Saturday Night Live‘s (SNL) 50th season finale aired this weekend, and to the delight of fans, it included the traditional joke swap between co-anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost during the show’s “Weekend Update” segment.
Why It Matters
For the past few seasons, Che and Jost swap and read jokes that the other person has never seen before during the show’s Christmas episode and season finale.
SNL‘s 50th season has had plenty of viral moments and star-studded episodes, which have caused a stir online. In February, SNL aired its 50th anniversary special, which ran for more than two hours and featured some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Paul McCartney and Tom Hanks.
What To Know
As of press time, the clip of the joke swap has amassed nearly 5 million views combined on YouTube and on X, formerly Twitter.
The first joke took aim at creator/executive producer Lorne Michaels, with Jost saying: “It’s SNL’s 50th season, so I want to take a moment to say something to our boss, Lorne Michaels. Lorne, retire b****! Let me run the show.”
Following tradition for the segment, the majority of jokes given to Jost by Che saw him say things that were racist, while Che was given material that makes him look like a misogynist.
The segment saw Che atone for a joke he wrote about actress Scarlett Johansson during this season’s Christmas joke swap. Johansson, who was the episode’s host, is married to Jost. The couple also have a son together.
The Christmas episode saw Jost read the following joke: “Costco has removed the roast beef sandwich from its menu. But I ain’t trippin’. I’ve been eating roast beef every night since my wife had the kid.” The camera panned to a jaw-dropped Johansson, who later told the outlet InStyle that the joke was “vulgar” and “so gross.”
On Saturday’s finale episode, reading off the cue cards, Che said: “Before I tell another joke, I want to take this opportunity to apologize to someone I hurt. Scarlett, can you come out here?”
Johansson then walked out, and Che read his Jost-written apology to her, where he said that he was “just lashing out because I’m jealous.”
The joke swap also referenced A Minecraft Movie and Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl half time show.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File
What People Are Saying
Spencer Althouse, Buzzfeed’s editorial director wrote on X on Sunday: “This year’s SNL ‘joke swap’ is wild omg.”
CONSEQUENCE, a media account that has over 200,000 followers on X, wrote: “Colin Jost and Michael Che’s SNL Season 50 finale joke swap…most definitely did not disappoint.”
X user eliejow wrote: “joke swap so good they renewed their contracts for 10 years.”
X user positionsmafiaa posted: “che and jost will go down as the best anchor duos in SNL history.”
What Happens Next?
SNL‘s Season 51 does not have an official release date yet, but the series typically starts airing in the early fall.
