Michael Che Plays A Truly Evil Prank On Colin Jost In Saturday Night Live's April Fool's Day Episode
Despite being on the air for almost half a century, "Saturday Night Live" hasn't had as many April Fool's Day episodes as you might think. Between the show's regular breaks and April Fool's Day only falling on a Saturday once every seven years, there have actually only been two "SNL" episodes broadcast on the high mischief holiday. The first was back in 1989 and hosted by Mel Gibson, and the second was this week's episode, hosted by "Abbott Elementary" creator and star Quinta Brunson.
While there were no pranks of note during the 1989 episode, Weekend Update anchor Michael Che wasn't going to wait another seven years or more for his chance to play a joke on co-anchor Colin Jost. What's truly diabolical about the prank played by Che is that, watching the episode from home, you may not realize a prank is being played at all. You might notice, however, the faint concern growing beneath Jost's professional demeanor — up until halfway through the Weekend Update, when Che reveals exactly what he has done.
To say more would spoil it, so check out the "Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update segment below if you want to see Colin Jost dying inside.
'That's the meanest thing you've ever done'
Yes, Michael Che secretly told the audience not to laugh at any of Colin Jost's jokes during the Weekend Update. Though there is a small smattering of laughter (perhaps some audience members didn't get the memo), if anything that only makes the prank more subtle and therefore harder to Jost to figure out. It becomes more apparent when it's Che's turn to deliver a few jokes, and the whole audience erupts ... only for Jost to get the laughter equivalent of a golf clap when it's his turn again. The pain finally ends when a heckler in the audience shouts "you stink!" and Che breaks, admitting, "I told them not to laugh at you for April Fool's."
"[I thought], 'am I not mic'd?'" Jost admits. "And then I was like, 'Oh, I just suck.'" It takes him a while to recover from the betrayal, interrupting Che's next segment with laments of "you're evil" and "that's the meanest thing you've ever done to me. I'm covered in sweat."
Jost has a background in stand-up comedy, where bombing on stage is a nightmare that every comedian goes through and must learn to endure. It's why even the biggest, most established comedians still test their material in smaller venues, so that when their jokes bomb it happens on a small stage rather than in an arena. Between stand-up and the pressures of delivering hastily-written jokes live on TV to millions of viewers week after week, Jost was well-trained enough not to let his panic show — but anyone with experience in comedy will appreciate just how deliciously cruel Michael Che's April Fool's Day prank was.
"Saturday Night Live" returns next week on April 8, hosted by Molly Shannon and kicking off at 11:30 pm E.T./8:30 pm P.T.