Michael Che's Simone Biles Joke Is Causing A Stir
Comedian Michael Che is facing backlash for posting jokes made about Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. The four-time gold medalist was the frontrunner for the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics but recently withdrew from the gymnastics finals due to concerns about her mental health.
In a now-deleted Instagram story, Che wrote (via Variety), "[M]an, [I] wanna make fun of simone biles." He then added, "[I] got like 3 mins of [S]imone [B]iles jokes in my head. [I]m going to the cellar tonight to say them into a microphone. as the dorky kids say, [I']m choosing violence." He then appeared to cross the line when he reposted jokes from fans, which he rated out of 10. One repost was about Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor who sexually abused Biles and several other athletes, while the other was called out for being racist.
The Twitter account Baller Alert took screenshots of Che's insensitive jokes and fan reposts before he deleted them off his Instagram. He later claimed that he was hacked in another somewhat sarcastic Instagram story. He wrote, "Mannnnn, [I] got hacked today. Can't believe they got me. Yall know [I] only do jokes about whites and cops. S'all good now [I] changed my password and everything.." Che then referenced rapper DaBaby's recent homophobic comments, adding, "Yall hear about dababy tho..? that's crazy. iight see yall at church. Imma get there early." It's clear Biles' supporters aren't taking Che's jokes lightly nor believing that he was actually hacked.
There are calls for Che to be fired
"Saturday Night Live" star Michael Che is under fire after reposting jokes about Olympic gymnast Simone Biles that poked fun at her mental health and her sexual assault by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. It's clear people were outraged and took to Twitter to blast Che, with some even calling for him to be fired from NBC and HBO.
One tweeted, "Larry Nassar sexually assaulted over 300 gymnasts including Simone Biles. Jokes about this immense violence are never okay. @hbomax @nbcsnl why is Michael Che still on your roster?" Another person wrote, "Hey @nbcsnl, when are you dropping Michael Che? The 'jokes' about Simone were vile and obscene," while someone else commented (sarcastically), "Hey @nbcsnl it's so cool to see you guys sit by and let #michaelche make fun of Simone Biles. The jokes about her sexual abuse and trauma are top notch. Done watching SNL until you take care of this."
Others didn't believe Che's response that he was "hacked." One person tweeted, "the whole "my account was hacked and that's why I made fun of Simone Biles and sexual assault" story smells like yesterday's diapers." While another called Che out by writing, "Not Michael Che using the same IG font as his "hacker." The comedian has yet to respond to the backlash but his Instagram account has since been wiped of all posts. It's clear many aren't seeing Che's comments as just jokes.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).