Editing Weekend Update (section)

==History==
===''Weekend Update'' (1975–1981)===

====Chevy Chase (1975–1976)====
''Weekend Update'' was created by original anchor [[Chevy Chase]] and ''SNL'' writers [[Herb Sargent]] and [[Al Franken]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Douglas|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/07/arts/television/07sargent.html|title=Herb Sargent, TV Writer, Is Dead at 81|date=May 7, 2005|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=September 30, 2012}}</ref> The sketch appeared on the first ''SNL'' broadcast on October 11, 1975 as the weekly "Update" to NBC News' monthly news magazine "[[Weekend (1974 TV program)|''Weekend'']]", hence "''Weekend Update''". Chase popularized several [[catchphrase]]s during the segment, such as his "I'm Chevy Chase... and you're not" greeting; and his repeated announcement that "[[Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead]]". ''Weekend Update'' segments frequently opened with Chase having an intimate conversation with someone on the phone, unaware he was "on the air." Chase ended ''Weekend Update'' with what became its signature catchphrase: "That's the news...good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow."

In addition, [[Garrett Morris]] parodied the practice of a picture insert of a person delivering the news in sign language for the hearing impaired. Chase would announce, "...and now, I shall repeat the top news story, assisted by the President of the Society for The Hard of Hearing." Chase would then repeat the story while Morris simply cupped his mouth and yelled the headline.

====Jane Curtin (1976–1980)====
[[Jane Curtin]] substituted for Chase during [[SNL: Season 2|Season 2]] for a few shows due to Chase's injury. Subsequently, she replaced him when he left in the fall of 1976. Curtin stayed as anchor until the end of Season 5 in 1980. She finished Season 2 solo but was then paired with co-anchors [[Dan Aykroyd]] (1977–1978) and [[Bill Murray]] (1978–1980), with Aykroyd being "promoted" to "Station Manager" in September 1978.

A frequent feature of ''Weekend Update'' during this time was "Point/Counterpoint", a send-up of the then-current [[60 Minutes#"Point/Counterpoint" segment|''60 Minutes'' segment of the same name]] with [[James J. Kilpatrick]] and [[Shana Alexander]]. ''SNL'''s version featured Curtin and Aykroyd as debaters, with each making [[ad hominem|personal attacks]] on the other and their positions; a common pattern had Aykroyd announcing the topic, followed by Curtin making an opening statement, with Aykroyd retorting "Jane, you ignorant slut" and Curtin replying "Dan, you pompous ass".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/point-counterpoint-lee-marvin-and-michelle-triola/2846665|title=Watch Saturday Night Live Highlight: Point Counterpoint: Lee Marvin and Michelle Triola - NBC.com|date=March 17, 1979|via=www.nbc.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77oupdate.phtml |title=SNL Transcripts: Christopher Lee: 03/25/78: Weekend Update with Jane Curtin & Dan Aykroyd |access-date=February 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219090708/http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77oupdate.phtml |archive-date=February 19, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77rupdate.phtml |title=SNL Transcripts: Steve Martin: 04/22/78: Weekend Update with Jane Curtin & Dan Aykroyd |access-date=February 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801154123/http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77rupdate.phtml |archive-date=August 1, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/78/78aupdate.phtml |title=SNL Transcripts: The Rolling Stones: 10/07/78: Weekend Update with Jane Curtin & Bill Murray |access-date=February 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731112439/http://snltranscripts.jt.org/78/78aupdate.phtml |archive-date=July 31, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/78/78eupdate.phtml |title=SNL Transcripts: Buck Henry: 11/11/78: Weekend Update with Jane Curtin & Bill Murray |access-date=February 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804211247/http://snltranscripts.jt.org/78/78eupdate.phtml |archive-date=August 4, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/78/78iupdate.phtml |title=SNL Transcripts: Elliot Gould: 12/16/78: Weekend Update with Jane Curtin & Bill Murray |access-date=February 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110231618/http://snltranscripts.jt.org/78/78iupdate.phtml |archive-date=November 10, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/78/78oupdate.phtml |title=SNL Transcripts: Margot Kidder: 03/17/79: Weekend Update with Jane Curtin & Bill Murray |access-date=February 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012121546/http://snltranscripts.jt.org/78/78oupdate.phtml |archive-date=October 12, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-lists/50-greatest-saturday-night-live-sketches-of-all-time-12735/|title=50 Greatest 'SNL' Sketches of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=February 3, 2014}}</ref>

Other popular guests during Curtin's tenure as anchor included [[John Belushi]] and [[Gilda Radner]]'s characters [[Emily Litella]] and [[Roseanne Roseannadanna]]. During Curtin's tenure as host, she opened each ''Weekend Update'' segment with [[Roger Grimsby]]'s "Here now, the news" sign-on, and closed with Chase's "That's the news. Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow".

