Michael Che and Colin Jost try to tackle diversity in sloppy Emmys monologue

Jost and Che were preceded – and upstaged – by SNL co-stars Kate McKinnon and Kenan Thompson.
 By 
Proma Khosla
 on 
Michael Che and Colin Jost try to tackle diversity in sloppy Emmys monologue
Colin Jost and Michael Che at the Emmys. Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Saturday Night Live "Weekend Update" hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost took their hosting chops to the Emmys, with an opening monologue that referenced #MeToo, racism, and the current political climate.

You know, light stuff!

Their monologue kicked off the 70th Annual Emmy Awards.

Jost and Che were preceded – and upstaged – by SNL co-stars Kate McKinnon and Kenan Thompson singing "We Solved It," a song about how the Emmys solved Hollywood's representation problem.

Che began the monologue by saying it was an honor to share the night with the "many many talented and creative people in Hollywood who haven't been caught yet." Jost added that there was alcohol being served and that the last thing Hollywood needs is people losing their inhibitions at a work function. True.

To commemorate the 70th Emmys, Jost noted that things were different back when they started in 1949; among other things, everyone agreed that Nazis were bad. Also true. In a later segment about shows that were canceled but subsequently picked up elsewhere, the he noted that "Roseanne was canceled by herself but picked up by white nationalists."

Overall, the entire opening had a similar tone: just political enough to make us cringe, and not even really laugh ("The only people that thank Jesus are Republicans and ex-crackheads," Che said. What?).

Perhaps it was the lack of visuals, but Che and Jost lacked the pace and sharpness of their weekly political commentary on "Weekend Update," and the monologue lost momentum built during the opening song.

Luckily, SNL returns Sept. 29.

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Proma Khosla

Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup.

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