Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" with co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che continued their annual year-end tradition of reading each other's jokes about them live on air, and it was about as jaw-droppingly hysterical as ever.
Before the segment began, Jost apologized in advance that Che was having him tell "some racist jokes like he always does," to which Che feigned innocence by putting his hand to chest, as if he would do such a thing.
Che also prompted Jost to read Che's jokes in "Black voice so I don't get in trouble."
Che, reveling in the predicament he put Jost in, facetiously said, "I mean, Colin, I don't mind. Do what you gotta do, man," adding, "I don't even know what 'Black voice' is."
The moment was especially awkward for Jost because his wife, Hollywood A-lister Scarlett Johansson, was watching the segment on a backstage monitor following her participation earlier in the episode's cold open.
Neither she nor Jost were prepared for the NSFW joke Che had prepared for them.
When a graphic of Johansson appeared, indicating she was celebrating her 40th birthday, Jost braced himself.
"Why?" Jost asked nervously as he continued saying he was "dedicating" the following joke to his "boo." The camera cut to Johansson looking nervous.
“Hey boo, y’all know Scarlett just celebrated her 40th birthday, which means I’m about to get up out of there, Shiz," Jost read from the never-previewed words on the prompt.
He said while laughing:
"Nah, nah. I’m just playing. We just had a kid together, and y’all ain’t see no pictures of him yet ’cause he Black as hell."
“Shiz, shiz. I ain’t afraid of you mofos," he said, as a graphic of Jost and Johansson appeared with a Black toddler that was not theirs.
Johansson, who gave birth to their son in August 2021, shook her head at the ridiculous shenanigans unfolding live.
Next was a chyron announcing Costco had dropped roast beef sandwiches from the menu, to which Jost commented, "But I ain't trippin'. I be eating roast beef every night since my wife had the kid."
“Oh my God,” mouthed Johansson in response to the NSFW joke.
Jost face-palmed out of embarrassment as the studio audience roared with laughter.
He mustered up the energy to complete the joke, still using his "Black voice," and said:
“Nah, nah. I’m just playing, baby. You know I don’t go down. Shiz. That’s gay as hell.”
Here's the clip.
In case the deli meat reference went over people's heads, X (formerly Twitter) user @angeleah explained it to the uninitiated.
Yup. They went there.
Viewers at home were in shock over the raunchy humor.
Fans applauded the co-hosts for closing out 2024 with a bang.
You can watch the full video here.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
@PreetBharara/X
@RepBrendanBoyle/X
@twesq/Bluesky
@christopherharris/Bluesky
@evangelinewarren/X
@FrankC164/X
AMC