Saturday Night Live's "Weekened Update" host Michael Che came under fire Wednesday after he made a joke about the viral street harassment video released by actress Shoshana B. Roberts and Rob Bliss.
After watching the video in which a woman is seen getting 100 catcalls after walking the streets of Manhattan for 10 hours, Che shared a fake apology on social media to "all the women that ive harrassed with statements like 'hi' or 'have a nice day' or "'youre beautiful.'"
"i cant imagine what that must feel like. the closest thing I've experienced is maybe when a girl recognizes me from tv and they say things like "AHHHH!! OH MY GOD!! SNL SNL SNL!! TAKE A PICTURE!! TAKE A PICTURE!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! WHATS YOUR NAME AGAIN?! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! WAIT SAY SOMETHING FUNNY!!" but even that is nothing like the harrassment of having a complete stranger tell me to "smile."
Che's comments immediately received criticisms, prompting the comedian to issue a second apology.
"i wanna apologize for my last apology. sometimes i forget that i belong to all of you now, and that any thought i have should be filtered through you, and receive ur approval. its tough, because im used to taking risks and finding humor in places of discomfort. but thats all over, cause i have a job on tv. and if i say the wrong thing youll see to it that its taken away. so the next time i have a silly thought, ill giggle to myself, keep my mouth shut, & post a picture with my arm around a more famous person i met somewhere."
When the backlash continued, Che opted for deleting both messages from Instagram and continued to make light of the situation.
"can we all agree on cookies!! i think cookies are GREAT!!" he wrote along with a photo of chessmen cookies.
Fans have shared their (mainly negative) reactions to Che's comment on Twitter, you can check out some of the things they have to say below. Neither SNL nor Che's rep have commented on the issue.
Those who are shocked that Michael Che would say something unfunny and dumbfounding obviously don't know who he is.— Gabulous (@abfabgabrielle) October 30, 2014
As if we needed another reason to mourn @sethmeyers leaving W.U. @nbcsnl, isn't @CheThinks joke worse than on-air cursing?— Anya Lichtenstein (@AnyaKerenL) October 30, 2014
sorry, im just not understanding the whole @CheThinks hullabaloo. But then again, this world has gotten so damn soft, u cant say shit no mo— jay d (@2facej) October 30, 2014
@CheThinks being treated like catcalling jokes are on the same level as rape jokes right now. comedic license tho.— Nick Marchese (@NickMarchese) October 30, 2014
Lambasting "political correctness" is hack. Bad jokes are bad jokes. Michael Che's joke was bad because it was tone deaf to reality.— Scare-a-Me Cry More (@JeremyClymer) October 30, 2014
@CheThinks not surprised b/c ur a b lister with an "opinion," surprised b/c we thought weekend update hosts were supposed to be smart— Alicia (@betchesbelike99) October 30, 2014