Michael Che


Michael Che Campbell is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, where he serves as co-anchor on Weekend Update and co-head writer. Che and Colin Jost were named co-hosts of the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Che was briefly a correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and has previously worked as a writer for Saturday Night Live. At the end of September 2014, he became a Weekend Update co-anchor for the 40th season of Saturday Night Live alongside Colin Jost, replacing Cecily Strong.

Early life

Michael Che Campbell was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, the youngest of seven children of Rose and Nathaniel Campbell. His father, a history buff, named Michael after the revolutionary Che Guevara.
Che was raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

Career

Beginnings and ''Saturday Night Live''

Che started doing stand-up comedy in 2009, regularly working several sets per night. In 2012, Che appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. In 2013, Variety called Che one of "10 Comics to Watch", while Rolling Stone named him one of "The 50 Funniest People."
Che joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2013, at first as a guest writer and soon after as staff writer. On April 28, 2014, it was announced that Che would join The Daily Show in June as a correspondent. Che made his onscreen debut as a Daily Show correspondent on June 4. Although he appeared in only nine segments during his brief tenure on the show, he was lauded by TV Guide for his work. His signature piece for the Daily Show was "Race/Off: Live From Somewhere", a satirical commentary on the 2014 Ferguson protests. In this segment, Che "reported" from various locations, looking for a place where a black man would not be harassed by police officers. The sketch ended with Che floating in outer space.
On September 11, 2014, it was announced that Che would take over Cecily Strong's position as a Weekend Update co-anchor for the 40th season of SNL, co-anchoring the segment with Colin Jost. Che is the first African-American co-anchor in the history of Weekend Update. During his first two seasons, Che primarily hosted Weekend Update and rarely appeared in any sketches. During his third season, Che was promoted to the main cast. In December 2017, Che was named co-head writer of Saturday Night Live.

Other appearances

In 2014, Che appeared in the movie Top Five, appearing as one of Chris Rock's character's friends.
On September 17, 2018, Che co-hosted the Emmy Awards with Colin Jost. Che and Jost also appeared on the March 4, 2019, episode of WWE's Monday Night Raw, where both were announced as special correspondents for WrestleMania 35. The pair got involved in a storyline with wrestler Braun Strowman, which eventually resulted in Che and Jost becoming participants in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania..

Controversies

In the run-up to Super Bowl LI, Che called Boston "the most racist city" he has visited and refused to apologize. Che is also known for feuding with critics and fellow comedians, including Steven Hyden and Jack Allison.

Filmography

Film

YearFilmRoleNotes
2013Chinese PuzzleUn passant
2014LyleThrees
2014Top FivePaul

Television

YearSeriesRoleNotes
2012John Oliver's New York Stand-Up ShowHimselfEpisode: "3.5"
2013–presentSaturday Night LiveHimself, VariousAlso head writer
2014Comedy Central Stand-Up PresentsHimselfStand-up special
2014The Daily ShowHimself9 episodes
2016Michael Che MattersHimselfStand-up special
2017Saturday Night Live Weekend Update ThursdayHimself3 episodes; also head writer
201870th Primetime Emmy AwardsHimself TV special
2019WWE RawHimselfSpecial guest
2019WrestleMania 35HimselfSpecial guest

Awards and honors