In their new live Peacock special New York After Dark, Colin Jost and Michael Che delivered a tease for what “Weekend Update” fans can expect when Saturday Night Live returns on Sept. 28, with some added political humor about the election.
The pair mostly sat back and handed the stage over to lesser-known comics like Aminah Imani and Alex English, before that they explained how their special was being aired live. “We wanted it to be at least the second funniest live event this week, after the debate. I don’t know about you guys, but I thought my guy did great,” Jost said.
Jost remarked, “Nothing sounds more presidential than screaming, ‘They’re eating the cats and the dogs!’ I mean, I think that was Thomas Jefferson, right? And I actually do have to thank our first sponsor, ‘Cats & Dogs: A dog meat for migrants.’”
As he said it, a stagehand gave Jost a bag of dog food with a taped-on “Cats & Dogs” label, which Jost displayed to the crowd.
“This motherf---er’s doing prop comedy,” Che joked. “We got one opportunity to do live stand-up, you’re doing prop comedy on a debate reference… Jesus Christ.”
The duo weren’t the only ones to use material about the debate throughout the special. Comedian Aida Rodriguez talked about Trump’s viral rant about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, “eating the dogs,” which she said gave her a realization about the state of the race.
“I was like, ‘Oh, Donald Trump has lost his white women,’” she said. “That’s why he was like, ‘they coming for your pets, girl.’ And all the white b----es jumped in trucks with guns, and they headed to Ohio to kill my people.”
Rodriguez continued, “I’m half Puerto Rican and half Dominican. And yes, if I’m Dominican, I have Haitian blood, so they talking about me. And I just want y’all to know: we coming for your pets, motherf---ers.”
NBCUniversal recruited “Saturday Night Live” duo Colin Jost and Michael Che for the first-ever live comedy special for its streaming service Peacock on Thursday evening. The pair poked fun at the unproven format and distributor of their comedy hour, titled “Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark,” in their opening monologue.
“Tonight’s going to be like group sex. If it goes well, then we can do it again every couple months with our friends. And if it goes really bad and it’s a disaster, we’ll never talk about it again. And either way we’re going to film it.” Jost started, taking the stage at the The Bell House in Brooklyn. “We’re on Peacock! You guys know Peacock right? You know Peacock from the phrase, ‘I can’t believe the NFL made us download fucking Peacock.'”
“The fuck is wrong with you man? Those checks didn’t clear?” Che joked. “This is the experience that we have when we go in and drop into places. We wanted to give that to the country… Does Peacock play all over the country?”
“We want it to be the second-funniest live event this week… after the debate,” Jost said, before joking about Trump’s debunked remark that immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. “Nothing sounds more presidential than screaming, ‘They’re eating the cats and the dogs.’ I think that was Thomas Jefferson.”
The special saw a previously unannounced line-up of comics take the stage one-by-one, each endorsed by Jost and Che. The group included Alex English, Aida Rodriguez, Aminah Imani and Carlos Miller. Emmy nominee Mike Birbiglia took the mic for the final act of the night and began his set by forcing Jost into a Q&A.
“I recently texted Colin and asked him to be on my podcast, ‘Working It Out.’ Do you remember what you wrote back?” Birbiglia said, before razzing the host. “Nothing.”
“Impractical Jokers” star Sal Vulcano also made an appearance, along with fellow “SNL” castmate Sarah Sherman, who also poked fun at Jost: “This place is close to my apartment, looks like you didn’t respect the restraining order.”
How the Debate Became a Comedy Set
Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark premiered on Peacock on Thursday and saw the duo take a timey swipe at the former president after his bizarre outburst at Tuesday’s election debate with Kamala Harris.
In a claim, that was almost immediately debunked by ABC News moderator David Muir, Trump said: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating – they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
In the opening monologue, Jost joked that they wanted the live special to be “to be the second-funniest live event this week… after the debate. I don’t know about you guys, but I thought my guy did great.”
Seeing a potential flaw in his statement, Che joked: You gonna vote for Trump? Come on out of the closet and say you’re gonna vote for Trump.”
Undeterred, Jost added: “Nothing sounds more presidential than screaming, ‘They’re eating the cats and the dogs.’ I think that was Thomas Jefferson.”
He then added: “I actually do have to thank our first sponsor, ‘Cats & Dogs: A dog meat for migrants.’”
Jost is then handed a bag of dog food with ‘Cats & Dogs’ taped onto it.
