Yes, Michael Che is a comedian, but he picked the wrong topic to try and make a joke out of this week.
The “Saturday Night Live” comedian is under heavy fire for targeting Simone Biles, even reposting a joke about Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor who sexually abused her and dozens of other athletes.
In a since-deleted string of stories on Instagram, Che wrote: “Man, I wanna make fun of Simone Biles.”
“I got like 3 mins of Simone Biles jokes in my head. Im going to the cellar tonight to say them into a microphone. As the dorky kids say I’m choosing violence,” he said.
The backlash was swift and heavy to the point that Che sarcastically claimed his account had been hacked.
“Mannnnn, i got hacked today. Can’t believe they got me,” he wrote. “Yall know i only do jokes about whites and cops. S’all good now i changed my password and everything..”
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Social media had a lot to say:
“Larry Nassar sexually assaulted over 300 gymnasts including Simone Biles. Jokes about this immense violence are never okay. @hbomax @nbcsnl why is Michael Che still on your roster?” activist Farrah Khan said in a tweet.
Writer Delia Harrington wrote: “Michael Che comes for people he thinks he can get away with dunking on. Trans women, Black women, sexual assault survivors. Judging by his flimsy ‘I got hacked’ defense, it seems he had no idea how beloved Simone Biles is, or just how messed up it is to share a Larry Nassar joke.”
Activist Leslie Mac said: “Black Women BEEN told you about Michael Che… but once again y’all ignored us. But COMEDY right!? F* hack.”
Podcaster Carolyn Hinds added: “Michael Che—and all of these tacky ass clowns who call themselves comedians need to keep Simone’s name out their damb mouths.”
More:
Biles skipped the Olympics gymnastics competition to focus on her mental health.
