Comedian Michael Che, co-anchor of “Saturday Night Live”‘s Weekend Update segment, has released a new Netflix stand-up special taped at First Avenue, the well-known music venue in downtown Minneapolis, that includes jokes referencing the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and repeated use of a slur against people with intellectual disabilities.
The special, titled “Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota,” opens with Che telling the Minneapolis crowd he felt good enough to get emotional, joking, “I feel like Erika Kirk on this stage. That’s no disrespect to the Kirks, by the way.”
Che told the audience he did not initially know who Charlie Kirk was before the activist was killed, saying he first thought people were referring to “the dude from Star Trek.” “I was like, ‘What? They shot Captain Kirk?'” he said.
He said he later watched video of the assassination to understand what had happened. “I wish I did not see that s—,” he said. “I don’t know if you saw, but it’s f—ed up.”
Che then said the best explanation he had heard for the killing was that “in this country, straight White Christian conservative men are being silenced,” recounting a debate he said he had with “this r—–ed guy.” He went on to use the slur repeatedly throughout the set, including while discussing President Donald Trump.
Slur used repeatedly, including toward Minnesota
“I know you shouldn’t use that word, but, I do,” Che said. “It’s because I still see them. I’ll stop saying it when I stop seeing it.” He added, “Ever since we stopped using the word ‘r—–ed,’ r—–ed people have taken over the world. I don’t think that s— is a coincidence.”
Speaking directly to the Minneapolis crowd, Che said they would understand his point because “every time he turns on the news, Minnesota is fighting some group of r—–s,” adding, “No, it’s important to say it. R—–ed meaning regressive. Bunch of motherf—ers trying to take all our rights away.”
Che also called Trump a “r—– whisperer,” saying, “That’s all politics is these days. Just r—– whispering,” and suggested the popularity of red MAGA hats stemmed from the idea that “r—–ed guys love hats.”
Other material in the set
Che said Trump would have made a good kindergarten teacher because of his ability to communicate with people who “don’t like to think that much.” He also argued that Americans do not take presidential politics seriously enough, joking that ESPN keeps a list of the top 500 high school quarterbacks in the country while the public has no advance list of presidential candidates. He used a racial slur while comparing the ages of the two major-party candidates in the most recent presidential race.
The special later moves into unrelated personal material on aging, drinking, relationships, sex and fatherhood, closing with a bit imagining God as an absent parent who left humanity with a book and has not been seen since.
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to Che for comment but had not received a response at the time of its story.
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