“I was like, ‘If you tell that joke on air, I’m leaving.'”
Michael Che doesn’t always love Colin Jost‘s contributions to Saturday Night Live.
In an interview with Dana Carvey and David Spade on their Fly on the Wall podcast, the “Weekend Update” cohosts reflected on the moments in which they drive each other crazy, after Carvey asked if Jost or Che had ever threatened to kick the other’s ass because of something they’d said during the show.
Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photobank
Colin Jost and Michael Che on ‘Weekend Update’ on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 2019
Che immediately jumped in with one of his least favorite Jost “Update” jokes of all time. “Yeah, I think jalapeño business, I was pretty furious about that one,” the comedian said of the pun meant to sound like “all up in your business.” Jost retorted, “You were just upset that it worked so well.”
“I remember in run-through when you did it, because I never heard it before,” Che recalled of the joke. “I don’t remember what the setup was, but the punchline was ‘jalapeño business.’ And I was like, ‘If you tell that joke on air, I’m leaving. I’m quitting the show.’ And he did it on air and it destroyed. And I was so frustrated. I was so frustrated. I was like, ‘I don’t even know what we do anymore.'”
Jost said that he wasn’t even that enthusiastic about the joke himself, but Che’s fury fueled his commitment to the bit. “I would have honestly cut it if it wasn’t so upsetting to you,” Jost told his co-anchor. “And then I was like, ‘I’m definitely, definitely doing this.'”
The comedian later noted that he doesn’t remember what the setup for the punchline was either, and that he thinks it’s funnier without any background. “It doesn’t need it. You could say it without context.”
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Colin Jost and Michael Che at the 2018 Emmys
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The infamous jalapeño joke came in the season 40 finale in May 2015. In the “Weekend Update” segment, Jost explained that each of the hosts would bring back a joke that was cut from a previous episode. He then launched into the joke: “Ohio police arrested a woman who allegedly stabbed her boyfriend for eating all of their salsa. Though you’d be angry too if your boyfriend was jalapeño business.”
After substantial laughter from the audience, Che responded, “First of all, I hate you for laughing at that. My joke got pulled after dress rehearsal because they said it was too offensive and way over the line, man! But it’s the last show of the season. And, what are they gonna do? So, I’m just gonna do it. Here we go.” Che then began a joke about a Malaysia Airlines flight and was interrupted by Bobby Moynihan‘s Riblet.
Che and Jost recently hosted Peacock’s first live comedy special New York After Dark on Thursday night. SNL returns for season 50 on Sept. 28.
Listen to the full conversation between Che, Jost, Carvey, and Spade above.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
