SNL‘s Micheal Che made a dig at his own network after MSNBC star Joy Reid’s show was cancelled, joking that his status as a black anchor meant he’d be fired next.

‘This week, MSNBC fired its only non-white primetime host,’ Che said, in reference to Reid’s firing. ‘And Lester Holt announced he is stepping down as the anchor of NBC Nightly News.’

A picture of Che hosting the Weekend Update flashed on screen and he joked: ‘Well, NBC, only one more to go, baby!’ Saturday Night Live is broadcast by NBC.

Reid, who previously filled the 7pm slot with The ReidOut, became a prominent weekday host in 2020.

Three other non-white hosts were also demoted by MSNBC. Jonathan Capehart, Katie Phang and Ayman Mohyeldin all lost primetime shows, but will remain with the network in less prestigious timeslots.

Holt is remaining as host of Dateline, but the timing of his announcement coupled with the MSNBC drama has raised uncomfortable questions for executives about the departure of non-white talent.

Status News reported that Reid’s constant progressive, anti-Trump rants unsettled MSNBC bosses. They want the network to remain liberal during the second Trump administration, but in a more subtle way.

As the first and only Black Weekend Update Host, Che, following Holt’s departure and Reid’s firing, is now one of the few non-white anchors left at NBC.

Che was not the only one bashing the network for the controversial move, as longtime MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said that it was a ‘bad mistake.’ 

SNL's Michael Che took aim at NBCUniversal news group, who screens SNL, over the firing of two prominent non-white news anchors and even wondered if he might be the next to go while he hosted the comedy show's Weekend Update
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SNL’s Michael Che took aim at NBCUniversal news group, who screens SNL, over the firing of two prominent non-white news anchors and even wondered if he might be the next to go while he hosted the comedy show’s Weekend Update

Joy Reid hosted The ReidOut on MSNBC and became a prominent weekday host. Her show was cancelled on Monday coupled with the news she wouldn't be taking a position elsewhere in the network
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Joy Reid hosted The ReidOut on MSNBC and became a prominent weekday host. Her show was cancelled on Monday coupled with the news she wouldn’t be taking a position elsewhere in the network

A picture of Che hosting the Weekend Update flashed on screen and he joked: 'Well, NBC, only one more to go, baby!'
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A picture of Che hosting the Weekend Update flashed on screen and he joked: ‘Well, NBC, only one more to go, baby!’

Maddow expressed her affection and admiration for her former co-host as the show came to an official end on Monday.

‘Joy Reid’s show, ‘The ReidOut,’ ended tonight. And Joy is not taking a different job in the network. She is leaving the network altogether and that is very, very, very hard to take,’ Maddow told the outlet.

She furthered that she had ‘learned so much from her’ and loved ‘everything about her.’

‘I do not want to lose her as a colleague here at MSNBC, and personally, I think it is a bad mistake to let her walk out the door,’ she added.

Maddow described the slashing of two non-white hosts in primetime as ‘indefensible’ and noted that anchor Katie Phang will also be losing her weekend time slot as MSNBC closes its Miami operation.

She divulged that the staffing changes were among some of the ‘most experience’ and ‘most talented.’

Maddow has been lashed as a greedy hypocrite by some critics. They say the host – MSNBC’s top star – should resign in solidarity if she’s really that outraged by the firings and demotions.

Maddow earns $25 million a year from her show, which she usually hosts just one night a week.

Che and Maddow’s criticism of NBCUniversal News Group, which screens SNL and MSNBC, comes as Trump himself slammed the network’s parent company Comcast’s chairman-CEO Brian Roberts.

Trump labelled Roberts a ‘lowlife’ and ‘mentally obnoxious racist’ who ‘should have been “canned” long ago.’

Maddow described the slashing of two non-white hosts in primetime as 'indefensible' and said Reid's firing was a 'bad mistake'
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Maddow described the slashing of two non-white hosts in primetime as ‘indefensible’ and said Reid’s firing was a ‘bad mistake’

Trump was also a target on SNL last night during a skit about his Oval Office showdown with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky
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Trump was also a target on SNL last night during a skit about his Oval Office showdown with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky

‘This whole corrupt operation [of MSNBC] is nothing more than an illegal arm of the Democrat party,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.

‘They should be forced to pay vast sums of money for the damage they’ve done to our Country. Fake News is an UNPARDONABLE SIN!’

Trump was also a target on SNL last night during a skit about his Oval Office showdown with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Che’s co-host Jost asked ‘let’s see how it went,’ referring to the peace talks televised from the White House on Friday.

A quick clip rolled of Trump yelling at Zelensky for not surrendering to Russia, which Jost sarcastically summed up as, ‘Pretty good.’