Scroll To Top
television

Michael Che Doubles Down on Anti-LGBTQ Jokes in Prison Shower Sex Bit

Michael Che

Rather than apologize for an anti-trans joke he made last week, Saturday Night Live'sChe used the devastating California fires to segue into a gay prison shower joke. 

Rather than apologize for a transphobic joke he made about Caitlyn Jenner last week, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update cohost Michael Che thought it would be funny to double down on offensive stereotypes about LGBTQ people this week.

During a rambling joke about Kanye West turning into an "old white lady" on Weekend Update in late October, Che deadnamed Jenner and called her a "fella." Trans people and allies responded with outrage on Twitter with some demanding Che be fired. American Civil Liberties Union attorney Chase Strangio called the SNL bit "dangerous" for trans people.

But rather than apologize for the nasty bit, he used the devastating California wildfires to segue into a hackneyed prison shower rape joke that he pretended to catch himself from finishing, which was part of the joke.

Che began by saying the wildfires are threatening millions of avocados and that "white women are devastated."

"The state is allowing nonviolent prisoners to help fight the wildfires, which is ridiculous because you definitely want to use the violent prisoners for that, right?" Che said.

"If my house is on fire, don't send me the fellas in for tax fraud, send me somebody that's gonna make that fire their bitch -- you know, somebody that's really good with water, because they spend all of their time hanging out in the showers [presumably making other prisoners their bitch]," Che said, as a picture of two strapping men in orange appeared on the screen behind him.

Che then responded to recent backlash to his anti-trans joke by shaking his head, and pretending to cross the prison rape "joke" off of his paper saying, "Nope, can't say that."

SNL head writer Colin Jost smirked and shook his head along with Che as he did during the Caitlyn Jenner bit in which the Weekend Update cohost willfully misgendered and deadnamed a trans person.

While the gay prison sex joke didn't ruffle as many feathers on social media as the Jenner piece, Che is being called out for ageism and sexism this week for a lengthy bit about a 67-year-old woman who gave birth in which he thought it was hilarious to state various ways in which her reproductive parts had dried up.

Che uses the wildfires as a jumping-off point for a rape joke at about 1:58 below:

30 Years of Out100Out / Advocate Magazine - Jonathan Groff & Wayne Brady

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.