When Kenan Thompson filed for divorce from his longtime wife Christina Evangeline back in June, it didn’t attract too many headlines beyond the initial announcement. People get divorced in Hollywood all the time, but when news of her reportedly dating his SNL co-star Chris Redd went public a few weeks ago, the general public got a lot more interested. There are few things people love talking about more than a messy break-up, but if the latest reports are to be believed, however, this break-up is a whole lot less messy than it seems on paper.
US Weekly spoke to an insider close to the estranged couple who said there is no drama going on behind the scenes. Kenan Thompson and Christina Evangeline have reportedly been separated for almost two years and are co-parenting without any issues. She has apparently known Chris Redd for years and is “the happiest she’s ever been.” He’s apparently dating other people too and “wishes her happiness.”
There were initially rumors of friction between longtime co-stars Redd and Thompson over the new relationship. In a bit of a surprise back in September, Redd announced he was leaving Saturday Night Live after five seasons. With other cast members having also left over the summer, most thought it was related to the larger shake-ups, but when news of his relationship with Evangeline broke, there was wide speculation it was related. If the same source is to be believed, however, there is not any friction. Redd simply had some conflicting projects that caused scheduling issues. He’s allegedly still “close” with the remaining SNL cast.
In addition to those comments from the alleged insider, there have been others who have spoken out over the past few weeks about, specifically about Thompson and Evangeline. They have said the former couple is getting along well and working together to share custody of their two daughters. The family is reportedly still spending holidays together, and there was even a story about Evangeline watching the Emmys along with their kids to support Thompson, who was hosting the annual event.
Unlike Chris Redd, Kenan Thompson did return to Saturday Night Live for his twentieth season. Season 48 began two weeks ago and has some exciting upcoming hosts. He’s said he’s planning to stay at least through the show’s upcoming 50th season, where it’s expected we’ll see celebrations and probably at least one reunion episode where most of the beloved former cast members come back. Given how popular and well-attended the 40th anniversary show was, I’d expect a bigger version of the exact same thing.
Neither Thompson nor Evangeline is particularly known for making personal life headlines. They’ve both been pretty quiet about their split so far, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to return to a quiet life whenever this news cycle runs its course.
