Michael Che to Become First Ever Black Anchor of SNL's Weekend Update

Micheal Che, a comedian and Daily Show contributor, is set to become the first black anchor of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment in the show’s history.

According to Bill Carter at The New York Times, Che is taking over for Cecily Strong, who will stay with the show as a cast member. He joins Colin Jost, Strong’s current co-host at the Weekend Update desk.

“Michael is a strong writer, and he’s really funny,” Lorne Michaels told the Times. “It’s always difficult to make changes and make ‘Update’ different from what’s gone before.”

Michaels said the change is about a “new era, what feels appropriate for now.” This is also the first time in the shows history when Weekend Update will feature two men instead of a woman and a man.

This is the latest in a series of changes to the long-running NBC show, according to the Huffington Post:

After a season with the largest SNL cast in history, the show announced several changes over the summer. Featured players John Milhiser, Brooks Wheelan and Noël Wells were let go, and Nasim Pedrad is leaving to co-star in the eagerly anticipated “Mulaney.”

Several new writers have been announced, including Natasha Rothwell (who was one of 11 women who auditioned last season for the featured player spot that ultimately went to Sasheer Zamata), Streeter Seidell from College Humor, Nick Rutherford (the only member of sketch group Good Neighbor not hired by SNL last year), UCB LA’s Alison Rich and The PIT’s Jeremy Beiler.