Michael Che Clarifies Reaction to Shane Gillis’ Divisive SNL Monologue
SNL's Michael Che Addresses Shane Gillis' Controversial Monologue
Live from New York, it’s a clarification.
After Michael Che had an awkward reaction to questions about Shane Gillis’ divisive Saturday Night Live monologue during an appearance on the Today show, the Weekend Update host set out to set the record straight on his perspective.
“folks, I just want to make one thing abundantly clear,” Che began a series of slides bearing text shared to Instagram Oct. 16. “i did NOT laugh. also, i NEVER laugh. NONE of this s--t is funny to me.”
He further explained, “i haven’t laughed at comedy in about 11yrs, ever since i figured out how to do it. even if it looks like im laughing, im not really laughing. im just being polite.”
The 43-year-old went on to note how his Oct. 15 appearance on Today—during which host Laura Jarrett pressed Che on whether he had laughed at Gillis’ monologue joke that called wh--es for wearing spandex shorts to the gym—was to promote his new comedy special, within which he makes many jokes that people could find offensive.
Which is why, he added, “so far be it for me, to thumb my nose at anyone else’s attempt at humor.”
“please. stop saying i hate women,” Che continued. “i only hate like 6 of them. (and THEY KNOW WHAT THEY DID!) the other 4,049,999,996 is alright with me!”
And as for Gillis’ censure of female gym apparel, Che had one message for women.
“wear whatever the f--k you want,” he concluded. “squat nekkid.”
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But while Che had initially attempted to skirt answering direct questions from Jarrett about the now-infamous monologue, other male celebrities were far less hesitant to share their opinion.
Most notably, within hours of SNL ending Dan Levy said he’d been left “speechless” by the fact the monologue had made it to air with the joke left intact.
“Women wearing short shorts to the gym does not make them wh--es,” the Schitt’s Creek alum said in his Oct. 11 video. “It makes the men calling them wh--es misogynists. There's a difference there.”
He also encouraged men from all walks of life to call out such misogyny.
“To be perfectly honest, more men need to be standing up in opposition to it,” he said, “because it's complacency that has created the environment with which women are sexually assaulted, and it's a conversation as opposed to a crime. Men need to be defending women more. This is not a women's issue. This is an everybody issue.”
For more celebrities who left an impression during their time as host of SNL, read on.
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Kim Kardashian
The Kardashians star poked fun at her relationship with ex Kanye West, her connection to O.J. Simpson and her sister Kourtney Kardashian's PDA-heavy romance with now-husband Travis Barker. But she really took flight in an Aladdin-themed sketch that saw her kiss cast member Pete Davidson. The pair would go on to date for nine months.
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Tom Hanks
With 10 hosting gigs under his belt—including the show's first remotely-filmed episode back in April 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic—you know that when America's Dad is in Studio 8H, you're in for a wonderful time. Don't believe us? We have just three words for you: David. S. Pumpkins.
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Jon Hamm
Hamm left audiences stunned with his considerable comedic chops when he hosted for the first time in 2008. He's has sinced followed up two more times and has had a handful of surprise cameos.
From his unforgettable "Jon Hamm's John Ham" sketch—you know, lunch meat you eat on the toilet—to his live-action Ace in an adaptation of the iconic Ambiguously Gay Duo animated sketch, he's ingratiated himself with cast in a way few other hosts ever have.
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Melissa McCarthy
There is arguably no one on this planet more committed to their craft than the Bridesmaids legend. Case in point? The "Taste Test" sketch in her first at bat as host, back in 2011, when she covered herself in Hidden Valley ranch dressing for a gag.
In less than a decade, she's already joined the infamous Five-Timers Club, and even began making semi-regular appearances a particularly enraged Sean Spicer during his brief tenure in the Trump administration.
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Justin Timberlake
Nearly every celeb on this list could've become a full-time cast member on SNL, easily. And for a time there, it seemed like JT actually might. From "Omletteville," "D--k in a Box," and "Barry Gibb Talk Show" to "Mother Lover," each of Timberlake's five appearances as host made moments that permeated pop culture. And his appearance as one of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" back-up dancers alongside Bobby Moynihan and Andy Samberg? Amazing.
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Steve Martin
There are few people who have hosted SNL more than the legendary comedian—in fact, there's only one—and in his 16 stints in Studio 8H between 1976 and 2009, he created memorable characters (the "wild and crazy" Festrunk Brothers, King Tut) and delivered what would become one of the show's most heartfelt moments, honoring Gilda Radner's passing from cancer with a look back at a blissful dance the two shared through the studio.
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Scarlett Johansson
Not only is ScarJo part of the SNL family thanks to her romance with Colin Jost, but the six-time host has created some indelible moments over the years since her debut in 2006.
She's been on hand for whenever the show needed someone to step into Ivanka Trump's shoes, appeared in the grotesque Shud the Mermaid sketch opposite Kate McKinnon and played Lexi (daughter to Fred Armisen's Mark) as the duo hawk chandeliers, ceramic busts, marble columns and porcelain fountains in the fan-favorite sketch.
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Betty White
Unlike everyone else on this list (save for Kim Kardashian), the late TV icon only hosted SNL once. And, at 88 years old, she became the show's oldest host in its history. The appearance was made even more special because it was literally fan-demanded through a successful Facebook campaign after White's role in The Proposal.
She's also on this list because, well, she was freaking hilarious. Our favorite sketch from the episode is this absurd one where Tina Fey's census taker tries, in vain, to get a straight answer out of White.
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Dwayne Johnson
A member of the Five Timer's Club, Johnson earned his spot on this list the minute he agreed to do The Rock Obama. Enough said.
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Alec Baldwin
With 17 official hosting gigs on his resume and countless appearances as former President Donald Trump, Baldwin may be the only star not officially on the payroll who is more closely associated with SNL.
From classics like Canteen Boy and Schweddy Balls to impressions of Tony Bennett and, yes, Trump, Baldwin has given fans so much during his many, many visits to Studio 8H.
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