Michael Che Crosses His Fingers Over Colin Jost’s Rumored ‘SNL’ Exit

Speculation that one of the most beloved Saturday Night Live cast members may leave after the conclusion of Season 50 has intensified after his long-time creative partner posted a series of Instagram Stories that are more incendiary than the average “Weekend Update” joke swap.

This weekend, movie giant and Jurassic World Rebirth star Scarlett Johansson will host Saturday Night Live with musical guest Bad Bunny in an A-list lineup befitting the finale of the show’s historic 50th season. In a vacuum, one of the biggest film actors alive headlining the final SNL episode of the season alongside arguably the most popular musician in the world would be about as notable and panic-inducing as Pete Davidson's new girlfriend turning out to be an ultra-famous super model, but seeing Johansson’s name on the final Post-It Notes of the season has had the SNL fandom in uproar over what they fear her husband Colin Jost may or may not announce on Saturday.

Ever since SNL revealed Johansson as the host of the season finale, the show's fans have been debating whether Lorne Michaels booked Jost’s better half so that she could join her spouse in what would be one of the biggest turning points in his career. Yesterday evening, Jost’s “Weekend Update” co-host Michael Che decided that he didn’t like being left out of the “Is Jost leaving?” debate as he posted a string of hilariously flippant Instagram Stories daring his dear friend “Dumb Jost” to leave SNL and “give someone ELSE a chance to do weekend update with me.”

It’s hard to tell if Che’s cheeky response to the rampant fan speculation about his good friend’s future on SNL is just Che mocking the hysteria for being so off-base, or if Che is softening the blow of Jost’s departure for both his fans and himself with some friendly put-down humor. Perhaps the inscrutability is the point — historically, Che does have a lot fun causing panic and confusion for his fans and his friends.

Now, of course, Che isn’t seriously pushing Jost out the door so that he can bring fresh blood to the “Weekend Update” desk. In fact, Che has previously claimed that he couldn’t hold the most high-pressure job in the SNL cast without “Dumb Jost,” telling Howard Stern late last year that he would step down from “Weekend Update” if Jost left the show.

In the same interview, however, both SNL greats admitted that the stresses of being the most recognizable cast members often have them thinking about their careers beyond the weekly grind of the biggest stage in comedy. As such, with his recent “jokes,” Che might actually be telling Jost to leave SNL and take Che with him.