Saturday Night Live‘s new “Weekend Update” team of Michael Che and Colin Jost have had to deal with more real backlash than most fake news anchors.
Jost has been criticized for a joke he did about transgendered people. Che’s been lambasted for comments he made about street harassment and racism in Boston. But yet they still soldier on, all in the name of comedy.
GQ recently caught up with the co-hosts, interviewing them about the state of comedy in 2017 and what it’s like on Weekend Update in the Trump era.
In regards to whether people are too sensitive these days, Che told the magazine, “I think that people are too aware that their voice can make a change. They know ‘If I put my opinion out there and I get a hundred people to agree with me, we can maybe hit the lotto and get this mother— fired.’”
In response to critics who said SNL gave Trump too much airtime—which conversely helped him win the election—the two say you can’t blame them or their show.
Said Jost:
“He had a hit TV show on NBC for 14 years! He was covered by every major newspaper for 30 years. The idea that any one person humanized… He’s been the most human figure for decades. The reason he won is because he knows how to use the media and he’s a great communicator, whether you agree with the message or not.”
Jost also explains that, even though SNL had Hillary Clinton as a guest, Trump was the only candidate “insane enough” to host the show.
Watch a recent episode of Weekend Update below.
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