The 'Weekend Update' anchor managed to upset some Twitter users yet again on the latest 'Saturday Night Live.'
One week after sparking sizable backlash over comments about Caitlyn Jenner that some critics felt were transphobic, Michael Che returned to anchor Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update," where he addressed joke censorship at NBC.
While not directly addressing the outrage over his jokes about Jenner, Che seemed to acknowledge the controversial nature of his comedy while joking about a woman who gave birth at the age of 67.
"The birth set a record for 'Most Friction,'" Che said, to a smattering of laughter and groans. "See, you guys don't realize this but that joke took me like four hours to write. I had much better punchlines but the fellas at NBC standards said they were all too dirty."
"Like, at first I was gonna say, 'I hope that kid likes his milk chalky!' But they said, 'You can't say that on TV,'" Che continued. "It was my second favorite punchline! My first favorite being, 'She can breastfeed just by standing over the crib.' That's a pretty good one, right? But NBC said, 'Too gross.'"
Che went on to say that NBC's decision was ridiculous, because a joke that's "too gross" would be "if I said, 'Doctors described the birth as pulling a penny out of a wad of gum.'"
"Now that is too gross," Che added. "Even I wouldn't tell that joke on TV."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw0l6e1iOsU
The jokes also initiated another wave of backlash and criticism from another group of viewers who accused the comedian of being a misogynist and an ageist for his most recent remarks.
However, Che has also been met with a great deal of support from viewers who felt the wave of negativity has been unjustified. Some also felt that his jokes have been misinterpreted by many people calling Che out on Twitter.
The backlash leveled at Che over the past two weeks is the latest in a string of controversies SNL has weathered in the first few episodes of Season 45.
Even before this season kicked off, SNL announced that they had added three new cast members, including comic Shane Gillis. Within one day, a number of podcasts surfaced that included Gillis using racial slurs, making misogynistic remarks and expressing homophobic statements. He was fired from the show before the first episode of the new season aired.
Check out the video below to hear more.
SNL airs live coast-to-coast on Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC.
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