SNL's 'Geno-Cide' Joke About Israel Highlights Questions Over US and UK Shows' Gaza Coverage

A single punchline on American television has reopened an argument about how far mainstream comedy is willing to go when addressing the war in Gaza. During Saturday Night Live's Halloween broadcast on 31 October, Michael Che turned Israel's recent election into a joke about genocide, prompting a startled reaction from fellow Weekend Update presenter Colin Jost.

The exchange has drawn criticism from pro-Israel campaigners and renewed comparisons between the American programme and its British counterpart. It has also reignited discussion about how television satire handles one of the world's most divisive ongoing conflicts and whether allegations of genocide should be used as material for comedy.

What Was SNL's 'Geno-Cide' Joke About Israel?

Che began by referring to the unusually high turnout in Israel's 27 October parliamentary election before joking that voters could be on the 'right side, or the left side, or the genocide'. The punchline played on the similar sounds of 'side' and the ending of 'genocide'. Jost appeared open-mouthed as the camera cut towards him, and the programme quickly moved to other political jokes.

Israel's Central Elections Committee reported a turnout of approximately 77.9%, the highest in decades. Final results gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc 53 seats, the main opposition 48 and Arab-led parties 19. None secured the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.

The Gaza war was part of the election debate, making Che's reference immediately recognisable. His remark also touched on an accusation that has divided governments, human rights organisations and audiences.

In October, a United Nations independent commission of inquiry reiterated its finding that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Israel has rejected the commission's conclusions and denies committing genocide. Its findings are separate from any final judicial ruling.

Why Michael Che's Israel Joke Drew Criticism

The Campaign Against Antisemitism criticised the sketch, telling Fox News that it treated what the organisation considers a baseless genocide allegation as an accepted premise. Pro-Israel group StandWithUs also condemned Che's remarks.

Other viewers praised the joke as pointed political satire, while some questioned why the American programme had taken so long to address the issue so directly. Che previously faced criticism in February 2021 after joking about Israel's coronavirus vaccination campaign and suggesting its Jewish population had received preferential treatment.

The Anti-Defamation League said that earlier remark relied on factual inaccuracies and an antisemitic trope. There was no publicly reported apology from Che or NBC over the latest joke as of 2 November.

How SNL UK Has Covered Israel and Gaza

The reaction has also revived discussion of the different approaches taken by Saturday Night Live in the United States and Saturday Night Live UK, which returned to Sky in September for its second series.

Writing in Variety, a television commentator argued that the British Weekend Update had been more willing to satirise discussion surrounding Israel's war in Gaza, including jokes involving musicians Ed Sheeran and Macklemore.

The comparison is an assessment of editorial tone rather than evidence that either programme follows a formal policy restricting particular subjects. The American edition has addressed the conflict before, including through a serious opening monologue by Pete Davidson in 2023.

Both programmes use topical comedy, but Che's brief line has become a focal point for disagreement over whether a genocide allegation belongs in a punchline and how television satire should handle the conflict.