During a recent appearance on the “Fly on the Wall” podcast, Michael Che revealed that a “Weekend Update” joke about salsa nearly pushed him to quit “Saturday Night Live.” When asked by hosts and “SNL” alums Dana Carvey and David Spade if any particular punchline still bothers him, Che immediately referenced the “jalapeño business” joke.
The controversial joke was delivered by Che’s co-anchor Colin Jost back in 2015. It centered around a news story about a woman who attacked her boyfriend with a pan for eating a tub of salsa they were supposed to share. She was later sentenced to 18 months in prison. Jost’s punchline played on the phrase “all up in your business,” saying, “You’d be angry too if your boyfriend was jalapeño business.”
Che recalled being shocked when Jost first rehearsed the joke. “I was like, ‘If you tell that joke on air, I’m leaving. I’m quitting the show,'” Che admitted. However, the joke made it to air and was a hit with the audience, leaving Che bewildered. Despite his frustration, Che remained with “SNL” and will return to co-anchor “Weekend Update” for the show’s 50th anniversary season this fall.
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