"Nothing too crazy": Former Saturday Night Live star Chris Redd drops a "pill" revelation for his co-members on the show

Saturday Night Live star Chris Redd ( Image via Instagram / @chrisreddis )
Saturday Night Live star Chris Redd ( Image via Instagram / @chrisreddis )

Saturday Night Live! Probably, not so many TV shows have the same cultural impact, history, and curiosity from the public as the NBC comedy sketch show SNL, which has been running for over 40 years.

SNL has been a mix of fun and live performance that opened the door for many comedians to step into the limelight of the entertainment industry. Yet there are times when an SNL story becomes front-page news not because of what transpired on stage but because of what happened quietly behind the scenes.

This is true for someone like Chris Redd, a former SNL cast member, who has surprised many people with a public confession lately about his personal vulnerabilities as a cast member on SNL. As per Variety, he said,

“While I was at the show, I had some pill issues, you know, some pill problems. Nothing too crazy, but crazy for my black a**. And I was even selling some to some of my castmates. I’m not gonna snitch on y’all motherfuckers man.”

This was an honest confession that is less of a scandal and more of a celebration of truth. Redd subsequently mentioned that he was very much pained by the reactions of his co-stars to his drug problem. According to Variety, Redd asserted that,

"I would hear them because, you know, some of that Adderall shit got you super hearing and shit. But [they] wouldn’t help me, you know. I would have panic attacks, [they] wouldn’t be concerned about me or nothing. Just would talk shit. It’s crazy how somebody would watch you destroy yourself.”

Chris Redd speaks openly about his past

Chris Redd, who was part of the cast of Saturday Night Live between 2017 and 2022, spoke of his experience. He explained that he wanted to be truthful and vulnerable about a certain part of his life that he hadn’t discussed earlier.

In fact, it was during that time that he was also dealing in pills with the other cast members. He indeed tried to downplay the whole thing by calling it “nothing too crazy,” but he also admitted it was a significant challenge in his life.

One thing Redd made very clear was that he would not name any of the people involved, saying that he was just speaking about his own actions rather than implicating others.


Redd’s time on Saturday Night Live

He was invited to feature in Saturday Night Live as a featured player in Season 43 and therefore worked with the show for five seasons. He has developed into a very versatile actor and has won recognition for a wide range of performances, from musicals to character acting.

As with other members of the Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast, Redd accepted the challenge of performing live television. His departure from the program in 2022 was announced without any explanation being given that his leaving was due to his use of or behavior related to substance abuse.

In the recent remarks made by Redd, he did not state a correlation between the reason for leaving Saturday Night Live and the revelation of his pill use.


How Redd described interactions with others

He said that the people surrounding him were behaving in a particular way when he was having tough times. He said that when a person is having a panic attack or is going through some kind of turmoil, some people would just talk about him instead of talking to him.

He did not mention any particular names from his team on Saturday Night Live who were acting in such a manner. His statements were closer to a reflection on his own practice than a lodged grievance. In particular, he neither blamed anyone else for the wrong, harassment, or abuse he suffered, nor suggested that the interaction was violative of the norms of practice at the workplace.


What made the statement so eye-catching

The connections to Saturday Night Live tales usually bring up things like the backstage creative processes, on-set moments, or star departures. Redd's testimony is unique because it deals with a sensitive subject very discreetly and in a straightforward way.

Redd did not make his experience sound like something shocking or dramatic. Instead, he picked his words carefully and stayed away from any kind of exaggeration. Saying “nothing too crazy” about the situation seems to show that he was trying to set the scene, but not at the same time giving a pass to the ones involved.

To viewers who know about Saturday Night Live, Redd’s comments shed light on the fact that personal problems may coexist with professional exposure.


Mental health and stress in live TV

Nevertheless, Redd’s commentary did not constitute a direct critique of the situation; however, they undoubtedly brought up the issue of mental health in high-pressure creative environments. Saturday Night Live is one of the famous shows that face these kinds of pressure mainly through its regular exhausting routine and the peculiar stress of performing live every week.

Redd did not label SNL as the source of his difficulties, nor did he imply that the network was not doing anything to help its cast. Rather, he articulated his views in terms of his own life experiences, thereby touching upon personal rather than organizational matters.

Thus, the acknowledgment adds to the comprehension of the ways in which human beings deal with pressure without throwing the institution into blame.


No official announcement from Saturday Night Live

At the moment, Saturday Night Live and NBC have been silent and have not made any public announcement regarding Redd’s remarks. Since Redd did not charge the show with any misconduct or wrongdoing, the absence of an official statement is in agreement with the usual practice of the industry.

Redd himself did not demand accountability, investigations, or changes in the workplace policy. He merely presented his views as a personal reflection rather than an appeal for action.

Public interpretation and reaction. Mostly, the public talking about Redd's video has been bringing up its very openness and not the controversy. A good number of people who watched the video pointed out that the ex-SNL cast members have, in fact, been revealing their personal experiences through time about the pressures of working on the show.

Redd's remarks contribute to that pool of personal testimonies while not really changing the public's view of the show in the same way as a television institution.


In the end, the confession of Chris Redd does not make Saturday Night Live a scandal or a dysfunctional place. Rather, it mirrors the life of a single person who recognizes past mistakes and personal struggles. Redd signaled his admission as an act of truth rather than an attack by steering clear of dramatic allegations and using an understated tone.

His words remind us that even in the case of Saturday Night Live, where things are so visible, individual experiences may differ greatly. The scandal is a non-issue, and all that remains for the viewers and readers is a clear picture of the situation without the dramatization, a tale deeply rooted in personal accountability rather than a public controversy.

Also read: Saturday Night Live Season 50 Finale Recap - Host Scarlett Johansson is joined by Bad Bunny and Kenan Thompson

Edited by Zainab Shaikh