Comedian Michael Che has co-hosted Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live since 2014. During the show’s most recent episode on Jan. 28, Che made a joke about fans of Taylor Swift in relation to the January 6 United States Capitol attack from 2021.
Michael Che made a joke about Taylor Swift’s fans on ‘SNL’
Each week, Che and Colin Jost co-host Weekend Update on SNL. The two cast members satirize a news program and discuss current events with jokes. Occasionally, SNL hosts and cast members make appearances on Weekend Update as characters.
On SNL on Jan. 28, Che made a joke about the Senate hearing for Live Nation and Ticketmaster that addressed the rising cost of concert tickets.
“During the Senate hearings investigating Live Nation and the monopoly on concert ticket sales, fans of Taylor Swift protested outside the Capitol,” Che said. “Aww, that’s sweet. And only two years after their dads were there.”
After saying the punchline, an image of the January 6 United States Capitol attack was shown on Weekend Update. The clip from Weekend Update can be viewed below.
A look at Michael Che’s joke about Taylor Swift fans
There are a couple of ways to interpret Che’s joke about Swifties. The first interpretation is the most obvious one, which is that a majority of Swift’s fans come from conservative backgrounds.
The Senate hearing and Che’s joke are both not the first time Swift’s name has been added to the political mix. After not endorsing Hillary Clinton’s presidential run in 2016, Swift became widely associated with the alt-right movement until she voiced her support for Democrats in 2018.
While Swift herself has become more political and made her endorsing Democrats a huge part of her documentary Miss Americana, her fandom has not become known for being diverse.
After Swift called out Netflix for the writing on the platform’s show Ginny & Georgia, some Swift fans took to spamming Ginny & Georgia star Antonia Gentry’s social media with racist comments.
In a 2021 article, MIC accessed that “The typical Taylor Swift fan is unquestionably a straight, cis, white girl — the type of Swiftie that the predominantly white fandom is still most accepting of” and “The conservative sect of Swift’s fan base hasn’t evaporated in the time since the artist has clarified her politics.”
The second way to interpret Che’s joke is that a majority of Swift’s fans are young, with the connotation that most are young women. A joke like this is typically associated with acts like boy bands.
Taylor Swift has appeared on ‘SNL’ before
Swift is known for speaking out against what she deems inappropriate or detrimental to her image, and she has not voiced an opinion on Che’s joke.
Of course, Swift has also appeared on SNL multiple times. She hosted the sketch comedy show in 2009, and she appeared as a musical guest on SNL in 2009, 2017, 2019, and 2021.
In 2021, the singer appeared on SNL to perform her song “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” and she also appeared in the pre-recorded comedy sketch “Three Sad Virgins” with Please Don’t Destroy and Pete Davidson.
