'SNL' Weekend Update riffs on Tucker Carlson, the Oscars, and more

"Bitter rivals who have been desperately pandering for votes and trying to force their politics on America will finally face off in person. I'm of course talking about the Oscars."
 By 
Chance Townsend
 on 
Weekend Update host Colin Jost next to an overhead picture of Tucker Carlson
Watch Next

The week's biggest and sometimes depressing news makes for some great comedy as Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost riffed on the headlines from this past week.

The start of the segment focused on the Oscars, where the Academy is doing everything in its power to avoid a repeat of that incident from last year.

"Organizers of the Oscars said they are changing the color of the arrival carpet from red to champagne so that the mood would be more mellow," Jost states. "But I don't know, switching from red to champagne usually turns me into a full-on bitch."

Che then tackles the next segment on President Biden's billionaire bill, excited that the pop-star Rihanna will finally pay her fair share, "HA take that," Che jokes, to the confusion of the studio audience and himself. He continues that Biden proposed budget would spend money to counter Chinese disinformation.

"It will target the #1 source of Chinese disinformation: fortune cookies."

The biggest laughs of the night came as both hosts covered Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who spent the past week trying to frame the Jan. 6 insurrection as a "peaceful gathering."

"Tucker Carlson seen here laughing at a dog locked in a hot car," Jost quips referring to the over-the-shoulder image of Carlson. "Released security from the January 6th attacks with the violence edited out and said it proves it was a peaceful gathering. Which is like editing out all the sex from a porn video and saying it's a short film about being a stepmom."

Topics SNL

Headshot of a Black man
Chance Townsend
Assistant Editor, General Assignments

Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.

In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].


Latest Videos

Stephen Colbert reacts to the Artemis II moon mission
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, gesturing.


'The Daily Show' reacts to judge halting Trump's White House ballroom
Desi Lydic presents "The Daily Show" beside an image of Donald Trump.


A24's 'Mother Mary' trailer is worth it for the FKA twigs track
Anne Hathway is dressed in a red pop star outfit with religious overtones in a film still from "Mother Mary."

Jon Stewart has a brutal reaction to Trump waffling about pens
A man in a suit sitting behind a talk show desk looks angry. In the top left is an image of the president holding up a pen.

Stephen Colbert gleefully recaps the best signs at the 'No Kings' protest
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, smiling. The caption at the bottom reads, "I like that one."

Riz Ahmed is troublingly intense in new 'SNL UK' promo
A close-up of a man grinning in a slightly creepy way.


The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!