News | Entertainment
3 Jul 2025 15:46
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Michael Che was "stunned" to be accused of cultural appropriation because of a 'Saturday Night Live' sketch

    The 37-year-old comic acknowledged that the 'Gen Z Hospital' sketch - which featured guest host Elon Musk, Kate McKinnon, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and Bowen Yang using slang terms like "bestie", " "go off, king", "sis", and "gang gang" - had "bombed" but insisted he had no idea the phrases were used in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) so didn't expect the criticism


    Following the airing of the sketch, one viewer tweeted: "This Gen Z hospital skit on SNL is so stupid. I'm so tired of nonblack people throwing random AAVE terms in their sentences and calling that horse s*** 'Gen Z language (sic)"

    Another wrote: "the appropriation of AAVE by white people is gross, the mislabeling of AAVE as a 'Gen Z phenomenon' is also gross, but on top of that, the SNL skit reads like they just pulled a list of terms from UrbanDictionary and sprinkled them in, not caring that AAVE has a defined grammar!(sic)"

    In response, Michael revealed he had written the controversial sketch and insisted he hadn't intended to cause offense.

    He said in a statement: "I've been reading about how my 'gen z' sketch was misappropriating AAVE.

    "And I was stunned because what the f*** is 'AAVE'? I had to look it up. Turns out it's an acronym for 'African American Vernacular English.' You know, AAVE! That ol' saying that actual Black people use in conversation all the time...

    "Look the sketch bombed. I'm used to that.

    "I meant no offense to the 'AAVE' community. I love AAVE. AAVE to the moon."

    He captioned the post: "if i could stop one person from calling everybody bro and bestie, im happy with that.(sic)"

    In response, one Instagram user asked if he'd written the sketch while drunk.

    The 'Weekend Update' co-host joked in response: "as opposed to....?(sic)"

    And another fan made Michael feel he'd achieved what he'd set out to with the skit.

    The commenter posted: "It made me stop saying bestie so I appreciated it."

    Michael replied, "It worked!!"

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     03 Jul: Henry Golding thinks playing James Bond would be a "nightmare"
     03 Jul: Porsha Williams is taking a break from dating after finalising her divorce from Simon Guobadia
     03 Jul: Adult film star Kylie Paige has died aged 28
     03 Jul: Tom Sandoval found it "really hard" to overcome his cheating scandal
     03 Jul: Jana Kramer has accepted jobs that challenge her "moral compass"
     03 Jul: Heidi Montag has faced an "uphill battle" in the entertainment industry
     03 Jul: Scott Porter has been surprised by the success of Ginny and Georgia
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Tupou Vaa'i has been tasked with moving to the blindside flank in a new-look All Blacks pack for Saturday's first test of the year against France More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Consumer spending's continuing to pick up More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Henry Golding thinks playing James Bond would be a "nightmare" 15:36

    Rugby:
    Tupou Vaa'i has been tasked with moving to the blindside flank in a new-look All Blacks pack for Saturday's first test of the year against France 15:27

    Entertainment:
    Porsha Williams is taking a break from dating after finalising her divorce from Simon Guobadia 15:06

    Boxing:
    The Gypsy King could be on the move...back into the boxing ring 14:57

    Entertainment:
    Adult film star Kylie Paige has died aged 28 14:36

    National:
    Thumbs up: good or passive aggressive? How emojis became the most confusing kind of online language 14:17

    Health & Safety:
    Princess Catherine says cancer treatment 'like a roller-coaster' 14:17

    Accident and Emergency:
    Two people are dead, and 43 missing, after a car ferry carrying 65 passengers and crew sank overnight near Indonesia's Bali 14:07

    Entertainment:
    Tom Sandoval found it "really hard" to overcome his cheating scandal 14:06

    Rugby:
    Coach Scott Robertson is confident he's nailing a number of objectives in naming the first All Blacks side of the year 13:47


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd