Michael Che Calls Gillis’s Gym Joke Comedy, Says He Missed It

Michael Che said Shane Gillis’s joke about women at the gym was comedy that some people find funny and others do not, while explaining that he had not seen the Saturday Night Live monologue when it aired. Che, a Weekend Update co-anchor, discussed Gillis’s remarks during an appearance on The Today Show while promoting his stand-up special, Michael Che Shot in Minnesota. Asked whether he had laughed at the joke, Che said he had been at the cue cards preparing his own material and did not watch Gillis’s monologue until the next day. When pressed for a fuller reaction, he said he had not thought about it. Gillis made the joke during a recent episode he hosted, referring to women’s gym clothing with a derogatory slur and joking about the difficulty of not looking at them while they exercised. He also said he might appear in the background of TikTok videos filmed at the gym. The remarks drew criticism from several public figures. Che also said he could not criticize someone for taking a comedic risk, noting that he had made jokes that missed the mark. He and co-anchor Colin Jost have a recurring segment in which they exchange jokes without knowing in advance what the other has...