For many seasons, Saturday Night Live co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che have upheld a unique holiday tradition on Weekend Update: crafting outrageously offensive jokes for the other to present live.
During the December 20, 2025, holiday episode—featuring Ariana Grande as host and Cher as the musical guest—Che executed a clever prank. He informed Jost that their customary joke exchange would not happen this year, only to secretly prepare his own set of jokes. Consequently, Jost ended up delivering every single line, much to Che’s delight and the audience’s amusement.
Che did not shy away from his usual antics. A year after having Jost deliver some biting jokes about Jost’s wife, Scarlett Johansson, Che returned with even more zing.
“Critics argue that a new series of coins from the U.S. Mint, celebrating pivotal moments in American history, overlooks civil rights. But what about the coin that commemorates where Black people originally came from—ships,” Jost read, wincing as Che erupted in laughter.
Jost continued with another zinger: “The Archdiocese of New York will establish a fund for victims of church sexual abuse. Yet, I receive nothing for keeping quiet and handling it like a champ?” The audience reacted with a mix of gasps and laughter, while Che jokingly suggested that Jost should have penned a few jokes for him as well.
Next came a jab involving Johansson: “New studies reveal millions of women exit the workforce due to menopause. So, my gravy train has only a few years left,” Jost quipped as a photo of Johansson appeared on screen. “My girl is already saying, ‘Colin, I’m warm. Colin, I’m sweating.’ Girl, you’re having a hot flash.”
Jost wrapped up with a wink to fans of Netflixâs Wednesday: âBut donât worry about me, I got a backup. They donât call Wednesday hump day for nothing,â as a photo of Jenna Ortegaâs Wednesday Addams appeared on screen.
The bit has become a fan-favorite SNL holiday tradition, and this yearâs twist â Che ambushing Jost while pretending the swap was off â generated buzz online, with viewers calling it âhilariousâ and praising the callbacks to previous joke swaps.
Beyond the joke swap, the episode also tackled other topical Weekend Update moments, from political commentary to celebrity news, rounding out a star-studded finale for 2025.
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