Comedian Jeff Ross spoke in defense of Michael Che after the reaction he received for a joke on “Saturday Night Live” that many critics have called anti-Semitic.
“Uh, it was hilarious,” Ross recently told TMZ on camera while walking through Los Angeles. “I wrote to him and told him. As his Jewish friend I thought he was hilarious. People need to have a tough skin. This is a tough world out there.”
Ross, 55, told the outlet that he felt no need to warn Che about his upcoming jokes for this weekend’s show because “there is no one funnier.” He also rejected the idea that Che, 37, should be more careful in the future.
“He just needs to be a comedian. Listen, we’ve been locked up for a year. Comedy right now is an essential business. If we don’t laugh or cry, everyone will be depressed now – suicide, divorce, it’s all the way – comedy is medicine. you want your medicine diluted, either? You want our potent medicine. Do you know what I’m saying? “
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Michael Che faced reaction this week for making a joke on ‘SNL’ that critics called ‘anti-Semitic’.
(Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images)
In his comments, Ross appears to cancel the culture, which has become a hot topic of debate in recent years, especially in the comedy industry, as several comedians missed their shows because of unearthed social media posts and previous jokes.
“Israel is reporting that it vaccinated half of its population. I imagine it is half Jewish,” said Che on NBC’s longtime program.
“Oh, it was just a joke,” continued Ross, supporting Che. “Shouldn’t we make jokes about Israel? We should be able to make jokes about everything.”
ADL told Fox News in a statement late on Monday that, although the segment is “known for strong criticism and public downturns”, Che’s joke “not only missed the mark, but crossed the line – basing the premise of the joke on inaccurate facts and playing on an anti-Semitic trope in the process. “
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The group went even further in saying that it has been monitoring “Weekend Update” this season and said that the segment has “misuse”[d] Jews like the joke “several times.
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The statement drew attention on social media, causing an uproar among viewers and sparked a petition from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for NBC to “retract its outrageous complaint and apologize immediately”.
Jeff Ross stated that the comedy should not be diluted. The comedian argued that jokes are needed especially during this period due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
(Jerod Harris / Getty Images for Comedy Central)
The organization called the joke “categorically false” and a “modern and dangerous touch on a classic anti-Semitic trope that has inspired the mass murder of countless Jews over the centuries”.
The petition continued: “Words have consequences and Jews are at risk when a large American TV company joins those who claim that Israel is favoring only a portion of its citizens in their admirable efforts, praised by Dr. Anthony Fauci and others , to vaccinate all its residents. “
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NBC told Fox News on Monday it “has no comment at the moment”. A Che representative did not return requests for comment from Fox News.
Ross this week also mentioned the viral news that Hasbro has decided to rename the Mr. Potato Head toy line as gender neutral.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Ross mused. “Why should it be Mr. Potato Head or Mrs. Potato Head. It should be just Potato Head. It doesn’t make it any different for me.”
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The comedian then laughed: “Yes, but this way any child, no matter what gender they choose, can grow up and say, ‘Hey, one day I can grow up to be a potato.'”
He added that he thinks the sale will be “huge because nobody thought about a potato head for a long time”.