Saturday Night Live cast member Michael Che is in the thick of it after making a joke about this week’s “Weekend Update” segment that some consider anti-Semitic.
While most of the opening segment was devoted to challenging Texas Senator Ted Cruz on his now infamous trip to Cancun, a brief joke by Che sparked intense social media reaction. The star responded to a recent headline about Israel’s efforts to vaccinate against the coronavirus.
“Israel reports that they have inoculated half of their population,” he said. “And I think it was the Jewish half.”
The joke referred to Israel’s having received international criticism for largely excluding Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza from its highly successful vaccination campaign. It held up the transmission for two days as the government faced questions from a parliamentary committee before it was finally approved. However, Israeli lawmakers previously proposed using the vaccines as a bargaining chip for the release of prisoners held by the militant Hamas rulers in the area.
‘SNL’ MOCKS ‘DUMBEST’ IMPEACHMENT TRIAL AFTER AGAIN TRUMP
It didn’t take long for Che to backfire on the joke, which many considered anti-Semitic.
“Michael Che’s shameless anti-Semitic joke tonight? Not cute,
@nbcsnl, ” one user wrote
Michael Che is clearly anti-Semitic on snl ???? HOW IS THIS OK?
@nbcsnl, ” added one more
“I was utterly shocked last night by Michael Che’s anti-Semitic dig. He has also insulted the trans community in the recent past. There is a difference between sharp comedy and what he does. Time for some sensitivity training,” he says. another user wrote
“Really @snl? Michael Che’s Israeli joke is NOT okay,” another added
After his name started to gain popularity on Twitter, people also rushed to defend and praise the comedian for trying to draw attention to the situation in Israel.
‘BRIDGERTON’ STAR REGE REGE-JEAN PAGE TO GUEST ‘SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’ WITH MUSICAL GUEST BAD BUNNY
“Thanks Michael Che! Don’t give in to the critics! #SNL,” wrote one advocate
“Hats off to Michael Che for deliberate or not, raising an important question not being asked about Israel’s vaccination efforts against Covid!” wrote another
“Leave Michael Che alone. If you are angry about that joke, wait until you learn about discrimination in Israel,” added one more
“Michael Che is a brilliant comic and opposition to apartheid should not be combined with anti-Semitism,” added another user.
Che has previously been criticized for his jokes about “Weekend Update.” Most recently, he was accused of making comments offensive to the transgender community following a Nov. 2 joke about President Biden ending Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Michael Che gets backlash for a joke he made about “Weekend Update.”
(Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images)
“President Biden signed an executive order to repeal Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military,” Che said on the Jan. 30 episode. “It’s good news, except Biden calls the policy” don’t ask, don’t tuck in, “which isn’t good news.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In addition to Cruz and Israel, this week’s “Weekend Update” segment also got bumped against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Mars rover, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s divorce, and many more.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.