Are Weekend Update's Colin Jost And Michael Che Friends?

Despite what it sometimes looks like during the unrehearsed Joke Swaps on "Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update, co-hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che are, in fact, friends. Yes, Che often writes the most potentially horrific and likely dangerous jokes for Jost to recite — and Jost confided to Collider that he truly doesn't know what the jokes are going to be before reading them on the air — yet Jost and Che both know that it's all in fun, and they wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt the other or their friendship.

The pair have been manning the Weekend Update desk together since 2014, and both started with the show as writers. The sometimes shady Jost joined the "SNL" writing team in 2005, shortly after graduating from Harvard. Jost has spent most of his professional career at "SNL" as both a staff and head writer before landing his spot doing the Weekend Update. His first Update partner was Cecily Strong, but while both were awkward in their new positions, Strong, whose "SNL" departure marked the end of an era, was taken off the desk and replaced by Che.

Che began writing on "SNL" in 2013 and quickly moved up the ranks, becoming the show's first non-white co-head writer in 2017. Jost had already been co-head writer from 2012 to 2015, then returned to the position along with Che, where they both still sit.

Let's take a deeper look at this friendship.

While Michael Che and Colin Jost don't remember when they met or how they became so close, Che told AwardsDaily that it was a natural product of the comedy scene in New York. "I think comedy is a community or fraternity, where you work with each other a lot, and you become friends without even realizing it," he said. Though Che was more in the standup scene than Jost, the two still had friends in common, worked at the same clubs, and then shared duties at "SNL." A friendship was bound to develop.

When GQ asked if they are actually real friends out of the public eye, Jost answered, "Definitely." Che agrees, explaining that they were already friends before he started at "SNL," and he credits Jost with inviting him onto the show as a guest writer.

It's lucky the pair have such a solid friendship, considering the torment they put each other through during their Joke Swap segments. Che, whose "SNL" bits do sometimes bomb, often forces Jost to read racist jokes live on-air, but the fact that Jost has no choice is what makes the bit funny. It's a testament to their partnership on and off stage that their time on "SNL" has been so iconic and continues to thrive.

If you're still not a believer in Michael Che and Colin Jost's friendship, the pair even admitted it while strapped to a polygraph machine. Interviewing each other for Vanity Fair, Jost said he thinks Che is a good friend — though Che and the lie detector accused him of hesitating before answering. Meanwhile, Che revealed that he refers to Jost "more as a friend than a coworker," though he doesn't think they would make good roommates. It was definitely one of the funnier celebrity lie detector moments.

Che even came to Jost's defense in his own gross, irreverent way when a writer for Uproxx wrote a 2019 story about why people still hate Jost. Following the article's publication, the author, Steven Hyden, became fodder for a Weekend Update segment, with Che accusing him of bestiality. Fortunately, Hyden took it all in good fun, tweeting, "Your bit about me having sex with dogs was hilarious. Have a nice Easter. Your pal, Steve."

Wouldn't we all like to have a bestie who could roast our haters on live TV?

It's no secret Michael Che and Colin Jost have a playful friendship — they are comedians, after all. But Che took it one step further by pulling a hilarious prank on his pal during a segment of Weekend Update on "SNL." The two hosts began exchanging jokes, but there was a noticeable difference in the response that Che got versus Jost. Whenever Che cracked a joke, the audience went into fits of laughter, but with Jost, it was only a laugh here and there.

It turns out Che pulled an epic April Fool's joke. After a bit of back and forth, the comedian revealed the big secret, saying, "I told [the audience] not to laugh at you for April Fools." Jost chuckled at his friend's prank before saying, "I was like, 'Am I not mic'd?' And then I was like, 'Oh, I just suck.'" The two continued with their segment as Jost jokingly called Che "evil."

This wouldn't be the last time Che would pull a fast one on Jost. In December 2023, the anchors participated in their annual joke swap, where they wrote things that the other person had to say. However, Che made Jost tell the jokes in front of a woman introduced as African-American poet and activist, Hattie Davis. These jokes included a dig at famed African-American figures, including President Barack Obama and Coretta Scott King. It was later revealed that Davis was actually an actor portraying a fictional character created by Che to increase Jost's pain and double-down on the joke. Che clearly knows how to keep Jost on his toes.

There's no breaking the bond Michael Che and Colin Jost have created. The two have gotten so close that Che even got an exclusive invite to Jost's wedding to Scarlet Johansson.

Che was going to bring his usual ruckus to his friend's nuptials but stopped when he noticed how normal everything was. He shared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2021, "I really wanted to interrupt and cause a huge mess. And then I got there, and it was, like, just a normal people wedding. It turns out they're, like, actually normal, and it was sweet," he continued, "And I was like, 'I can't mess this wedding up.' So, I just let them have their day." Che revealed that Jost's parents were slightly disappointed that he didn't cause any mayhem and that it jokingly made the comedian feel like he "dropped the ball."

Apparently, even Jost was open to the idea of Che doing something. On another episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," prior to the wedding, the comedian said, "I mean, [Che] plans to make a scene at most events ... A lot of people do speeches, but I think it would be nice in that moment — so few people utilize that moment to object, and I think he could do a really great objection." Lucky for Johansson, Che didn't take Jost's offer as he put his usual antics on the back burner for the big day.

Colin Jost and Michael Che decided to work together outside of their contractual obligations for "Saturday Night Live." In September 2024, the comics debuted "Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark," a live comedy special produced by Peacock. In a teaser trailer for the special, the comedic duo launched off a few mild jokes to (hopefully) rope people into watching. "It's called 'New York After Dark,' and it's a comedy show that only features drop-in comics," Jost explained. He then threw his friend off guard by adding, "Michael Che's phone number is ..." Okay, someone obviously got bit by the funny gene!

To drum up excitement for the since-aired event, Jost and Che appeared on E! News and shared a little bit about their production and what fans would get out of their team-up. And just like always, their onscreen chemistry shined. "We don't totally know, I mean we have some awareness," joked Jost about what they had planned. "But there's going to be various kinds of things, wouldn't you say?" he added, throwing the baton to Che. "It's going to be a lot of standup, it's going to be very funny," Che replied. 

When asked about "special guests," Che said, "They're gonna all be special guests." Jost added, "They're all special to us ... well, you don't like a couple of them, but otherwise." Oh well, it's clear that Che and Jost like each other quite well! Can someone say friendship goals?

Most "SNL" fans would agree that the show wouldn't be the same without Colin Jost and Michael Che's Weekend Update segment — and it seems that they feel the same way about each other, as they've both said that they wouldn't continue doing that particular segment without the other. With that said, it sounds like Che, at least, knows that their time reading the hilarious, ridiculous headlines will eventually wind down. "My head has been at leaving for the past five seasons," he told The New York Times in 2022. 

Speaking about the show's audience and his and Jost's ability to connect, Che continued, "I do think that I've been here longer than I'll be here. This show is built for younger voices and, at some point, there'll be something more exciting to watch at the halfway mark of the show than me and dumb Jost."

Despite knowing that their time with Weekend Update may not last forever, it seems their friendship is strong enough to sustain anything — even the rude joke Che wrote about Jost's wife Scarlett Johansson's private parts during their beloved joke swaps. For the show's Mary 2025 season finale, Che requested that Johansson come out on stage to apologize. "Before I tell another joke, I want to take this opportunity to apologize to someone I hurt. Scarlett, can you come out here?" said Che (via Today)."You know, last time we did joke swap, I made Colin do some tasteless jokes," he continued, adding, "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. You feel me?" Fortunately, both Jost and Johansson accepted his apology, proving their friendship is safe!