SNL’s Michael Che doubles down on transphobic Caitlyn Jenner joke with ‘rape joke’ about male prisoners
In response to the backlash over his Caitlyn Jenner joke, Michael Che made an anti-gay rape joke. (SNL/ YouTube)
Michael Che has come under fire again after choosing to make an offensive ‘rape joke’ on Saturday Night Live (SNL) rather than apologise for last week’s transphobic jab about Caitlyn Jenner.
On this week’s Weekend Update segment of SNL, Che somehow managed to make fun of the California wildfires, which have destroyed around 100,000 acres of land so far, before morphing the joke into a bit about prison rape.
He said: “It’s been reported now that the most recent wildfire in Southern California is threatening millions of dollars worth of avocados. White women are devastated.”
He then continued: “The state is allowing nonviolent prisoners to help fight the wildfires, which is ridiculous because you definitely want to use the violent prisoners for that, right?
“If my house is on fire, don’t send me the fellas in for tax fraud, send me somebody that’s gonna make that fire their bitch — you know, somebody that’s really good with water, because they spend all of their time hanging out in the showers.”
He laughed and then, presumably in response to the offence caused by his comments about Jenner, pretended to cross the ‘rape joke’ off his list adding: “Nope, can’t say that.”
@nbcsnl #MichaelChe, you knew better than to do a rape joke and did it anyway. I ask you to reflect on your priorities.
— Mai Kuha (@MaiKuha1) November 3, 2019
In the same segment a week before, Che was attempting to make fun of Kanye West when he decided to deadname and misgender Jenner as the butt of the joke.
He said: “At first I thought Kanye was losing his mind… and now I feel like he’s fine, he’s just turning into an old white lady.”
Continuing the joke, Che commented: “I mean, he used to be one of the coolest black dudes on earth. Now he’s showing up to events in sweatpants and orthopaedic sneakers, listening to Kenny G and trying to get black people to like Trump. It’s like how long until this guy changes his name to Kathy?”
He then concluded: “Now you might think I’m crazy, but about five years ago, there was a fella named Bruce Jenner, and he moved to Calabasas…”
The number 1 search related to my name is "Chase Strangio birth name". When large platforms like SNL deadname and misgender trans people it legitimizes the notion of trans-ness as spectacle and fraud. It isn't funny. It is dangerous.— Chase Strangio (@chasestrangio) October 28, 2019
Attorney Chase Strangio wrote on Twitter at the time: “When large platforms like SNL deadname and misgender trans people it legitimises the notion of trans-ness as spectacle and fraud.
“It isn’t funny. It is dangerous.”
