Scarlett Johansson was finally able to get back at Michael Che for his offensive punchline during the ‘Weekend Update’ Joke Swap in the season 50 finale of Saturday Night Live.
In the season finale on Saturday, May 17, Che and Johansson’s spouse, Colin Jost, took part in another Joke Swap segment on the NBC show. This popular section involves Che, 41, and Jost, 42, reading out embarrassing or controversial jokes they have prepared for each other.
During the most recent ‘Weekend Update,’ Che took the opportunity to address Johansson, who was the guest host, and apologized for a joke made at her expense in a previous SNL episode last September.
“I want to take this opportunity to apologize to someone I hurt. Scarlett, can you come out here?” Che asked at one point.
The comedian offered apologies to the actress for a “tasteless” joke he’d written for Jost in December where Johansson’s husband reluctantly compared her private parts to “roast beef.”
“The fact is, I was just lashing out because I’m jealous,” Che admitted. “I’ve never ever seen a human vagina. And notice I said ‘human’ because I once spent the summer on a farm.”
He went on, “Maybe I’m just embarrassed about my own body. I can’t even take my hoodie off during sex because I have more nipples than a pregnant dog.”
“I’ve told thousands of jokes on ‘Update’ and gotten dozens of laughs, but I’ve never said the three most important words of all — I love you,” Che then told Jost.
Johansson nodded along throughout Che’s self-deprecating jokes written by Jost, clearly pleased at her husband getting revenge on her behalf.
However, Jost faced embarrassment of his own to end the ‘Joke Swap’ segment. He was forced to apply lipstick and tell SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels he’d do absolutely “anything” to take over the show once Michaels retires.
Later in the show, Jost presented Johansson with a bouquet of flowers and they shared a sweet kiss during the night’s closing segment.
Johansson has had a recurring presence throughout SNL season 50, including being the butt of the raunchiest ‘Weekend Update’ joke in the season 50 Christmas show.
A live camera was on Johansson backstage at Studio 8H during the December 21, 2024 episode as Jost read one of the jokes written by Che.
“Costco has removed the roast beef sandwich from its menu. I’ve been eating roast beef every night since my wife had the kid,” Jost sheepishly declared.
Johansson was visibly stunned by the punchline— and later confessed to InStyle that she truly was caught off guard by Che’s “vulgar” dig.
“I just can’t believe that they went there. I was like — it was so gross. It was really gross. And, like, old-school gross,” she said in March.
The Jurassic World Rebirth star confirmed she’d been tipped off that Che wrote a joke at her expense, though she was unprepared for him to hit below the belt.
“I was like, ‘I mean, it’s a vagina joke, how bad could it be?’ And then as soon as the Costco photo came up, I was like, ‘No! No, Michael,’” she quipped.
“The fact that it took on a full To Catch a Predator-style reveal or whatever, that was so intense,” Johansson said. “All of a sudden, it was like a whole bunch of people holding up lights, and a guy with a video camera. They were waiting for me to react. I felt insane. I was like, ‘I think I’m going to faint.’”
Once SNL announced Johansson would host its season finale, the actress hinted to Vanity Fair that she was preparing for revenge on Che.
“I feel like it’s almost my responsibility to come up with some way to burn Michael back. Retaliation, I’d say, should be expected. Others on the show could support this desire. Know what I mean?” she teased.
Saturday Night Live will kick off season 51 on NBC this fall.