====Charles Rocket (1980–1981)====
[[Charles Rocket]] (later teamed with [[Gail Matthius]]) anchored during the one-season [[Saturday Night Live (season 6)|(1980–1981)]] tenure of new executive producer [[Jean Doumanian]]. Rocket is notable as being the only ''Weekend Update'' anchor to have experience as a real news anchor, having served as anchorman at [[KOAA-TV]] in [[Pueblo, Colorado]], under his birth name Charles Claverie and [[WTVF]] [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] under the name Charles Kennedy.

Rocket's final appearance was on the penultimate episode of the season, airing on March 7, 1981, and hosted by [[Bill Murray]]. For that episode, ''Weekend Update'' received a one-time name and set change to "Saturday Night NewsLine"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/saturday-night-newsline---science-edition/n8821|title=Watch Saturday Night Live Highlight: Saturday Night Newsline - Science Edition - NBC.com|date=March 8, 1981|via=www.nbc.com}}</ref> and featured three segments:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/80/80l.phtml |title=SNL Transcripts |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= October 8, 2018|website=snltranscripts.jt.org }}</ref> science edition, hosted by Dr. Jonathan Lear (Mark King), arts and leisure correspondent Bill Murray, and news by Rocket. Rocket signed off each week by saying "Good night and watch out."

Prior to the final episode of the season, Jean Doumanian and most of the cast, including Rocket, were fired. Chase hosted the last episode and anchored ''Weekend Update'', as he had on his previous appearances as host.

==="SNL NewsBreak" (1981–1982)===
The anchor position changed hands frequently under [[Dick Ebersol]], executive producer of ''SNL'' from 1981 to 1985. [[Brian Doyle-Murray]] was teamed first with [[Mary Gross]], then going solo for three months, then back with Gross for one more month before finally being teamed with [[Christine Ebersole]] for the remainder of the season. Doyle-Murray signed off each week with "Good night, and good news."

==="Saturday Night News" (1982–1985)===
[[Brad Hall]] took over the desk of the retitled "Saturday Night News" in 1982 through most of the 1983 season. By the 1983 season, he began signing out with phrase "Thanks for coming out in the rain!" Hall was removed from the anchor position halfway through the 1983–84 season. For the rest of the season, and into the next, there were no regular anchors—both cast members and ''SNL'' guest-hosts took turns at the chair (Hall himself left the show at the end of the 1983–1984 season). In December 1984, [[Christopher Guest]] became the new anchor. However, within this period, the ''SNL'' broadcast of December 8, 1984 is the only episode to not feature the satirical news segment on the show, at all.

===''Weekend Update'' (1985–present)===

==== Dennis Miller (1985–1991) ====
In 1985, [[Lorne Michaels]] returned to produce the show, bringing the ''Weekend Update'' name back with him. The new anchor was [[Dennis Miller]], who remained in the chair for six years, the longest run for a solo ''Weekend Update'' anchor. Miller opened the segments by saying "Good evening, and what can I tell ya?" and signed off by saying "Guess what, folks? That's the news, and I am outta here!" He would then scribble nonsense on his script, sometimes throwing it into the air. Miller left ''SNL'' in 1991. Dana Carvey did a memorable mockery of Miller anchoring during this period, to the point Carvey's impersonation would ''itself'' become another character, being further impersonated by [[Tom Hanks]] simply dressing as Miller and clucking like a chicken.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

During many of his Weekend Update segments, Miller was joined by The Weekend Update Dancers.

====Kevin Nealon (1991–1994)====
[[Kevin Nealon]] took over with his "Mr. Subliminal" character and as the [[straight man]] in many highlights such as "Operaman" and "Cajun Man" (with both characters being played by [[Adam Sandler]]) and also for [[Chris Farley]]'s "Bennett Brauer" character. Nealon had a three-year stint at the ''Update'' desk before requesting his departure, as he felt his time behind the desk was drawing away from other acting opportunities on the show. Nealon signed off with the tagline "I'm Kevin Nealon, and that's news to me".

====Norm Macdonald (1994–1997)====
[[Norm Macdonald]], whom Chase called "the only other guy who did [the segment] funny,"<ref name="snlbackstage20110220">{{cite episode | series=Saturday Night Live Backstage | network=NBC | airdate=2011-02-20}}</ref> took over the role for Season 20. [[Al Franken]], whose history with ''SNL'' dated back to 1975, had been lobbying to replace Nealon as ''Weekend Update'' host. Accordingly, Franken left the show after losing the anchor spot.<ref>Shales, T: ''Live From New York,'' pages 433–444. Back Bay Books, 2003.</ref> Although Nealon no longer anchored ''Weekend Update,'' he still remained on the show until the end of Season 20. Macdonald would open each segment with "I'm Norm Macdonald, and now the fake news."

