For countless seasons, Saturday Night Live co-hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che have embraced a unique holiday tradition on their segment, Weekend Update: crafting shockingly bold jokes for each other to present on air.

During the festive episode on December 20, 2025, which featured Ariana Grande as the host and Cher as the musical performer, Che executed a clever trick. He assured Jost that their usual joke exchange was off the table, only to secretly concoct his own set of jabs. This led to Jost delivering every single one, much to Che’s amusement and the audience’s roaring laughter.

Che spared no mercy. A year after making Jost read biting jokes about his wife, Scarlett Johansson, Che was ready for another round.

Jost hesitantly read, “Critics claim the new series of coins from the U.S. Mint, which honor significant moments in American history, overlook civil rights. But how about the coin that commemorates where Black people actually originated — ships.” Che erupted in laughter as Jost winced at the punchline.

Undeterred, Jost continued, “The New York archdiocese plans to establish a fund for victims of church sexual abuse. Meanwhile, I get nothing for keeping quiet and enduring it like a champ?” The audience reacted with a mix of shock and laughter, while Che jokingly suggested that Jost should have also prepared some jokes for him.

Then came a joke referencing Johansson: “New research shows that millions of women leave the workforce due to menopause. Which means there’s only a couple years left on my gravy train,” Jost said, as a photo of Johansson flashed on screen. “My girl already be like, ‘Colin, I’m warm. Colin, I’m sweating.’ Bitch, you having a hot flash.”

Jost wrapped up with a wink to fans of Netflix’s Wednesday: “But don’t worry about me, I got a backup. They don’t call Wednesday hump day for nothing,” as a photo of Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams appeared on screen.

The bit has become a fan-favorite SNL holiday tradition, and this year’s twist — Che ambushing Jost while pretending the swap was off — generated buzz online, with viewers calling it “hilarious” and praising the callbacks to previous joke swaps.

Beyond the joke swap, the episode also tackled other topical Weekend Update moments, from political commentary to celebrity news, rounding out a star-studded finale for 2025.