Michael Che said he threatened to quit Saturday Night Live if Colin Jost told a particular joke on air. Jost told it anyway: a “jalapeño business” pun during Weekend Update in May 2015. Che later recalled that the joke “destroyed,” and the two revisited the disagreement on the podcast Fly on the Wall in 2024.
The joke was a pun about salsa
Jost’s Weekend Update bit followed a brief item about an Ohio woman who allegedly stabbed her boyfriend after he ate their salsa. The punchline played on the phrase “all up in your business”: the boyfriend, Jost said, was “jalapeño business.” The joke had reportedly been cut from an earlier episode before Jost brought it back for the May 2015 season 40 finale, according to Slashfilm’s retrospective.
![Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Collection: Seasons One - Five [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41+XakhOIGL._SL160_.jpg)
Che objected before it went on air
In the 2024 Fly on the Wall conversation with Dana Carvey and David Spade, Che recalled being angry during the run-through. As reported by Just Jared and The Independent, he told Jost: “If you tell that joke on air, I’m leaving. I’m quitting the show.”
Jost kept the joke in the broadcast. Che later summed up the result: “And he did it on air and it destroyed.” The Independent reported Jost teasing that Che was upset because the joke worked so well. Just Jared reported Jost’s explanation that he would have cut it if Che had not been so upset.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
What the story does—and does not—establish
The anecdote is about a disagreement over one Weekend Update joke, not evidence that Che actually left the show. In a separate detail attributed to The Daily Beast’s account of the original segment, Che also complained to the audience that one of his own jokes had been cut after dress rehearsal for being too offensive. That context helps explain the backstage tension, but the central story remains Jost’s salsa pun and Che’s reaction.
The May 2015 broadcast and the 2024 podcast recollection are distinct sources for the story: contemporary reporting describes the joke’s setup and performance, while the later conversation supplies the two comedians’ account of the run-through and their reactions. The Independent, Just Jared, and The Daily Beast published their reports in September 2024. The quotations above are reproduced as those outlets reported them.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
Rank #2
- 12 DVDs of the best episodes from Seasons 1-5. Plus a 28-Page Collector’s Book telling the story of the show and cast
- 33 episodes with the original groundbreaking, irreverent, hilarious cast. Plus rare footage of the cast, including screen tests and interviews
- All-time classic sketches including “Land Shark,” “Word Association,” “The Killer Bees,” “Super Bass-o-Matic,” “Weekend Update,” and so many more
- Iconic characters including Coneheads, Samurai, Emily Litella, Chevy Chase as President Ford, Shower Mike, The Blues Brothers, Baba Wawa, and more! You'll also recieve special episodes including Chevy Chase's return to SNL with music icon Billy Joel, plus the historic 100th episode!
- Guest Hosts include George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Candice Bergen, Paul Simon, and more
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
