“Saturday Night Live” cast member Michael Che declined to criticize fellow castmate Shane Gillis over a monologue joke that drew backlash last weekend, telling NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday that the reaction was simply part of doing comedy.
Gillis, hosting “SNL” for the third time, sparked controversy during his opening monologue Saturday with jokes about public gyms in New York City and women’s workout clothing.
“I haven’t been to the gym in so long. I didn’t know women just dress like w—– now?” Gillis said. “Look, I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe [it]. Have you seen it? I’ve seen it. You’ve seen the shorts? They’re those neon, like, artificial bait-colored [shorts], and the wrinkles go around the cheeks and all combine at the butthole. And don’t look! You’re not allowed to look.”
“Today” co-anchor Laura Jarrett brought up the joke with Che, who was on the show promoting his new Netflix comedy special, “Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota.” Jarrett asked about an Instagram post in which Che appeared to poke fun at the backlash, writing, “Gotta do more press this week to promote the special. Wonder what every f—— questions gonna be about. Thanks a lot shane.”
Che laughed when the post was shown on air but downplayed the controversy itself.
“That’s comedy. It’s like, you think it’s funny, and then some people don’t,” Che said.
Che said he did not watch Gillis’ monologue live because he was working on the show’s cue cards, and that by the time he saw it afterward, he “didn’t think about it, honestly.”
“There’s so much going on. It’s really hard to see what everyone is doing, especially for me. I’m not what they call ‘good at my job,’ so I don’t pay attention to that,” Che said.
Che, who co-anchors “Weekend Update” with Colin Jost, said his own history of jokes that didn’t land has made him reluctant to judge other comedians.
“That’s why I can’t criticize anybody for swinging and missing, because I’ve definitely swung and missed, too,” Che said. “I try to keep that heat off of me.”
NBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and a representative for Gillis declined to comment.
Comedian Tim Young said the response to Gillis’ joke reflected broader frustration with online outrage rather than genuine offense.
“The backlash to Shane Gillis’ joke is more about attention-seeking behavior than actually being offended,” Young said. “And it’s not shocking that the same people seeking attention on the internet in tiny shorts at the gym are the same ones pretending to have their feelings hurt now.”
Young added that he agreed with Che’s take on the situation.
“Che is completely right here. Jokes aren’t meant for everyone. Some audiences love them and others don’t, but people can choose to tune in to what entertainment they like and don’t like. Also, some jokes hit and others don’t. Gillis’ jokes seem to hit much more than others since he is now the world record holder for largest comedy show ever. Both he and Che are hilarious comedians and are at their level for a reason and neither will be canceled because a certain group of people don’t like something they say.”
