Michael Che Responds to Rumor He’s Leaving ‘SNL’s Weekend Update

Michael Che has heard the rumors that he’s leaving Saturday Night Live and he is setting the record straight. The “Weekend Update” comic denied the rumors after it was reported that he joked about a potential exit during a recent stand-up performance.

“I’m not leaving SNL,” Che wrote in an Instagram post that has since been deleted, sharing a screenshot of an article detailing the speculation. “I said it at a comedy show, and some dork transcribed it & wrote an article.” Pointing out a few more punchlines mistaken for real news about his life, he wrote, “Those were just jokes as well.”

Che has been involved with SNL since 2013 when he was hired as a writer. He later replaced Cecily Strong as co-anchor of “Weekend Update” in 2014, becoming the first Black person to hold the position. In addition to co-hosting “Weekend Update” with Colin Jost, he also now serves as a co-head writer for the show.

In January, Che hit a major SNL milestone, making his 155th appearance on “Weekend Update,” which means he has officially co-hosted the sketch more times than Seth Meyers. However, he’s still behind Jost. Meyers hosted “Weekend Update” from 2006 to 2014 in a total of 154 episodes – the longest run in SNL history at the time. Jost passed that milestone in October 2021, putting Meyers in third place now that Che has passed it as well. 

Although Che hasn’t spoken about leaving SNL before this, Jost has addressed the possibility several times. After alluding to ending his 16-year run in his 2020 memoir, A Very Punchable Face, Jostappeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where he clarified what he meant. “I don’t have a real timeline, I just meant like I started to potentially psychologically brace for the concept of leaving, which I hadn’t really done,” Jost said in October 2020. “And I don’t really know. Certainly, quarantine makes you appreciate having any job and [I’m] very much appreciating having friends you get to work with and enjoy seeing.” He said he was in “no rush to leave” but was interested in exploring other opportunities for his career. “That’s kind of what I’m trying to figure out a way to do,” he said.