"Only one more to go, baby"— Michael Che gets candid about his NBC future after Joy Reid and Lester Holt exits

NBCUniversal has been undergoing a major shake-up. Two of its Black anchors, Joy Reid and Lester Holt, have exited. Comedian Michael Che did not let it slide.

Michael Che co-hosts the "Weekend Update" segment of SNL. During last week’s Saturday Night Live episode, he took a pointed jab at his network. Per Variety, he stated on the show,

"This week, MSNBC fired its only non-white primetime host, and Lester Holt announced he is stepping down as the anchor of NBC Nightly News. Well, NBC, only one more to go, baby."

He referred to the exits of Reid and Holt as a photo of himself appeared on the screen. Che’s remark was laced with humor. However, many believe that it also highlighted the reality that NBCUniversal’s primetime lineup has relatively become less diverse now.

Lester Holt was one of the few Black journalists to anchor a major network evening news program, a role he took over in 2015 after the controversial exit of Brian Williams. His presence at the "NBC Nightly News desk" was seen as a significant step toward diversity in mainstream media.

Joy Reid, who hosted The ReidOut on MSNBC, was officially let go as part of a network-wide restructuring. This was accompanied by other programming changes. It included the demotions of Jonathan Capehart, Katie Phang, and Ayman Mohyeldin. They all lost their primetime shows but will remain in lower-profile roles.

Five days ago, on the official Instagram page of The ReidOut, a post was shared. It was captioned,

"TONIGHT: Join Joy Reid for the final edition of #TheReidOut on MSNBC, coming up at 7 pm ET, #reiders."

Fans were quick to gather in the comment section of the post as they shared their thoughts over Joy Reid going up for her last The ReidOut show. Below are what some had to remark:

"These pictures are glorious! Well, done Joy! I just turned off the TV. After watching your show. And I’m frankly feeling upset and emotional. But you are literally joy personified. The entire time you made everybody feel as if the sun was still shining. That’s your superpower, taking care of everyone else. But frankly, I’m sad because I’m upset about this. I’m angry about the world. And I don’t want anything to ever touch the people I love, especially the ones who have put themselves out and had to shoulder the burden. I love you Joy. Thank you gorgeous," expressed an Instagram user.

"Sending love and light, you will be missed.❤️ Ignore the haters and let me know what channel you’ll be on next.😌," shared another.

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More on Michael Che and NBC

Michael Che has been a fixture on SNL’s "Weekend Update" since 2014. He co-anchors with Colin Jost. He made history as the first Black co-anchor of the segment and later became a co-head writer for the show from 2017 to 2022.

Michael Che’s comment comes amid reports that MSNBC is moving toward a more subtle approach to covering political issues, particularly since the 2024 election. Some critics have also speculated that Reid’s outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump may have played a role in her exit, though the network has not confirmed this.

For now, Michael Che remains at SNL, but his joke has led to speculation about his future at NBC.

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