Comedian Michael Ches latest Netflix special leans heavily on shock value, targeting conservatives, Christians, and supporters of President Donald Trump with language and themes that many viewers would consider beyond the pale.
According to Fox News, the "Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update co-anchor uses his new special, "Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota," to mock the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, repeatedly deploy a slur against people with intellectual disabilities, and deride Trump voters as essentially subhuman. The show, filmed at the First Avenue music venue in Minneapolis, opens with Che telling the crowd he feels so good he might get emotional, adding, "I feel like Erika Kirk on this stage. Thats no disrespect to the Kirks, by the way." He then admits 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."
"I was like, 'What? They shot Captain Kirk?'" Che tells the audience, before acknowledging that he watched the graphic video of Charlie Kirks assassination to understand what happened, saying, "I wish I did not see that s---." He continues, "I dont know if you saw," but, he adds, "its f---ed up."
Che goes on to mock concerns about political violence against conservatives, saying the best explanation he heard for why Kirk was killed was that "in this country, straight White Christian conservative men are being silenced." He recalls debating the issue "with this r-----ed guy," a term he repeats throughout the set despite its widely recognized offensiveness.
"I know you shouldnt use that word, but, I do ... Its because I still see them. Ill stop saying it when I stop seeing it," he tells the crowd, brushing aside the cultural taboo around the slur. He further defends his language by claiming, "Ever since we stopped using the word 'r-----ed,' r-----ed people have taken over the world. I dont think that s--- is a coincidence."
From there, Che links his use of the slur directly to Trump and his supporters, arguing that if Americans still used the R-word, Trump never could have become president. "He just kept getting stronger and stronger. Now, we cant stop him ... I watched those debates. They never know what the f--- to say to that guy. They dont got the language ... 'Hes unpresidential.' Its like, 'No, hes a r-----ed guy.'"
Che insists the Minneapolis audience understands his point because, as he puts it, every time he turns on the news, "Minnesota is fighting some group of r-----s." He then tries to reframe the slur as a political descriptor, saying, "No, its important to say it. R-----ed meaning regressive. Bunch of motherf---ers trying to take all our rights away."
He escalates further by labeling Trump a "r----- whisperer," adding, "Thats all politics is these days. Just r----- whispering." Che mocks Trumps ability to connect with his base through red MAGA hats and blunt slogans, attributing the popularity of the caps to the idea that "r-----ed guys love hats."
The "SNL" co-anchor goes on to say Trump would have made an excellent kindergarten teacher because he knows how to talk to people who "dont like to think that much." Che then pivots to a broader critique of American voters, arguing that the country does not take presidential politics seriously enough and should maintain a list of potential candidates years in advance.
"If its the most important job in the free world, we still dont know? Theres no list?" he jokes, contrasting the lack of planning in politics with the meticulous rankings in sports. "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.'"
He reduces the current political choice to a crude racial punchline, saying, "One n----- is 80, the other n----- is 80-er." From there, Che shifts into more personal territory, riffing on aging, drinking, relationships, sex, and fatherhood, before closing with an irreverent bit about God as an absentee 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. Ill be right back.' I aint seen him since." Fox News Digital reached out to Michael Che for comment but did not immediately receive a response, leaving his defenders to argue that it is all "just comedy" while many Americans see yet another example of Hollywoods open contempt for conservatives, Christians, and Trump supporters.
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