Michael Che Is Awkwardly Grilled About Shane Gillis’ “SNL ”Monologue in Tense “Today” Interview

Rachel McRadyThu, October 15, 2026 at 3:19 PM UTC

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Laura Jarrett interviewing Michael Che on the ‘Today’ show on Oct. 15Credit: TodayThe ‘Saturday Night Live’ Weekend Update host appeared on the morning show to promote his new standup special -

Michael Che said he was focused on cue cards and did not see Shane Gillis’ controversial Saturday Night Live monologue until the following day

Gillis drew criticism after describing women’s gym attire in derogatory terms during the opening monologue

Dan Levy called the remarks misogynistic while Ego Nwodim responded with a workout selfie

Michael Che found himself caught in a tense conversation about comedian Shane Gillis’ controversial Saturday Night Live monologue during an appearance on the Today show on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Che was being interviewed by correspondent Laura Jarrett while discussing his new standup special, Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota, when Jarrett referenced his recent Instagram post bemoaning Gillis’ controversy ahead of his press tour. In his post, Che wrote, “gotta do more press this week to promote the special. wonder what every f------ questions gonna be about. thanks a lot shane.”

“That’s comedy, you think it’s funny and then some people don’t,” Che noted of the backlash stemming from Gillis’ comments during his opening monologue, in which Gillis said that women at the gym have begun to dress like “whores.”

Shane Gillis delivers his controversial monologue on ‘Saturday Night Live’ on Oct. 10.Credit: Will Heath/NBC via Getty

“Did you laugh at what he said?” Jarrett pressed.

Che replied, “I was at cue cards, actually, thinking about what I was gonna say that was gonna make people upset. So I wasn’t really, I didn’t even see it ‘til the next day.”

But Jarrett continued to ask the comedian for his take on Gillis’ comments.

Michael Che on the ‘Today’ show on Oct. 15.Credit: Today

“I didn’t think about it honestly,” Che said after a long pause. “I think it just didn’t, it just was like… you know.”

Jarrett then asked whether, as one of the show’s writers, he would have seen the monologue with that joke included.

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“There’s so much going on. It’s really hard to see what everyone’s doing, you know? Especially for me. I’m not what they call ‘good at my job,’ so I don’t pay attention to all that,” Che said, cracking a joke.

After moving on to discuss Che’s viral “joke swaps” with his Weekend Update co-host Colin Jost, Che then touched on the Gillis controversy again, noting, “That’s why I can’t criticize anybody for swinging and missing, ‘cause I’ve definitely swung and missed too. I try to keep that heat off of me.”

The interview wrapped shortly after with Che declaring, “That’s it? That was so much fun.”

Jarrett laughed, teasing, “Come back any time. I have a lot more questions about Shane Gillis if you want to.”

Gillis has been under fire after he joked in his SNL opening monologue: “I haven’t been to the gym in so long, I didn’t know women just dress like whores now?”

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He continued, “Look, I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe [it]. Have you seen it? I’ve seen it. The shorts. Have you seen the shorts? Those neon, they’re like artificial bait-colored. And the wrinkles go around the cheeks and all combined at the butthole. And don’t look, you’re not allowed to look. For real, don’t look because they are filming. I’m in the background of like 10 TikToks right now.”

Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy called Gillis a “misogynist” for his comments and former SNL comedian Ego Nwodim, posted a workout selfie, writing, “whore reporting for duty.”

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”