Michael Che apologises to Scarlett Johansson on SNL season finale: Here’s why

Colin Jost and Michael Che’s ongoing joke swap battle took a surprising turn during the Season 50 finale of Saturday Night Live, ending with an on-air apology to Scarlett Johansson. In their signature “Weekend Update” bit, the duo once again forced each other to read blind jokes written by the other.

Colin Jost and Michael Che’s joke swap on SNL ends with an on-air apology to Scarlett Johansson after a crude joke.(@nbcsnl/X)

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Colin Jost makes sure Che apologises to Scarlett Johansson

In a twist on their usual antics, this time Johansson herself joined the “Weekend Update” segment. Che, reading from remarks written by Jost, began by saying he wanted to “apologise to someone I hurt” and invited Johansson, the episode’s host, to sit beside him. Acknowledging the awkward moment from a previous joke swap, Che added, “last time we did joke swap, I made Colin do some tasteless jokes” about her.

He read, “The fact is, I was just lashing out because I’m jealous. I’ve never even seen a human vagina. And notice I said human, because I once spent the summer on a farm.”

Talking to Jost, he went ahead, “I owe you everything. When Colin discovered me, I was selling crack outside the Bronx Zoo, and now look at me: selling crack outside the American Girl Doll store. I’ve told thousands of jokes on ‘Update’ and gotten dozens of laughs, but I’ve never said the three most important words of all: I love you,” as reported by USA Today.

During Jost’s turn in the joke swap, Che amped up the mischief by making him read a fake plea to “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels to retire and hand over the reins. The bit escalated as Jost was also made to deliver several racially charged jokes, including a jab at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance, leaving the co-anchor visibly uncomfortable, much to Che’s delight.

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Scarlett jokes about Che’s ‘vendetta’ against her

Johansson was also present during the 2024 joke swap, when Che had Jost read a crude joke about her. After the punchline aired, the camera cut to Johansson, who appeared stunned and said, “Oh, my God!” Reflecting on the moment, Jost later remarked that she looked “so genuinely worried” during the segment.

Following the incident, she jokingly said that Che had some “vendetta” against her on the Today show. She teasingly asked, “Michael, why? What did I do to you, Michael?”