The “Weekend Update” anchor is facing serious backlash for comments he made — and jokes he promoted — about Simone Biles. ICYMI, the renowned gymnast bowed out several Olympics events after a psychological block made it dangerous for her to compete. While her decision was celebrated by many as an act of necessary self care, certain spectators have criticized or ridiculed her for quitting.
Related: Che Apologizes After SNL Sketch He Wrote Is Accused Of Cultural Appropriation
The Saturday Night Live star is apparently among the latter group because he posted on his Instagram Story on Thursday:
“man, I wanna make fun of simone biles. … i got like 3 minutes of simone biles jokes in my head. im going to the [Comedy Cellar] tonight to say them into a microphone. as the dorky kids say, im choosing violence.”
The comedian went on to post some jokes from his followers’ DMs, including one particularly disgusting reference to Simone’s (and hundreds of other women’s) sexual abuser, Larry Nassar. (Extra trigger warning here for how vile this joke is.)
The DM read:
“Larry Nassar understands Simone Biles better than anyone. He too had to quit doing what he loved at the pinnacle of his career because of mounting pressure”
Adding his own approving commentary, Che wrote:
“goddamn, thats rough. absolutely tasteless. 9/10”
Wow. Not only did he publish a joke about sexual abuse on his HUGE platform, he awarded it a 9/10. Actually, “tasteless” doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Over on Twitter, the fury towards the Daily Show alum was immediate. He began trending because of the backlash, with users commenting:
“Michael Che – and all of these tacky ass clowns who call themselves comedians need to keep Simone’s name out their damb [sic] mouths.”
“Yes @nbcsnl @nbc is on hiatus, but doesn’t Michael Che have an @HBO deal too? It’d be a great time to act on all the big talk of listening to Black women, and drop that talent-free wastrel who constantly maligns us. We have receipts for years but this latest stunt is inexcusable.”
“Michael Che comes for people he thinks he can get away with dunking on. Trans women, Black women, sexual assault survivors. Judging by his flimsy ‘I got hacked’ defense, it seems he had no idea how beloved Simone Biles is, or just how messed up it is to share a Larry Nasser joke.”
Yep, Che then claimed to be “hacked” on IG — which seemed like less of a genuine excuse (nobody doubts the foul commentary was truly him) than another shallow joke. He wrote:
“mannnnn, i got hacked today. can’t believe they got me. yall know i only do jokes about whites and cops. S’all good now i changed my password and everything..
anyway,
yall hear about dababy tho..? that’s crazy. iight see yall at church. Imma get there early.”
— BallerAlert (@balleralert) July 30, 2021
Related: Justin Bieber & Other Celebs Who SUPPORTED Simone After Her Withdrawal
We wouldn’t really find any jokes about Simone’s situation funny right now, but we can’t imagine how hateful you’d have to be to bring her abuser’s name into it. And how ironic that the 38-year-old, who is well known for incessantly harassing his own critics, decided to dunk on the 24-year-old athlete who is facing more pressure than any of us could fathom in a sport that enabled her sexual abuse. What a brave and noble endeavor he’s taken on! That’s comedy at it’s finest: shining a light on societal ills like “young women making choices for their own health and safety.” Heroic!
We don’t know if Che will face any consequences for his words beyond internet backlash. (His HBO Max series, That Damn Michael Che, was just renewed last week.) We hope he learns something from this experience, but considering his cowardly move of pretending to be hacked and then wiping his entire Instagram, we’re not holding our breath.
See some more of the Twitter criticism (below):
At least mediocre white men who keep failing up have racism on their side; awful, yet it makes sense.
But Che – how are you breaking boundaries just to fail? How are you rising to some of the highest ranks in American comedy and still haven't ever Googled "what is humor"???
— @PiaGlenn (@PiaGlenn) July 30, 2021
Michael Che is gross and he needs to STFU. WTH.
Even at our most vulnerable time…when we need the most time…they choose to use our trauma as “material” so they can stay relevant.
Disgusting.
— Reading is fun(damental) (@teeshreads) July 30, 2021
Black Women BEEN told you about Michael Che… but once again y'all ignored us.
But COMEDY right!? Fucking hack.
— #BakeOnceAWeek The Box – ON SALE NOW (@LeslieMac) July 30, 2021
michael che is a bitch. here's that attention you ordered, I guess
— #SaveSilwan (@telushk) July 30, 2021
How nice for Michael Che never to have been denied the sanctity of his own body because of his gender.
How nice for him not to be judged and gaslit repeatedly because it is routine to treat an entire gender and their experiences with disregard and contempt.
How lovely for him.
— A Shady Dame From Seville (@SorayaMcDonald) July 30, 2021
I’ll be shocked if something happens to Michael Che. Theres no consequence for hurting black women it seems
— SugarLover (@coldestwinters) July 30, 2021
Michael Che out here encouraging rape jokes against Simone Biles, who was sexually assaulted along with many of her teammates. This is a brave woman who has suffered depression due to her trauma, and Michael Che fucking thinks it's hilarious to poke at her more. Asshole. pic.twitter.com/38EVc7nifJ
— A.J. (@Trust_Progress) July 30, 2021
[Image via Derrick Salters/MEGA/WENN]
The post Twitter Is BASHING Michael Che After He Shared A Sexual Assault Joke & Other Awful Things About Simone Biles appeared first on Perez Hilton.