Although Colin Jost is no stranger to one-man comedy, most Americans recognize him best as a member of a duo. He is famous for being the live co-anchor of “Weekend Update” on Saturday Night Live, working alongside the much more raunchy and dangerous Michael Che. How would Jost cope alone? It turns out the answer is completely correct. His roast at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner was nowhere near as brutal as Stephen Colbert’s famous WHCD roast in 2006, but it was certainly entertaining.
Predictably, Jost focused a lot on speculation that President Joe Biden might be too old to run for office, beginning his speech with: “I have to admit, it’s not easy to following President Biden… I mean, it’s not always easy following President Biden. what he says.
The comedian also referenced Biden’s viral stumbles on the steps of Air Force One and made light of accusations that Biden was high on amphetamines during his recent energetic State of the Union address. “Last time I was in Washington, I left my cocaine at the White House,” Jost said, in what initially appeared to be a joke about Jost’s Republican behavior, before adding: “Luckily , the president was able to put it to good use for his State of the Union, just kidding, of course, the president doesn’t call it cocaine, he calls it bullet train.
Lest anyone think he was Also tough on Biden, Jost was, however, quick to point out the double standard in the way the ages of the two presidential candidates are presented in the media. “I want to point out that it’s after 10 p.m. Sleepy Joe is still awake, while Donald Trump has spent the last week falling asleep in court every morning.” Jost later added: “I’m not saying both candidates are old, but you know Jimmy Carter thinks, “Maybe I could win this thing.” »
Jost’s most impactful jokes were about Biden’s poll numbers, as he expressed frustration and disbelief over how the race was still so close. “The Republican presidential candidate owes half a billion in fines for bank fraud and is currently spending his days farting during a porn star’s hush money trial, and the race is related?”
In a much cruder joke, Jost told the audience, “My ‘Weekend Update’ co-anchor, Michael Che, was going to join me here tonight, but in solidarity with President Biden, I have decided to lose all my black support. The line received some applause (and lots of groans) from the audience, so Jost added, “Che told me to say that, and I just realize I was tricked.”
SNL’s Michael Che Makes Brutal Joke About Colin Jost
Jost also ridiculed a number of major newspapers in his speech, explaining how he had “forgotten” that the New York Times “do things besides puzzles.” He reminded the audience that Fox News CEO Rupert Murdoch recently resigned, adding: “The strange thing is, I didn’t think there was a resignation from Fox News.” » He thought about how AI could replace most journalists in the audience and how puzzles like Wordle were the only things keeping many newspapers afloat.
One of his darkest jokes, one that truly seemed to venture into dangerous territory, briefly touched on recent university protests surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “The Correspondents Association offers scholarships to promising young journalism students, who might one day be sent to cover dangerous geopolitical hotspots like Columbia University,” he joked, to a low laugh.
His later joke, which took advantage of the recent death of OJ Simpson, was much better received by the public. “Obama had Bin Laden. You have JO,” he told Biden. “And by the way, now that OJ is dead, who is the new front-runner for Trump’s VP job? Is it Diddy?
Protesters confront guests at White House Correspondents’ Dinner: ‘Shame on you!’ »
Some of this may have seemed in poor taste, but fortunately for Jost, the first comedian to perform at the dinner was Matt Friend, an up-and-coming stand-up comedian who let loose with a rapid-fire collection of punchlines at shock value, most of which failed badly. “I’m on fire right now, like the guy in front of the courthouse,” he said. joked in a Trump impression, next to spectators who seemed to be taken hostage. “I’m killing this dinner harder than Kristi Noem kills puppies.”
Jost’s roast seemed downright wholesome in comparison, especially when he ended it with a touching tribute to his late grandfather William Kelly. He described him as a “Staten Island firefighter” and a pillar of his community. “He voted for you,” Jost told Biden, “and the reason he voted for you is because you’re an honest man.” My grandfather voted for decency, and decency is why we are all here tonight.
President Biden covered many of the same points when he took the stage, careful to address concerns about his age and make it a weak point against his opponent. “Yes, age is an issue: I’m an adult going up against a 6-year-old,” he said to laughter and applause. “I feel really good. I’m campaigning across the country. Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina. I have always done well in the original 13 colonies.
Biden gave a nod to the evolution of his public persona over the course of his career, noting that SNL cast eight different actors, an almost unprecedented number, to play him over the course of the series. “And who says I’m not a real job creator?”
The president also responded to criticism that he was too distant with the press. He called The New York Times for their recent statement accusing him of “actively and effectively avoiding questions from independent journalists”, responding “Hey, if that’s what it takes to get the New York Times to say that I am active and efficient, I am for it.
His main goal, much like Jost’s, was to highlight how much worse candidate Donald Trump is and that the election should not be as close as current polls indicate. “(Trump) said he wanted to be a dictator from day one and more. He tells his followers that he is their vengeance and their punishment. When in God’s name have you ever heard another president say something like that?
Biden ended his thoughts on the election with a somber plea: “We have to take this seriously. Eight years ago this might have been considered just a Trump speech, but not anymore, not after January 6th. I am sincerely not asking you to take sides, but I am asking you to live up to the seriousness of the moment. »
SNL’s Colin Jost spent 10 years torturing himself for our amusement
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