Michael Che, a local NY comedian and writer has just landed the gig that will send him to stardom. He is the latest addition to popular late night comedy sketch show, Saturday Night Live, premiering later this month.
Che has been casts as the co-anchor for the Weekend Update segment. He will replace Cecily Strong who appeared as co-host for the past two seasons. This makes him the first African American to land a role as anchor. He will sit alongside cast member, Colin Jost.
This change to the cast comes somewhat abruptly – especially after SNL was under fire for the last few years for lack of cast diversity. Last season, the show attempted to combat these criticisms by adding one African American woman to the cast – Sasheer Zamata. Now, it’s Michael Che’s turn. And he’s already taking the issue of diversity in stride, replying to a semi-snarky congratulatory Tweet:
lol thanks bro RT“@0Coll773: @rolandsmartin @SNLUpdate @CheThinks They alwayz gonna have TOKEN”
— Michael Che (@CheThinks) September 12, 2014
But you may ask – who is Michael Che? And how did he land this gig on one of the most popular late night shows on air? Well, it may not be such a surprise. Here’s some things you may not know about him:
1. He’s a New York native, raised on the Lower East Side. He currently lives in Queens.
2. He’s been doing comedy since 2009 (which isn’t very long) and is well-known along the NYC comedy club circuit.
3. Che was hired by SNL in Spring 2013 as a guest writer, but after five successful episodes, landed the position as a regular writer.
4. You may remember him from VH1′s show, Best Week Ever. He’s also appeared on The Daily Show and Bunk – to name a few.
5. In 2013, he was named one of Rolling Stone‘s “50 Funniest People”
Che told The Banner, “I really enjoy writing a lot. I really like the position. I don’t need the extra pressure of being in the cast.” So, let’s hope that his acting is just as good as his writing.
Saturday Night Live premieres on September 27, with Chris Pratt on hosting duty and Ariana Grande as musical guest.