Michael Che appears during Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live on May 2, 2026. (Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images)
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“Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che joked about Charlie Kirk’s killing and repeatedly used the R-word while mocking President Donald Trump and his supporters in his new Netflix special, “Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota.”
The new stand-up special was taped at the First Avenue music venue in Minneapolis. Che opened the show by saying he felt so good that he might get emotional.
“I feel like Erika Kirk on this stage. That’s no disrespect to the Kirks, by the way.”
Che said he didn’t know who Charlie Kirk was before the activist was killed, joking that he initially thought people were talking about “the dude from Star Trek.”
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Charlie Kirk throws a “Make America Great Again” hat to the crowd at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking on his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
“I was like, ‘What? They shot Captain Kirk?'”
Che said he then watched the graphic video of Charlie Kirk’s assassination to better understand what happened, saying, “I wish I did not see that s—.”
“I don’t know if you saw,” he told his audience, “but it’s f—ed up.”
Che said the best explanation he had heard for why Kirk was killed was that “in this country, straight White Christian conservative men are being silenced.” He recalled having a debate about the issue “with this r—–ed guy.”
“I know you shouldn’t use that word, but, I do … It’s because I still see them. I’ll stop saying it when I stop seeing it,” he said.
He further defended his use of the slur, saying, “Ever since we stopped using the word ‘r—–ed,’ r—–ed people have taken over the world. I don’t think that s— is a coincidence.”
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Michael Che performs onstage during Comic Relief Live 2025: A Benefit to Build Brighter Futures for Kids at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Dec. 10, 2025. (Getty Images for Comic Relief)
Che said that if people still used the R-word, Trump never could have become president.
“He just kept getting stronger and stronger. Now, we can’t stop him … I watched those debates. They never know what the f— to say to that guy. They don’t got the language … ‘He’s unpresidential.’ It’s like, ‘No, he’s a r—–ed guy.'”
Che said the Minneapolis audience would know exactly what he was talking about, because every time he turns on the news, “Minnesota is fighting some group of r—–s.”
“No, it’s important to say it. R—–ed meaning regressive. Bunch of motherf—ers trying to take all our rights away.”
Che also called Trump a “r—– whisperer.”
“That’s all politics is these days. Just r—– whispering.”
He mocked Trump’s ability to appeal to supporters through red MAGA hats and simple messaging, attributing the popularity of the recognizable caps to the fact that “r—–ed guys love hats.”
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Michael Che attends the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford Netflix live event at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sept. 13, 2025. (Getty Images)
The ‘SNL’ co-anchor said the president would have made a great kindergarten teacher because he knows how to talk to people who “don’t like to think that much.”
Che argued Americans do not take presidential politics seriously enough, suggesting that the country should have a list of potential candidates years in advance.
“If it’s the most important job in the free world, we still don’t know? There’s no list?” he joked.
“Right now, ESPN has a list of the top 500 high school quarterbacks in the country. But every four years, we end up in this f—ed up ‘Would You Rather.’
“One n—– is 80, the other n—– is 80-er.”
Che later shifted into personal material about aging, drinking, relationships, sex and fatherhood, closing by imagining God as an absent parent.
“I think God loves us. I think he just had us at a very young age. He realized he had more living to do. ‘I gotta get the f— out of here. Here, take this book. I’ll be right back.’ I ain’t seen him since.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Michael Che for comment but did not immediately receive a response.