Michael Che has never been shy about clapping back at critics, but this time the target was a fan who pitched an idea that went too far.
The Saturday Night Live “Weekend Update” co-anchor shared screenshots of an Instagram DM suggesting the show stage a sketch set on Epstein Island featuring “actual children” alongside powerful public figures. The fan framed it as bold satire and even challenged the show’s nerve.
Che’s response was blunt.
“Oh word? That’d be funny to you..?” he wrote. “Pedo reenactments with actual kids..you think the audience would be laughing at that..?”
In another slide, he added, “I guess i just don’t understand comedy audiences anymore.”
He also addressed a criticism he says he hears constantly—that SNL lacks courage. “I get so much snl criticism that starts with ‘if yall had any balls.’ Nah, we do,” Che wrote. “We just air on Channel 4, you muppet.”
The posts were later deleted, but the screenshots quickly circulated.
The exchange comes at a time when Epstein-related news is again dominating headlines. According to Al Jazeera, the U.S. Department of Justice recently released millions of documents tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, including financial records, internal communications, flight manifests, and investigative summaries.
The files outline a decade-long trafficking operation involving underage girls and a network of associates. While names appearing in documents do not automatically imply wrongdoing, the sheer volume of material has renewed scrutiny around Epstein’s connections and crimes.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and later died in custody. His longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and is serving a 20-year sentence.
SNL has referenced Epstein Island in past sketches and on “Weekend Update,” at times drawing audible reactions from the live audience. A recent sketch about the Epstein-Barr virus, which some viewers praised online, was reportedly cut for time, fueling speculation that the show was avoiding the topic.
Che has also joked about the House Oversight Committee’s efforts to depose Maxwell, saying that “they’ve turned off the cameras to give her privacy to play with her new chair and long rope.”