A stunned Che quipped in response: “This motherf---er’s doing prop comedy. We got one opportunity to do live stand-up, you’re doing prop comedy on a debate reference… Jesus Christ.”
Trump was referring to a racist rumour spread by his running mate JD Vance that Haitian immigrants in the city of Springfield, Ohio had been abducting pets and eating them, “causing chaos” in the town. Springfield Police Division said it was aware of the “rumours” but has no information to support them.
Jost and Che Tease Upcoming Season of SNL
Michael shared, “It’s the 50th, so you know something cool is going to be happening this whole time. It’s gonna be the year. It is exciting.”
Colin called it “a yearlong celebration.”
Mona asked about the election and who would be playing Donald Trump and Kamala Harris this season. Che answered, “Oh, that’s a good-a** question.”
When she pressed Jost on whether he would play J.D. Vance, he laughed, saying, “I doubt it.”
They also dished on their Peacock comedy special “New York After Dark,” which airs Thursday, September 12.
Michael said, “We’ve got some really funny people coming, so they’ll do most of the heavy lifting, but we’re also gonna do some heavy lifting.”
Colin quipped, “I’m gonna lift one weight.”
The Joke Swap
Colin Jost and Michael Che duo interviewed each other for Access Hollywood to chat about their upcoming live comedy special. The comedy duo hilariously revealed what fans can expect while poking fun at one another. The two also tease one another on how they are going to celebrate the tenth year of co-anchoring “Saturday Night Live’s” Weekend Update together. Plus, Michael pokes fun at Colin’s wife Scarlett Johansson saying she “blacks out” during their annual joke swap on “SNL.” “Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark” is streaming live on Peacock Thursday, September 12th at 9pm ET / 6pm PT.
Biting the Hand That Feeds You
Biting the hand that feeds you is a wonderful aspect of the entertainment industry. Some shows or performers can reach such heights of popularity that they can kind of say whatever they want. Hearing The Simpsons frequently refer to Fox as a subpar slop is always a joy. John Oliver taking shots at AT&T and Warner Brothers Discovery, referring to them as “Business Daddies,” is an absolute delight. 30 Rock may not have been the most popular show, but they never shied from absolutely clowning on NBC/Universal/GM.
Companies must allow behavior like this (unless they are Disney and laden with lawyers). For one, it helps show that they have a sense of humor about themselves, even if they don’t. Secondly, they have to keep their stars happy, and harping on them for the occasional joke would be counterproductive. But most importantly, they have to let the people they hire be themselves because that’s why they hired them. That is almost certainly the case with Michael Che and Colin Jost.
Che and Jost are former head writers at Saturday Night Live and currently the hosts of Weekend Update. They spend most of their time behind the desk pushing the proverbial envelope. Few topics are off-limits for the funny duo. Sometimes, that goes very well! Other times it falls as flat as flat can be. Still, you can’t accuse them of holding back. Given their reputation and the fact that Peacock is owned by Universal, which also owns NBC, the streamers knew what they were getting into when they gave the pair a live stand-up show.
Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark went live on Thursday night. Jost kicked things off, joking about the uncharted territory he and Che were wading into. “Tonight’s going to be like group sex,” he quipped. “If it goes well, then we can do it again every couple months with our friends. And if it goes really bad and it’s a disaster, we’ll never talk about it again. And either way we’re going to film it.” The host then turned his attention to the network, joking, “We’re on Peacock! You guys know Peacock, right? You know Peacock from the phrase, ‘I can’t believe the NFL made us download f***ing Peacock.’”
Che jokingly jumped in to do damage control, saying, “The f*** is wrong with you, man? Those checks didn’t clear?” He continued, joking, “This is the experience that we have when we go in and drop into places. We wanted to give that to the country … Does Peacock play all over the country?” That’s some good old-fashioned sass against the people signing your checks! May this long-running tradition continue for years and years.
Peacock's First-Ever Live Comedy Special
“Colin Jost and Michael Che Present: New York After Dark” is Peacock’s first-ever live comedy event. Hosted by the beloved SNL Weekend Update duo, the showcase special will stream live from The Bell House in Brooklyn, featuring special guest drop-ins from stand-up comedians throughout the night.
A Final Thought
The special has certainly given fans a taste of what to expect from the upcoming season of Saturday Night Live. With Jost and Che at the helm, the show is sure to be full of sharp, topical humor that will keep viewers laughing, and maybe even a little bit shocked.
