Saturday Night Live has been criticised for a 'disrespectful' sketch that viewers accused of being 'a lead-in to joke about rape'. The segment featured Michael Che and Colin Jost, comedians who have served as anchors on the satirical news feature Weekend Update, which is SNL's longest-running recurring sketch.
The sketch mentioned the allegations surrounding Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, following a lawsuit filed by a Jane Doe claiming she was drugged and gang-raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024. The case has garnered widespread media attention and sparked outrage on social media, particularly as it emerged that the accused students were punished with workshops and essay-writing assignments. The alleged victim dropped out.
Weekend Update sketch draws fire
While fellow female students rally around the anonymous woman and voice their disdain for how the campus responded, the case – dubbed the 'Cornell Seven' – made its way to SNL this weekend. Making Jost, 44, the punchline, Che, 43, portraying a news reporter, showed an image of Cornell University on-screen and said: 'Obviously, we don't want to make light of anything that happened, but it is a good time to talk about men holding other men accountable.'
'And, look, we all have that one friend that seems like a nice guy, but they're definitely not…' The camera then cut to Jost, who looked around in confusion. 'It could be someone you're close to or someone you work with,' Che continued. 'Maybe you can't prove anything. You can just look at him and tell those weird, privileged Ivy League types always got some messed-up stuff going on.'
The shot focused on Jost once more, as Che asked him: 'Did you want to add anything?' 'What?', he laughed. 'No. Stop cutting to me!' 'Don't wanna help women? Cool,' Che then quipped.
Viewers divided over the joke
The sketch has been viewed well over a million times on X alone since airing, leaving users stunned. @angoldenera wrote that 'two men joking about a horrific rape case is just not funny', feeling especially upset because SNL has 'handled serious issues in a non-offensive way before'. @sillyexbf raged: 'using cornell as a lead in to joke about rape was so disgusting and disrespectful and dismissive to women and SA victims everywhere. Apologising isn't enough- corrective action needs to be taken'.
@bbrealityjunkie said they 'didn't appreciate' the so-called joke, while @Errikkaa___ described the skit as 'dark'. In contrast, some viewers praised the handling of the joke, with @HazzardDylan writing: 'It's perfectly possible to make jokes about upsetting, current, topical subject matter without punching down on the victims, and I think this joke did that well'. However, @123pm3 fired back: 'generally i dont think making jokes about rape is remotely light hearted, even if its not poking the victim its literally humouring the rape itself'.
SNL's history of controversy
SNL is no stranger to dividing opinion, of course, as the programme has seen its fair share of scandals since premiering in 1975. In the past, Donald Trump and Elon Musk hosted episodes, and Kanye West performed in a 'Make America Great Again' hat (then was booed for an impromptu ramble about politics). SNL has also faced backlash for airing expletives and slurs and has been accused of plagiarism.
As for sketches, the show has a history of sparking backlash with skits such as 2000's Regis Philbin Co-Host Auditions, in which Jimmy Fallon impersonated Chris Rock in blackface (for which Fallon later apologised), and 2009's Tiger Woods Press Conference, which was criticised for appearing to trivialise domestic violence, to name just two. Bosses have not responded to the backlash to the Cornell University sketch.
Originally, prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to bring charges in the Jane Doe case, and she's now seeking compensatory and punitive damages. The criminal investigation has since reopened, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul saying the accuser was 'failed at every turn', appointing the State's Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor.
Meanwhile, the university itself has vowed to take 'a serious look at the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life'. University president Michael Kotlikoff said in a video message: 'At their best, these organisations can provide students with friendship, belonging, mentorship and a powerful sense of community. But being part of a group can never diminish individual responsibility.' He added that the university would be seeking the input of students and others on how best to 'preserve what is valuable about Greek life while strengthening individual accountability, transparency, and a culture in which every member understands their responsibility to protect the safety and wellbeing of others'. It is understood that all seven accused men deny wrongdoing. NBC has been contacted for comment.
