Michael Che Reveals Colin Jost’s SNL Joke That Left Him ‘Frustrated’
Michael Che and Colin Jost are used to taking jabs at each other on Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update,” but there’s one joke that has previously left Che “frustrated.”
During a recent interview on the Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade podcast, the two SNL castmembers were asked if they had ever said to the other after the news segment on the NBC sketch comedy show, “If you ever do that again I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Yeah, I think jalapeño business, I was pretty furious about that one,” Che responded, to which Jost quipped, “You were just upset that it worked so well.”
During the season 40 finale, which aired in May 2015, the two comedians brought back a joke that was cut from a previous episode. “Ohio police arrested a woman who allegedly stabbed her boyfriend for eating all of their salsa,” Jost said at the time. “Though you’d be angry too if your boyfriend was jalapeño business.”
“I remember in run-through when you did it, because I never heard it before. I don’t remember what the setup was, but the punchline was ‘jalapeño business,’” Che recounted. “And I was like, ‘If you tell that joke on air, I’m leaving. I’m quitting the show.’ And he did it on air and it destroyed. And I was so frustrated. I was so frustrated. I was like, ‘I don’t even know what we do anymore.’”
Jost added, “I would have honestly cut it if it wasn’t so upsetting to you. And then I was like, ‘I’m definitely, definitely doing this.’”
Che and Jost have been appearing as co-anchors on “Weekend Update” since the season 40 premiere, with them being the longest-ever hosts of the segment. And they are set to return for SNL‘s milestone 50th season, which premieres on Sept. 28 on NBC and Peacock.