Michael Che Has Been Thinking About Leaving SNL 'For the Past Five Seasons'

Could next Saturday be Michael Che's final episode on Saturday Night Live? In a New York Times profile published Friday, Che teased a possible departure from SNL, revealing, "My head has been at leaving for five seasons."

Che's purposely enigmatic remark isn't anything new. The "Weekend Update" host has been talking about leaving SNL for some time, and in March, the Minneapolis Star Tribute quoted him as saying, "This is my last year." Che later walked back the statement on Instagram and dismissed it as a joke.

“Who doesn’t say they’re going to quit their job when they’re at their other job?” Che told the Times' Dave Itzkoff. “I’m sure Biden says that twice a week.”

Still, he was clear that he's been considering leaving SNL “for the past five seasons.” Che continued, “I do think that I’ve been here longer than I’ll be here. This show is built for younger voices and, at some point, there’ll be something more exciting to watch at the halfway mark of the show than me and dumb Jost.”

For his part, SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels hopes to keep Che for Season 48 and beyond. “If I had my way, he’ll be here. And I don’t always get my way,” he said. “But when you have someone who’s the real thing, you want to hold on as long as you can.”

Che was hired as an SNL guest writer in 2013, before joining Colin Jost on the "Weekend Update" desk in 2014. He is the first Black person to become a head writer and the first to be an anchor on "Weekend Update."

Saturday Night Live Season 47 concludes Saturday, May 21 on NBC. 

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Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.