If you can believe it, Michael Che and Colin Jost have been at Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update desk for over a decade now, well surpassing the likes of Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s time on the segment. I don’t see the pair of SNL anchors moving on anytime soon either, as there are currently no signs that they won't keep hosting the news segment on the 2025 TV schedule this fall. But one fellow cast member of the show just pitched a solid replacement I kind of want to see now.
The Current SNL Star Who Pitched Himself For SNL's Weekend Update
Bowen Yang has had a consistently hilarious run as a cast member on SNL since his on-air debut in 2019. And, he also has one of the most popular podcasts hosted by Hollywood stars with his friend Matt Rogers called Las Culturistas. When Yang and Rogers were on Hot Ones Versus to promote their Bravo award show, The Las Culturistas Culture Awards, airing this Tuesday on Bravo and streaming the next day on Peacock, he ended up making a great pitch about SNL.
While being threatened with eating a very spicy chicken wing if he chose not to answer the question, Yang was asked to pick a current cast member on SNL whom he would be OK with seeing leave so that Rogers could be part of the show. Here’s what he had to say to Rogers:
I’m gonna give Che and Colin the chop so that you and I can do Update together.
What you might not know is Rogers actually auditioned for SNL back in the day, but wasn’t chosen to be part of the cast. Now, Yang and Rogers do a lot of funny bits without needing to be on the NBC sketch show together. However, Yang’s pitch definitely piqued his comedic partner’s interest. As Rogers added:
I think we’d be great at Update. I think we’d give a 'new fresh take.'
I truly haven’t thought about Che and Jost leaving SNL, given their ongoing bits are so successful, but hey, this isn’t a bad pitch for a replacement. Let’s talk about it...
Bowen Yang And Matt Rogers Would Actually Be Solid Weekend Update Replacements
When it comes to a successful Weekend Update, it’s all about the chemistry and dynamic between the two hosts (when there have been two of them) for me. Bowen Yang has certainly established himself as a favorite on SNL, especially for all the characters he does, but perhaps if he wanted to take another role on after quite a few years on the show, I think this could be a fun change of pace for him.
I listen to Las Culturalistas all the time, and he and Matt Rogers have that je ne sais quoi that would continue to make Weekend Update compelling. And I agree with Rogers, they would also bring a “fresh” version of it and make it their own.
That being said, I wonder how long Bowen Yang will remain on SNL, given what his career has become in the last few years. He’s in Wicked for goodness sake! If anything, this whole conversation definitely makes me want to see Matt Rogers join upcoming SNL hosts (or as a special guest) so they can do their take on Weekend Update.
