“Saturday Night Live” veteran Michael Che said this is his “last year” behind the “Weekend Update” desk, where he has co-anchored the popular spoof-news segment with Colin Jost since 2014.
Che made the remark while performing at a pop-up comedy show hosted in a hair salon in Minneapolis.
“This is my last year,” Che said, according to the Star Tribune. “You know my tie is a clip-on, right? What man wears a clip-on tie to work for eight years — that’s embarrassing.”
It wasn’t clear whether Che, a co-head writer for “SNL,” meant that he’s stepping down from “Weekend Update” but will continue to appear on the show, or whether he will no longer appear on camera at all but will remain a writer. In an Instagram post Sunday, Che said he’s “not leaving” the show.
Representatives for NBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cast member Cecily Strong formerly co-anchored “Weekend Update” and has remained a frequent sketch performer since leaving that spot.
Che became the first Black co-head writer in “SNL” history in 2017, when he and Jost were promoted to lead the show’s writing team, according to Vice.
Although the current incarnation of “Weekend Update” has won many fans, Che has come under fire over the years for a number of controversial jokes, including about Israel and the LGBTQ community.
In February 2021, the Anti-Defamation League called out Che after he made a joke regarding Israel’s COVID-19 vaccination policies.
“Israel is reporting that they’ve vaccinated half of its population,” Che said during a “Weekend Update” segment. “And I’m gonna guess it’s the Jewish half.”
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt responded to the joke shortly afterward, calling it “deeply offensive” in a statement on Twitter. Greenblatt said the joke’s premise was based on “factual inaccuracies” and played into “an antisemitic trope in the process.”
The Genesis 123 Foundation, a Christian organization, also said the joke was antisemitic.
“No, Mr. Che and ‘SNL,’ anti-semitism is never funny,” the organization said in a statement.
Later that month, LGTBQ advocates took issue with Che after he made a transphobic joke about President Joe Biden overturning former President Donald Trump’s transgender military ban.
“President Biden signed an executive order repealing Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military,” Che said during the segment. “It’s good news, except Biden is calling the policy ‘don’t ask, don’t tuck,’ which is not good news.”
He also faced criticism after misgendering Caitlyn Jenner on “SNL” in 2019, calling her a “fella.”
Che currently has his own show, “That Damn Michael Che,” which was renewed for a second season on HBO Max, according to Variety.
ORDER A COPY OF ROB’S NEW BEST SELLING BOOK! Called “America’s Number ONE Gossip Columnist” by The National Enquirer. Rob ‘Naughty But Nice’ Shuter breaks celebrity news every day on his website NaughtyGossip.com where he delivers all the dish about the stars we love in his naughty but nice signature style. You can also catch him co-hosting and breaking celebrity news on Good Day New York, The Today Show, The Talk, Wendy Williams Show, CNN, Extra and Z100’s ‘Elvis Duran.’ Previously, Rob was the Huffington Post’s only celebrity columnist and the former executive editor of OK! Magazine. Rob has also hosted his own Saturday night talk show on Mark Cuban’s channel and his own daily morning show, ‘The Gossip Table,’ on VH1! Breaking some of the biggest entertainment stories, including Jamie Lynn Spears’s pregnancy news, Britney’s first post-meltdown interview, Eva Longoria’s wedding, and baby exclusives for Jessica Alba, Tori Spelling and Mathew McConaughey’s tots, Rob always knows where to find the best scoop. Before Rob was one of the world’s most successful entertainment reporters, he was a publicist working for Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, P. Diddy, Jessica Simpson and Jon Bon Jovi! Now he is bringing all this experience to his new show on I HEART MEDIA in his unique cheeky way, that is always a pinch and never a punch!