SNL Video: Michael Che Pulls Off One Mean April Fools’ Day Prank — Watch
It seems like most of America has grown tired of April Fools’ Day. Once upon a time, you couldn’t scroll a social media feed without finding dozens of your friends pregnant, married or cast in the latest Star Wars film. Then the corporations got involved — Krispy Kreme announced a donut theme park, a mattress company advertised a gorilla-inspired bed after the death of Harambe, Tesla promised self-driving cars — each a sadder joke than the last. Fortunately, Saturday Night Live may have breathed new life into the tradition.
Even if an episode of SNL is lousy, you probably stick around at least until Weekend Update. The quick pace of two-line jokes guarantees you’ll find something to laugh at. But even Update has its off nights. And this update looks like just that.
Colin Jost leads off with four jokes about the Trump indictment and each one is greeted with tight, perfunctory laughs. At any given time, the media is so saturated with words and images of the former president, an audience can easily decide that they don’t want to hear any more about him. And after a week especially heavy with coverage of his impending arrest, that’s what it seems the SNL crowd is doing.
Co-host Michael Che, however, follows Jost with a Trump joke and the audience positively screams with laughter. A second joke likening Biden to the dancing Six Flags mascot gets a similar response. Jost launches into his next joke, but he’s rushing a little and, sure enough, the laughs have dried up. He soldiers on with a visual gag of him at a Trump rally and, not only does the audience not respond, someone shouts, “You stink!” like it’s an early set at the Chuckle Hut.
Jost puts his head into his hands and only then does Che reveal that he told everyone not to laugh at his jokes as an April Fools’ prank. Jost can’t stop laughing himself once he realizes he’s been had. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever done,” he shouts at his friend as the audience cheers the love at him they’d been withholding for the last several minutes. “You’re evil!”
Of course, it could have been worse. Che could have announced he was pregnant.
Elsewhere in the episode, James Austin Johnson’s Trump revealed his plans to produce and sing an entire album of “terrible” covers called Trump Bopz.
So what did you think of Weekend Update (watch the clip above)? Grade the episode, then sound off in the comments!
Haven’t watched it in years but I liked the jokes on this skit.
Quinta was a SUPERB host!! Oh my gosh! Most of the skits were really good! You can tell she definitely had some input in the skits!
Aww. Are you her agent or family member?
Cool input, you’re funny.
I appreciate my humor.
I think the Che forgot to loop in the laugh track editors. On my TV, there was plenty of canned laughter; it was out of sync with Colin moving quickly to the next joke and Colin’s reaction made little sense.
Um. It’s a live studio audience. They were way more quiet when Colin was doing his segment vs when Michael revealed the reason.
I don’t think so.
They were. What you heard was a smattering of laughs, not the full on guffaws that Che got.
If you can clearly hear one person yell, “You stink!,” then there’s very little laughter or any other noise for that matter.
It was like short, light pity laughs. I thought it was strange that the joke Colin told about protesting 45’s arrest didn’t get a bigger laugh, since Colin being a secret Trumper is a running joke on the show. It was a great prank, since dying onstage has got to be one of the biggest fears a performer has.
I love these guys, so funny!!!
Hit the wrong button grading weekend update segment. It was Hilarious and the highlight of a n otherwise mediocre show. Pot and cocaine jokes? Is this 2023 or 1983? Get some real celebrities and talented musical guests to host and be featured on the remaining shows.
Comedy is subjective, as the chive and the truth goes. Objectively, it’ wasn’t a great show, but lots of folks found it funny, including the coke sketch and especially the traffic sketch.
But your B.S. take about “real celebrities” is telling: SNL has always brought on the hot, au currant, buzz-worthy celebs. And Quinta Brunson — with one of broadcast TV’s biggest hit comedies, a boatload on Emmy’s and other awards, with Abbott Elementary one of ABC’s earliest renewals, and newly minted as one of tv’s most beloved new figures is a “real” celebrity.
She’s no less a “real” than Anya Taylor Joy, Taron Edgarton, Miles Teller, Austin Butler, Aubrey Plaza, or Travis Kelce.
Except for someone like you. Because that’s really YOUR point, isn’t it? She — though with quite a bit more name recognition than many of this seasons hosts — isn’t like any of them…are they?
You really should to say what you really mean.
Soo..
if you can tell the audience not to laugh the jokes are not funny in the first place..
Anyway that laugh is as genuine as WWE..