Scarlett Johansson’s “revenge” on Michael Che was a scripted payoff in the Saturday Night Live Season 50 finale—not evidence of a real feud. On May 17, 2025, Johansson joined Che at the Weekend Update desk while Colin Jost set up an apology for a crude joke Che had written for Jost to read months earlier.
What was the roast-beef joke?
The setup began during the December 21, 2024 Christmas episode’s Weekend Update joke swap. Che wrote a joke for Jost that linked Costco’s roast-beef sandwich to Jost’s sex life with Johansson. E! reported that cameras showed Johansson watching backstage and reacting to the line: E!’s account of the joke and backstage reaction.
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Jost is Johansson’s husband, which made the joke’s target especially personal in its subject matter, even though it was part of the show’s comedy format.
How did Johansson get her “revenge”?
In the May 17, 2025 Season 50 finale, Jost’s setup brought Johansson to the Weekend Update desk and prompted Che to apologize for the earlier joke. Che then turned the apology into more self-deprecating jokes. TVLine transcribed Che’s line: “Last time we did joke swap, I made Colin do some tasteless jokes comparing your vagina to Costco roast beef.”
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The “revenge” label is comic shorthand for that planned on-air payoff. TVLine describes the joke-swap format as jokes written for one another and read live, without the reader seeing the lines beforehand; it also reports that Jost scripted the apology setup. The account does not establish a real dispute between Johansson and Che: TVLine’s recap and transcript.
What did Johansson say before the finale?
Before the episode, Johansson framed a response as part of the comedy. In a May 14, 2025 Vanity Fair interview, quoted by E! in its May 18 report, she said: “I feel like it’s almost my responsibility to come up with some way to burn Michael back. Retaliation, I’d say, should be expected.” The comment fits the planned joke-swap payoff; it is not proof of an off-camera feud.
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When did the finale air, and where can you watch it?
NBC identifies the broadcast as Season 50, Episode 21, dated May 17, 2025, hosted by Johansson with Bad Bunny as musical guest. Its official Saturday Night Live page lists a “Weekend Update ft. Ego Nwodim and Season 50 Finale Joke Swap” clip and a separate “Weekend Update: Colin Jost and Michael Che Swap Jokes for Season 50 Finale” clip: NBC’s official SNL page and clip listings.
Peacock also lists Johansson’s episode as Season 50, Episode 21: Peacock’s Season 50 page. Clip and episode access can vary by territory and may change over time; the official listing does not guarantee availability everywhere or indefinitely.
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The segment connected two joke swaps months apart: Che’s December line supplied the target, and Jost’s finale setup gave Johansson a seat at the desk and Che a chance to perform an exaggerated apology. The exchange also played on the unusual position of Jost reading a joke about his wife that Che had written. The Associated Press described the finale as a low-key close to the show’s 50th season and reported that Johansson had hosted SNL seven times, a record for a woman: Associated Press coverage of the finale.
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