using social media to tell his side of the story when it comes to dating the ex-wife of his former Saturday Night Live co-star Kenan Thompson.

In a lengthy video posted to Instagram on Tuesday, Jan. 6, the 40-year-old comedian opened up about his New Year’s resolution.

“I’m not really one for resolutions or nothing like that, but I do have one. That I’m gonna be leading with a lot more vulnerability and openness,” Redd said, saying the change would happen in all aspects of his life moving forward.

“So I wanted to address something that’s kind of been around for a long time, ‘bout four, five years now, but you know, I’ve never addressed it,” he said.

“I know a lot of people talk about me dating Kenan Thompson’s ex-wife [Christina Evangeline] and how that came to be. I’ma just tell it to you straight,” Redd continued, before adding that there “wasn’t no plan.”

The actor, who worked alongside Thompson on SNL for five seasons, also said he saw the comments others would make about the situation. 

“Every single thing that everybody said, I saw it, and bottom line is, I’m 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. 

During this time, he said, “We were all cool.” 

“There was never nothing crazy until it got crazy,” he said. 

Redd claimed that he began falling for Evangeline, who shares two daughters with Thompson, when she was there for him during a rough patch in his life.

“Bottom line is while I was at the show, I had some pill issues. I had some pill problems, nothing too crazy but crazy for my Black a–. I was even selling some to people, some of my castmates,” Redd said, joking that none of them had to worry about him “snitching” on them.”

Reps for Saturday Night Live did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Redd reiterated that he would feel the people around him acting differently.

“I would have panic attacks, [and people] wouldn’t be concerned about me or nothing, would just talk s— ,” he said. “And it was crazy how somebody would watch you destroy yourself.” 

He credited Evangeline as the only one to “call me on my s— ” and “help me with my s— .”

“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. And in that time, we fell in love,” he said.

Redd said the situation made him feel “bad from the start,” like “an emotional double-edged sword.”

“I really loved everything me and Kenan did. I really appreciated every piece of work that we put together. I think that we were a great team. And I hate doing something to somebody that I know would hurt them,” he continued. 

In addition to SNL, Redd also appeared on Thompson’s self-titled sitcom Kenan, which began in 2021 and ran for two seasons.  

“I don’t feel player for this s— at all. But I did choose love,” Redd said.

As he wiped away tears and his voice cracked, the actor said his decision “made me look terrible.”

“To all the fans I disappointed, just know this was not something — I don’t feel like a pimp. 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,” Redd said.  

He claimed that he and Thompson discussed his relationship with Evangeline, and mutually agreed to keep it “under wraps.” They worked together for a year before “everybody found out, and s— changed,” he recalled.

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“And then by the time everybody found out and the world found out, I was out of there. SNL,” Redd, who announced his exit in September 2022, said. 

He also reflected on being punched outside The Comedy Cellar in New York City in October 2022 and being transported to a nearby hospital.

“Most people who know me from back home would know that I would be retaliating in a heartbeat, but not this time. This time it felt fair. Fair enough,” he said, seemingly referring to his own karma. 

“Anyway, this wasn’t meant for laughs. Just meant for me to put some narrative on something that a lot of folks is already talking about but won’t bring it up to me at all,” Redd said, again apologizing to those he’d let down.

Thompson and Evangeline married in 2011. He filed for divorce in June 2022.