Michael Che says remarks about quitting ‘SNL’ were just a joke
Che joined "Saturday Night Live" in 2013, and was named head writer along with "Weekend Update" partner Colin Jost in 2017.
Michael Che says comments he made on Friday night at a Minneapolis pop-up comedy show about leaving Saturday Night Live were just jokes.
“To comedy fans; please stop telling reporters everything you hear at a comedy show, youre spoiling the trick,” Che wrote as the caption of an Instagram slide show under a screen shot of a Huffington Post article titled “Saturday Night Live Co-Head Writer Michael Che Says He’s Leaving ‘Weekend Update.’”
“I’m not leaving SNL,” he wrote, according to The New York Daily News. “I said it at a comedy show and some dork transcribed it and wrote an article.”
Che’s Instagram post has since been deleted. But he has left standing another post, a screenshot of an article titled “Michael Che Won’t Leave Weekend Update on SNL.” He captioned it: “‘WONT’ leave?! dont say it like THAT! i wasnt ASKED to leave! ill leave at SOME point!”
“This is my last year,” Che said during the stand-up pop-up show at Steller Hair Co., according to the Minneapolis 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.”
The comedian joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2013, before becoming a featured player in 2014. He became Weekend Update co-anchor in Sept. 2014, alongside Colin Jost. The pair became head writers in 2017, and Che is the first person of color to co-lead the team.
According to Deadline, Che has the second-most Weekend Update appearances, only behind his co-host. Che surpassed Seth Meyers’ number of appearances in January.
Che has been busy between appearances on the show. He had a six-episode HBO Max series, That Damn Michael Che, and a Netflix comedy special, Michael Che: Shame the Devil.
The star appeared at several unusual spots in the Twin Cities, including the beauty salon, where about 50 people attended, and at a brewery.
Che asked patrons to take photos but not videos. He said, “This is my diary,” The Star Tribune reported. “Can’t a man have a private conversation into a microphone in front of strangers without the whole world finding out about it? Jesus. I’m just telling you my secrets.”
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