Saturday Night Live has been a source of comedic talent for generations upon generations. The famous sketch comedy show has been a go-to for the latest, most promising comedic actors and writers. It has introduced famous actors such as Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, and Tina Fey.
However, the show is about to enter its landmark 50th season and rumors of creator Lorne Michaels’ future are running rampant.
This was a topic Howard Stern asked Michael Che and Colin Jost about when they were guests on his show. The dynamic duo have been writers and performers on SNL for over ten years. It was during their interview that Jost and Stern realized a particular topic of discussion made Che very uncomfortable.
Howard Stern Noticed Michael Che Did Not Like Getting Complimented
In 2024, Michael Che and Colin Jost appeared on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show Howard 100. During the chat, the Saturday Night Live stars discussed working together on the show. Che joked that he often “slept like a baby” while Jost did most of the work in the writers’ room.
Che and Jost both held positions as head writers from 2017 to 2022.
They began gradually stepping down as head writers after that and Jost reflected on their journey when speaking to Stern.
“I feel like I did it at least eight years, maybe more,” Jost said.
“We did it together at least five. And then we were then sort of not doing the job for the last couple of years because we were being torn in a lot of different directions.”
Che, however, disagreed with Jost’s version of his output in the writers’ room.
“That’s not true,” Che said in response. “Colin is really good at it. He’s kind of always stayed a sort of leader in the writers’ room. But I wasn’t doing the job.”
This is when Stern asked Che, “Did you go home at night feeling guilty that you were hardly doing anything but Colin was too nice of a guy to tell you, ‘Hey, you’ve got to step up your game?'”
“Guilty? No. Not one bit. I slept like a baby, Howard,” Che quipped. “It was fine. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
According to Jost, the head writer position was “very undefined.”
“And it varies a lot depending on who the person is doing it,” Jost explained. “But in some ways, you’re just kind of leading by example. You’re still expected to write at least a couple of sketches a week that are probably going to get on the air. And often you end up having to figure out the cold open later in the week if there isn’t one.”
Che then joked that those were “things I never did,” which caused Jost to challenge his former writing partner.
“It’s not true,” Jost insisted. “People don’t know what either of us have written. Che has written some of the best sketches that have been on the show in the last 10 to 15 years.”
Che jokingly responded, “Are you drunk?”
This is when both Jost and Stern noticed Che was uncomfortable with receiving compliments.
“You have, you know,” Jost said to Che before directing his attention back to Stern. “But he wouldn’t say that. And also, he has very good instincts on things and will talk to people and help people with pieces. He doesn’t like to say this, but he does.”
Howard Stern Asked Michael And Colin If They Would Replace Lorne Michaels When He Retires
There have been rumors that Michaels will step down from the show following its upcoming 50th season.
Lorne Michael has been the long-running leader of
SNL
since 1975.
During Che and Jost’s visit to Stern’s show, the radio legend asked them if they would consider taking over Michael’s job if he were to leave.
“Could you imagine having to do that? I don’t know that any – I don’t know how – you do that job and not be Lorne,” Che said.
“It’s his show,” Jost added.
“Yeah, it’s in his image. It would be so strange,” Che said.
Stern then said that “somebody” would have to take over the job in the event that he retires. There have been rumors the job could go to Tina Fey or Seth Meyers. Stern then asked Che and Jost if there was any validity to those rumors.
“Has anyone talked to you about that?” Stern asked.
“Not once,” Che responded. “I don’t think about that at all. That’s a tough job. I don’t think people really put in perspective what you actually have to do.”
Jost then discussed the “level of stress” involved with the job.
“Sometimes I think about — it’s been on for 50 years, right?” he began. “So there’s been 50 years of cast members, 50 years of writers. And he maintains in some way, some kind of relationship with so many of them, and so many people got through so many things in their lives that he often has to deal with … There’s so much other outreach beyond running the current show.”
Jost continued, “I always think about how much that must weigh on him … Let alone things we’re protected from, like dealings with the network, or in the ‘90s when the ratings were lower. Or when the network didn’t like the cast. That’s a whole other part of the job that none of us have to do.”
Che then chimed in, saying he “wasn’t even thinking” about all of that.
“To me, it’s like, imagine being the stepfather of a 50-year-old!” Che said. “It’s just impossible.”
Stern asked Che and Jost if they would accept the role if it was offered to them.
“No, I don’t think it’s offered. I don’t think that’s in the realm of possibility,” Che said.
Jost said they both “obviously care” about SNL. Therefore, if Michaels did retire, “you want it to keep going in some way, probably.”
“When it’s done well, it’s a really unique thing,” Jost said. “It would be sad if it changed or got weird or something.”
Another Guest Spoke To Howard About An ‘SNL’ Experience That Made Him Uncomfortable
In 2014, Jim Carrey sat down with Stern to discuss his life and career. Among the topics covered was Carrey’s time hosting SNL.
During the episode, Carrey parodied Matthew McConaughey in a skit. Stern asked Carrey about the skit and the actor revealed he was a bit nervous about how McConaughey would react.
“Will he kick my ass? There’s always that thought in the back of your mind,” Carey told Stern of the McConaughey spoof.
Another skit that Carrey starred in was a spoof of Sia’s music video for “Chandelier.” While the skit was praised by viewers, Carrey admitted to Stern that he wasn’t looking forward to doing it.
“The Sia thing, I wasn’t all that nuts about doing in the first place,” Carrey said. “I’m a little pudgy right now. I wasn’t nuts about getting into tights. And I was tucked as much as I could but, it’s hard to hide the python.”
Sometimes, even the most popular and praised SNL skits aren’t totally comfortable for the real-life actors playing them. This was the case when Kristen Wiig played Jamie Lee Curtis and spoofed her Activia yogurt commercials.
Wiig first appeared in a skit alongside Ashton Kutcher and Amy Poehler, where Curtis has an accident during filming.
The skit was received so well, that Wigg played Curtis again in another skit.
However, Wiig revealed to Entertainment Weekly that she actually ate multiple cups of real Activia yogurt to film the skit. She asked them to switch to regular yogurt for the second skit.
“Then I told them it was a bad idea,” Wiig said, “that’s how I’m going to word that. It works. Now they fill it with regular yogurt.”
During her conversation on Vulture’s Good One podcast, Kate McKinnon discussed her famous “Close Encounter” skits, where her character recalls what took place during an alien abduction. These skits often led to McKinnon and her co-stars breaking character. One famous example was when Ryan Gosling broke during his time hosting the show.
However, while audiences love it when actors break character during skits, McKinnon wasn’t so thrilled about it.
“I felt ashamed, because we’re not supposed to, and there’s something unprofessional about it,” McKinnon admitted.
“And yet sometimes it was just too fun. There was a hint, I guess, of wanting the audience to know like, ‘Oh, man, I love this. You have no idea how much I love Aidy Bryant and how much I love this job and how much I love these jokes.’ So sometimes I would allow myself to just go there.”