Michael Che is exploring the world beyond Saturday Night Live. Recently he and his Weekend Update co-anchor Colin Jost announced they'd host a new live comedy show for Peacock. And on his own, Che has been workshopping a new late night show, tentatively titled Don't Sleep With Michael Che. Nothing is formalized and there is no network attached, but this could be a signal of what Che's next chapter might look like.
Che has already tested the show format in front of live audiences (LateNighter has a review of the "experimental" affair) and will continue to do so for a while before taking a pitch to networks. "I always think comedy fans select what they want to see, and so, ideally, I’d just do it live for a while and listen to what the response is and find the identity of the show that way and then have something to sell," he shared with The Hollywood Reporter. He joked, "I’m having fun, but it’s like any relationship that’s new, you can’t start talking marriage too soon."
According to THR, Che has discussed the project with his SNL boss Lorne Michaels, who produces both Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers' late night shows. The comedian told the outlet that he has "no idea where this goes, but you never know, maybe NBC will put it on at three in the morning."
Che avoided answering whether SNL's 50th season would be his last in a THR interview earlier this month, but it's hard not to see these extracurriculars as a potential off-ramp from the sketch show. Certainly, SNL has granted more flexibility to pursue outside projects than it did in the past—his 2021 HBO show That Damn Michael Che is proof of that. But since starting as a writer, Che has been part of the series for more than a decade now. His partner in crime has been part of the series for almost 20 years; Jost wrote in his memoir A Very Punchable Face that he was preparing to leave SNL soon, and that was more than four years ago now.
In 2021, it was rumored that Lorne Michaels was trying to convince some of his more tenured cast members to sign a contract staying through the landmark 50th season. It doesn't seem out of the question that Jost and Che may have taken that deal: of course, it would appeal to Michaels to keep his reliable Weekend Update anchors in place through both the presidential election and the anniversary celebrations. But now that the end of both of those events are in sight, Che seems to be planning his final bow.
