SNL's Michael Che says comedians ‘should boycott’ awards show hosting gigs because celebs are too sensitive
"Saturday Night Live" comic Michael Che ripped into Hollywood award shows and their celebrity guest lists this week following Golden Globes host Jo Koy getting panned for his jokes at the event.
Che, who hosts the NBC sketch series’ "Weekend Update" segment, argued that comedians "should boycott" awards shows because of the harsh treatment they receive for making jokes.
He made the comments in multiple now-deleted Instagram posts this week after the chilly reception Koy received for some of the jokes he made hosting the event on Sunday.
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In his first post, Che stated, "Comedians should boycott hosting award shows. For one, it’s very difficult to make movie stars laugh. They’re way too self-conscious to have a good time."
The comedian continued, "Two, they don’t even want to laugh. They’re too busy thinking about their careers and their speeches and their ’cause’… They think they wanna be made fun of, but they actually don’t. They actually just want their trophy. And a nice photo."
Among some of Koy’s alleged misses was a joke targeting musician Taylor Swift, as well as multiple dings against the 2023 blockbuster "Barbie."
In a now viral moment from the show, Koy quipped, "The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift. I swear." As soon as he made the joke, the camera panned to Swift, who seemed totally unamused by the line.
Koy acknowledged the chilly reception he was receiving mid-performance, admitting during his monologue that some of the lines weren’t landing. He told the crowd, "I got the gig 10 days ago. You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up … I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at."
The host would go on to tell ABC’s "Good Morning America" on Monday that his reception at the awards "hurt." He said, "I had fun. You know, it was a moment that I’ll always remember. It’s a tough room. It was a hard job, I’m not going to lie."
"I’d be lying if [I said] it doesn’t hurt," he added.
In another post which he deleted, Che defended Koy’s "Barbie" jokes, one of which went, "’Oppenheimer’ is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project, and ‘Barbie’ is on a plastic doll with big boobies."
Che wrote, "You know what really bugs me at award shows? Whenever a standup host is struggling, they always cut to some actor making this face [eye roll emoji]."
He then asked, "Like really dude..? You can’t just ‘act’ like the s--- was funny..?"
Pointing out the hypocrisy, he added that when those actors lose their category, "the camera cuts to them and they’re smiling and clapping! ohhhhh, so you caaaaaan fake happiness nowwwwwww…"
The comedian wasn’t finished, proclaiming that "Hollywood doesn’t respect comedians," adding that if it did, "Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey would have about 3 Oscars each.. and for their comedy movies! Not the dramas they had to do [so] they could be taken seriously."
Representatives for Che didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.