Cancel Culture is coming for Che.
With all the Jesus Is King shenanigans that have taken place over the past few weeks, Kanye West is an unavoidable topic. From his delayed releases, art installations, Sunday Services, political comments, and declarations being the greatest artist all time, Kanye knows how to keep his name at the forefront conversations.
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As controversial a figure as he is, Kanye is still a talent that the hip hop community can’t avoid. His antics, however, make him an easy target for social commentators, especially those the comedic variety. During this past weekend’s Saturday Night Live Weekend Update segment, Michael Che made Kanye his punchline. However, the joke made Che the focus social media as they accused the comedian transphobia.
“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,” Che stated, noting that Kanye recently revealed that he would only perform old songs from his catalog with family-friendly lyrics. “I mean, he used to be one the coolest black dudes on Earth. Now he’s showing up to events in sweatpants and orthopedic sneakers, listening to Kenny G and trying to get black people to like Trump. It’s like, how long before this guy changes his name to Kathy?”
Then, Che unsurprisingly mentioned Kanye’s relative, Caitlyn Jenner. “Now, you might think that I’m crazy, but about five years ago, there was a fella named Bruce Jenner, and he moved to Calabasas…” Che joked before ending his bit. Fans took to social media to air their displeasure with Che for referencing “a fella named Bruce.” There were media reports that circulated stating that it was insensitive for Che to call Caitlyn a “fella,” while other commentators noted that people were misinterpreting what Che said. Some thought the SNL cast member’s use Jenner’s transition as a joke was transphobic, while others overall thought people were being too sensitive. Check out the clip below along with a few mixed reactions from the public.