‘BLACK WIDOW’

SNL’s Michael Che Pulls Brutal Joke Swap Prank on Colin Jost

The “Weekend Update” hosts once again wrote jokes for each other to read sight-unseen. And once again, Jost got the worst of it.

NBC/screengrab

By Jennifer M. Wood & Matt WilsteinDec 17, 2023

The holiday season is a time for traditions, and “Weekend Update” co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che have their own: writing jokes for the other one to tell. It’s the Saturday Night Live gift that keeps on giving, but Che upped the ante on Saturday by inviting a woman he identified as Black poet/activist Hattie Davis to join them—and simply listen and shake her head.

Jost assumed things were not going to go great for him, and he was right. He could barely get the words out for his first joke, that “a group of geneticists have announced plans to bring back the dodo and reintroduce it to Africa. And if you ask me, I can think of at least one dodo I’d like to reintroduce to Africa.” Then a photo of Barack Obama flashed on the screen. “The woman’s an activist, Colin,” Che responded, shaking his head.

Jost also announced that alcohol was now being served in movie theaters in New York, which was the only thing that allowed him to enjoy wife Scarlett Johansson’s “little art movies.” To make it worse, he added: “I’m kidding, honey. I love all of your movies. And if you ask me, you’re an even better Black Widow than Coretta Scott King.”

While Jost may not have known they’d have a guest on the set with them, Che didn’t get off so easily. Che gave his review (via Jost) of the acting in MJ the Musical, the Broadway show about the life of Michael Jackson, which he said was “the same as MJ’s trial: Michael is amazing, but the kids aren’t believable at all.”

Che followed that up by saying that he wanted to end the segment “on a positive, uplifting note. Especially with all the turmoil in the Middle East right now. So I want to say, from the bottom of my heart—whether you’re Jewish or Muslim—y’all need Jesus.”