What We Know About Kenan Thompson's Hush-Hush Divorce
Kenan Thompson and his wife, Christina Evangeline, initially kept their separation under wraps. News of their break up was made public in April 2022, but the couple was reportedly separated since November 2020. "They really just grew apart and wanted different things. There's nothing juicy about why they split," a source told Us Weekly once the pair went public with the separation. The "Saturday Night Live" performer and Evangeline would still see each other often and even "go to dinners just the two of them," as they remained close while co-parenting their two daughters.
A month after making the breakup public, Thompson emceed the grand opening of the Hard Rock Hotel in Times Square in May 2022, and he did not wear his wedding ring. "He looked like he was having so much fun," a person at the event told Page Six at the time.
Shortly after, the "Good Burger" star and Evangeline officially filed for divorce. As reported before, the former couple maintained an amicable relationship for the sake of their family. "They're still close as coparents and they plan on spending holidays together and celebrate their daughters' birthdays as a family," a source told Us Weekly in June 2022. Meanwhile, another insider told TMZ that Thompson and his ex split because "they simply grew apart." Thompson remained tight-lipped about the divorce for 18 months but spoke about it after writing his memoir.
Christina Evangline remained supportive
To promote his new memoir "When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice from a Professional Clown," Kenan Thompson appeared on "Today" in December 2023. In the book, he did not divulge any details about his break up with Christina Evangeline, and the hosts on the talk show asked him why those specifics were omitted. "[I] didn't want to speak out of turn on people who aren't there to tell their vision of the story," the "Kenan and Kel" star said. "So I just kind of told my perspective, basically," he added.
Those hoping the comedian would air dirty laundry about his marriage would be disappointed but should not be surprised, as the two have remained on surprisingly good terms. A few months after officially filing for divorce, it was revealed that Thompson was tapped to host the Emmys. While Evangeline did not attend the awards show, she still showed her support. "[She and the] kids are going to be watching from home in New York City since they're back in school," an insider told Us Weekly in September 2022.
One aspect of Thompson's career that Evangeline was not super supportive of was when his character on the sitcom "Kenan" was widowed. "She was like, 'Oh, so I'm dead?' But, I mean, she was just giving me a hard time," he said on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in February 2021 (via People). Once the couple officially split, Evangeline dated one of that show's co-stars.
Kenan Thompson's ex-wife dated Chris Redd
Around the same time that Kenan Thompson and Christina Evangeline filed for divorce, rumors circulated that she was dating comedian Chris Redd, who not only worked on "Saturday Night Live" with her ex, but co-starred on his sitcom "Kenan." Even though the news of Evangeline's new boyfriend came shortly after her official split, she only started dating Redd after separating from Thompson — as the former couple parted ways in 2019, per TMZ. There were rumors that Redd's relationship with Evangeline was the cause of his "SNL" exit around the same time, but those were apparently untrue. Thompson took his ex's new relationship in stride, and held no grudge.
Later that year, details about Evangeline's new relationship surfaced. The couple had known each other for years, even before Redd joined "SNL" and had started dating at the beginning of 2022. When news broke that they were dating, Thompson had already been informed. "Conversations had been had and everyone in their circle knew about the relationship prior to the news being released," a source told Us Weekly in September 2022. As previously reported, the "Good Burger 2" actor held no ill will towards his castmate. According to the insider, Redd left "SNL" to pursue other projects and it had nothing to do with dating Thompson's ex. "Kenan's dating other people [too]. He wishes her happiness," the source added.