There are moments on Saturday Night Live when the script stops feeling like a safety net — and the chaos becomes the whole show. And that’s exactly what unfolded when Michael Che and Colin Jost revived their infamous “Joke Swap.”
Michael Che and Colin Jost Take Part in Brutal “Joke Swap” on SNL: Watch
Featuring a special guest invited by Che
Saturday Night Live Weekend Update hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost carried on their yearly “joke swap” tradition as a part of SNL’s Christmas episode. Inexplicably cut last year to the chagrin of fans, the joke swap sees Che and Jost exchange quips they’ve written for the other that neither of them have seen before going on air. As you might guess, the jokes are often created to shock each other — along with audience members. And this year was no exception.
The joke swap hit the ground running as Che immediately kicked off the segment by introducing an unexpected special guest. “There’s someone very special here who was last on this show Season 3, 46 years ago,” Che said. “Poet, author, and activist. Please welcome Dr. Hattie Davis.” Sources like Newsweek have since confirmed that “Dr. Davis” is, in fact, a fictional character played by an actor. But that didn’t seem to thwart Che from successfully pulling the wool over Jost’s eyes. (And, judging from Twitter, plenty of viewers fell for it, too.) Jost seemed to be shaking in his boots as he delivered a slew of offensive jokes written by Che, even meekly going for a fist bump that Dr. Davis denied.
Among the no holds barred range of (often highly distasteful) topics, Jost’s wife Scarlett Johansson even came under fire — with Jost having to crack that New York’s new allowance of alcohol sales in movie theaters would help him to tolerate Johansson’s “little art movies.”
Check out the full sketch below.