‘SNL’ Weekend Update Host Michael Che Under Fire For Defending Kevin Hart

This weekend’s Jason Momoa-hosted episode of Saturday Night Live was filled with shirtlessness, A Christmas Carol spin-off, and a fictional black Trump, but all that was overshadowed by Michael Che‘s long-standing commitment to putting his foot in his mouth. During “Weekend Update,” Che defended Kevin Hart — who stepped down as Oscars host after tweets resurfaced featuring homophobic slurs — saying that the Academy just recently nominated Mel Gibson despite his overtly racist and anti-Semitic views. Che’s bit was met with harsh criticism online, particularly from users who feel that the SNL star doesn’t understand (yet again) why people are upset.

“Well, that was short,” Che said as a photo of Hart popped up onscreen. “Kevin Hart had to step down as host of the upcoming Academy Awards because of homophobic tweets from 2011. But didn’t the Academy nominate Mel Gibson for an award just last year?” he said, referencing Gibson’s 2017 Best Director nod for Hacksaw Ridge. One woman in the audience cheered loudly at the joke, and Che laughed, saying, “I love it when there’s a black lady in the audience.”

Che went on to suggest a replacement for Hart. “Also, if Kevin Hart isn’t clean enough to host the Oscars, then no black comic is,” he said. “The only black comic I know that’s cleaner than Kevin Hart is booked for the next three to 10 years,” he added as a photo of Bill Cosby appeared. (Clearly, he was joking.)

Like SNL‘s live audience, fans on Twitter didn’t love that one. While many users agreed with Che’s point about Gibson’s hypocritical nomination, they still felt that the “Weekend Update” segment missed the mark. “This shit is so deranged. It took me 2 seconds to think of 3 black comics with no history of using gayness as a punchline,” wrote one user. “Michael Che defending Kevin Hart is about as predictable as the sun coming up,” said another. “Just be honest and tell us you think ‘fag’ jokes are funny and cool and you wanna say them,” added Sam Greisman, Sally Field’s son.

But not everyone felt Che’s remarks were off-base. Some fans stepped into defend the SNL star, saying that he was right to call out the Academy for their “white privilege.”

Watch Che discuss the Kevin Hart controversy in the clip above. The bit starts at the 0:35 mark.

Where to stream Saturday Night Live