Whenever a former Weekend Update anchor host Saturday night livethere is an expectation that they can take off their church clothes and appear behind the table to read some jokes. As such, it wasn’t a surprise to see Amy Poehler join Colin Jost and Michael Che this week, but it certainly was a surprise to see several other former Weekend Update anchors join her for a romp.
That’s right. This week featured a good old-fashioned joke between Jost, Che, Poehler and special guests Tina Fey and Seth Meyers. Both Fey and Meyers, of course, were co-anchors alongside Poehler at various points during her tenure; So the cameos made a lot of sense, even if they were unexpected.
The setting for the joke was a woman in Tennessee breaking a hospital record by having a thirty-pound baby, and to no one’s surprise, her enormous child proved to be a good subject for many quick jokes. You watch all the current and former anchors in action below…
Together, these five are in the top six in total Weekend Update anchoring or co-anchoring episodes. Jost is first with 226 episodes, followed by Che with 219 episodes, followed by Meyers with 154 episodes, followed by Fey with 118 episodes, followed by Poehler with 80 episodes. Only Dennis Miller ranks higher with 111 episodes, though I suppose we should give Jimmy Fallon a shoutout too, since he’s tied with Poehler’s 80 episodes.
In addition to being a bit of fun, this Weekend Update segment is also a good reminder of how similar, yet different, the segment can be under different anchors. The basic concept of reading the news like a traditional anchor and telling jokes about it has never changed since Chevy Chase launched the segment in the 1970s, but the tone, subject matter and delivery can change a lot with each anchor’s sensibilities.
This current version of Weekend Update represented the longest period of stability in the history of the long-running segment. Jost and Che have shared roles for more than ten consecutive seasons, which has never happened before. However, exactly how long this stability will last is an open question. Rumors surfaced near the end of last season that Jost might leave over the summer, and there were similar rumors about Che as well. The two are no longer the show’s main writers and have plenty of opportunities for each other. SNLmany fans thought they would leave.
Fortunately, they didn’t. They are back for another season. At some point, however, they will move on from Studio 8H, and it will be fascinating to see whether showrunner Lorne Michaels and company choose someone currently in the cast or bring in someone new. Either way, they’ll evolve the segment to their own tastes and we’ll have a new and exciting take on the old classic to watch.
The rest of Poehler’s episode was, of course, great. I recommend playing the whole thing on Peacock or through your DVR and checking it out. The show will return next week with an all-new episode featuring guest host Sabrina Carpenter, who will most likely not be reading the news on Weekend Update.
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