The Saturday, April 1, episode of Saturday Night Live started like any other — until Colin Jost did not receive any laughs during his “Weekend Update” segment.
Jost, 40, kicked off the Saturday sketch by making a series of jokes about former president Donald Trump’s indictment two days earlier. However, the comic’s retorts only received a few claps and chuckles. In comparison, “Weekend Update” cohost Michael Che caused the audience to go wild with his jokes.
“I told them not to laugh at you for April Fools,’” Che, 39, quickly admitted after his SNL cohost looked confused.
Jost — who blushed and covered his face with his hands, shaking his head — couldn’t believe that he had fallen victim to an April Fools’ Day prank at the hands of his pal. “I was truly like, ‘Am I not miked?’ And then I was like, ‘Oh, I just suck.’”
He added: “God, you’re evil! That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever done to me. … I’m covered in sweat.”
Che, who chuckled at his friend’s impromptu reaction, quickly replied that the audience “would probably” laugh at Jost’s next joke. Sure enough, before the Tom & Jerry star could even get out the setup to his next line, he was met with raucous cheers from the crowd.
“Don’t you even dare,” the Staten Island native added. “Don’t you even dare try now!”
Jost, who admitted he was “shaking” while trying to read out his next joke about Florida governor Ron DeSantis, and Che have been cohosting SNL’s “Weekend Update” since 2014. During their joint tenure, they’ve frequently roasted one another live on camera. During the annual Christmas show, the Michael Che: Shame the Devil star and Jost even trade a round of jokes that the other wrote for them without prior review.
While the duo’s SNL banter is all in good fun, Jost’s wife, Scarlett Johansson, doesn’t see it as humorous to watch following their 2020 wedding.
“I now rarely watch the show without having a sense of, not overwhelming panic, just like a slight underwhelming panic because I just feel like at any moment something’s going to fall apart,” the Black Widow star, 38, confessed during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show in November 2021. “And that’s the excitement of SNL and for all audiences, right? Because it’s absolutely live. But when you’re emotionally invested in it and not just entertained by it, it takes on a little bit of a different life.”
Johansson — who shares daughter Rose, 8, with ex-husband Romain Dauriac — and Jost welcomed their first child together, son Cosmo, in August 2021.
In addition to Che’s epic April Fools’ Day joke, Saturday’s episode featured sketches starring first-time host Quinta Brunson and musical performances by Lil Yachty.
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET.
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