“Saturday Night Live” writer and star Michael Che has drawn criticism for comments he posted on Instagram regarding street harassment and the viral iHollaback video of a woman being harassed in New York City. The comedy writer seemed to offer a sarcastic dismissal of the video.
“i wanna apologize to all the women that ive harassed with statements like ‘hi’ or ‘have a nice day’ or ‘you’re beautiful.’ i cant image what that must feel like,” he wrote in the Instagram post, which has since been deleted.
The “Weekend Update Host” also likened street harassment to his experiences as a celebrity.
“the closest thing I’ve experienced is maybe when a girl recognizes me from tv and they say things like “AHHHH!! OH MY GOD!! SNL SNL SNL!! TAKE A PICTURE!! TAKE A PICTURE!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! WHATS YOUR NAME AGAIN?! THANK YOU!! WAIT SAY SOMETHING FUNNY!!'” Che wrote. “but even that is nothing like the harassment of having a complete stranger tell me to ‘smile.’ ”
The 31-year old later tweeted about the backlash he received for the Instagram post.
“i think some of u are misunderstanding that post,” he tweeted. “im simply just making fun of something that is important to a lot of people.”
“i just read my Instgram,” he later added. “I am DISGUSTED.”
He also offered another sarcastic non-apology.
“i wanna apologize for my last apology. sometimes i forget that i belong to all of you now, and that any thought i have should be filtered through you, and recieve ur approval. its tough, because im used to taking risks and finding humor in places of discomfort. but thats all over, cause i have a job on tv, and if i say the wrong thing you’ll see to it that its taken away. so the next time i have a silly thought, ill giggle to myself, keep my mouth shut, & post a picture with my arm around a more famous person i met somewhere.”
Editor’s note: The Instagram posts in this story were not edited.
