Caitlin Clark quickly proved to be the unofficial MVP of the Women’s March Madness tournament — and she’s not here for any criticism over her game.
“The University of Iowa announced that Caitlin Clark will have her jersey retired — and replaced with an apron,” Michael Che joked during the Saturday, April 13, episode of Saturday Night Live during Weekend Update that was met with boos. “Oh, well the WNBA Draft is this Monday and Iowa star Caitlin Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick.”
The camera then panned to Clark, 22, herself as she rolled up next to Che, 40, at the Weekend Update desk. The basketball star thus made it clear that she did not approve of Che’s apron joke, a reference to the sexist ideology that women supposedly belong in the kitchen rather than on the court.
“Thanks for having me,” Clark gushed before replying to Che’s notion that he is a fan of hers. “Really, Michael? Because I heard that little apron joke you did. … You make a lot of jokes about women’s sports, don’t you, Michael?”
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While Che tried to downplay his past jokes about women in athletics, his SNL cohost Colin Jost “made a supercut” of every time that he, in fact, brought up women’s sports at live comedy gigs and on SNL.
As a rebuttal to all of Che’s mentions, Clark brought a stack of her own jokes.
“Wow, Colin with the receipts! Thanks, man,” she quipped. “Obviously, I can’t tell jokes like you do, but I did write some jokes. It would mean a lot to me if you read some, just right over there on the cards.”
Che then reluctantly turned to the teleprompter to read Clark’s words aloud.
“The Indiana Fever has the first pick in this Monday’s WNBA Draft,” he said. “A reminder that Indiana Fever is a WNBA team and not what Michael Che gave to dozens of women at Purdue University.”
After Clark proclaimed that it was a “good joke about women’s sports,” she asked Che to read another one that took aim at his Shame the Devil comedy special on Netflix.
“Netflix’s top new show is Ripley, featuring an eery, unsettling performance by actor Andrew Scott,” he set up the dig. “Critics say it’s the hardest thing to watch on Netflix since Michael Che’s special Shame the Devil.”
Another joke highlighted Clark’s basketball record for the amount of three-pointers in her season.
“And I have three pointers for Michael Che. One: Be. Two: Funnier. And Three: Dumbass,” he read, stifling a laugh.
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Despite reading Clark’s roasts, he proved to be a good sport.
“Good luck in the WNBA,” he concluded. “I hope you have a great first season.”
Clark, meanwhile, said joining the WNBA will likely be a “big first step” but just “one step for the WNBA” and highlighted the athletes who came before her including Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley and Maya Moore.
“These are the girls [who] kicked down the door so I could walk inside,” she gushed. “I want to thank them tonight for laying the foundation. And Michael? Since you’re a big fan, I brought you a souvenir. It’s an apron signed by me.”
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET.
