Upon accepting her honor, for her work with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Clinton mostly spoke about the group's efforts to combat childhood obesity.
For five minutes, it seemed as if Clinton might let Bayer's remarks go unnoticed, though she did speak of valuable lessons that her grandmother and parents had taught her about gratitude and persistence.
But Clinton closed with a line that touched on her mother's presidential run - and seemed to give the SNL star the benefit of the doubt.
"Vanessa, we may be able to say in this room today that no one's mother is currently president," Clinton said, addressing Bayer. "But someday, someone's will be."
The 36-year-old daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton has been in the public eye since her father was elected president 25 years ago. She also emerged on the campaign trail in recent years to support her mother's presidential candidacy.
However, over the decades, Chelsea Clinton has mostly shied away from the most controversial public debates - until recently, in the months after President Donald Trump's surprise win against her mother.
"In recent days, we've noticed a different Chelsea Clinton - one more than willing to speak out, often a bit bluntly," the Washington Post's Aaron Blake reported in February. "And she's speaking out specifically against President Trump, using his preferred medium: Twitter."
The younger Clinton has repeatedly stated that she has no plans to run for office, but it hasn't stopped others from encouraging her to do so - not has it stopped people from speculating that her denials actually leave the door open to some future campaign.
This included King, who on Friday resurrected talk of Chelsea running for office.
"I'll resist the urge to say Chelsea 2024," the TV personality said from the podium, according to the Associated Press. "I won't say it."