Running gags by Macdonald included punchlines involving [[Frank Stallone]] and Germans loving [[David Hasselhoff]]. In his last two seasons, he introduced another recurring gag where he would read a news story and then record a "note to self" on a tape recorder regarding the story he had just read. One of the most frequent guest correspondents during Macdonald's run was Joe Blow (played by [[Colin Quinn]]), a blue-collar guy who would rant about things that bother him. He would often make Macdonald uncomfortable and always ask when they were "gonna go for a beer together," to which Macdonald would always end up turning him down. His sign off was frequently "And that's the way it is", emulating [[Walter Cronkite]]'s famous sign-off phrase.

Another common topic of Macdonald's jokes was [[O. J. Simpson]] after [[O. J. Simpson murder case|his arrest and trial for murder]]. For example, he joked that "A down-and-out O. J. Simpson{{nbsp}}... has decided to go back to doing what he does best: killing people," and upon Simpson's acquittal he declared "well, it is finally official: murder is legal in the state of California." ''SNL'' writer [[Jim Downey (comedian)|Jim Downey]] recalled that "we did, like three solid years of, like, 60 shows of O.J. jokes in a row." Macdonald made his final appearance as ''Weekend Update'' anchor in December 1997, after NBC executive [[Don Ohlmeyer]]—a longtime friend of Simpson, who had previously told Michaels to not let his friendship affect the show—demanded Macdonald's dismissal from the segment, despite Michaels's protest that making the change in the middle of the season would be difficult for the show. Ohlmeyer told Macdonald that he was fired because he was not funny.{{r|snlbackstage20110220}}

====Colin Quinn (1998–2000)====
Macdonald was replaced by [[Colin Quinn]], who started on the first episode after Macdonald had been removed and served through the 1999–2000 season. His first edition of ''Weekend Update'' began with "Have you ever gone to a bar and found that your favorite bartender was replaced with a guy named Steve?" He would pause for a beat before continuing, "Well, I'm Steve; what can I get you?" His sign-off, borrowing from a [[Collin Raye]] song, was "I'm Colin Quinn, [[That's My Story (song)|that's my story and I'm sticking to it!]]"

For the first half of the 1998–1999 season, Quinn would do a pre-desk monologue, where he would provide commentary and rant about the week's biggest news stories. This feature was discontinued after the January 16, 1999, episode.

Quinn stepped down from ''Weekend Update'' after 1999–2000, when he left ''SNL'' at the end of the season. He anchored the segment for two-and-a-half seasons.

====Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey (2000–2004)====
Over the summer of 2000, cast members auditioned to be replacements. Among the candidates were stand-up comics [[Kevin Brennan (comedian)|Kevin Brennan]] and [[Jeffrey Ross]] plus two duos:{{nbsp}}[[Ana Gasteyer]] with [[Chris Parnell]], and [[Jimmy Fallon]] with writer [[Tina Fey]].<ref>Baldwin, Kristen (May 10, 2002), "Update with Destiny". ''Entertainment Weekly''. (653):26</ref> The latter duo was chosen, and they made their first on-air appearance that October. Fallon ended each ''Weekend Update'' sketch by throwing his pencil at the camera and cheering if he managed to hit it. Fey often signed off with Chase and Curtin's "Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow".

Recurring features of the Fallon/Fey era included the "''Update'' Door," a door on the left of the set where celebrities, as impersonated by ''SNL'' cast members (and at one time the [[Land Shark (Saturday Night Live)|Land Shark]]) would walk through to do a commentary—a segment called "Terrible ReEnactments", in which [[Chris Kattan]] would do an intentionally bad re-enactment of a news story that had occurred during the week (usually the story involved a celebrity being injured); and regular appearances from [[Jeff Richards (comedian)|Jeff Richards]]'s Drunk Girl character.

[[Chris Parnell]] announced the intro for the first season. He was then followed by future ''Update'' co-anchor [[Amy Poehler]].

====Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (2004–2006)====
Fallon left to pursue a film career in 2004, and was replaced by fellow cast member [[Amy Poehler]] as co-anchor, giving the sketch its first two-woman anchor team. Fallon became the announcer for the ''Weekend Update'' intro for the next few seasons.

The 2005–2006 season began with Poehler returning to her seat behind the desk.

The segment is featured in the 2006 film ''[[Man of the Year (2006 film)|Man of the Year]]'' in which Robin Williams appears on ''Weekend Update'' alongside Poehler and Fey.

====Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz (2005)====
Fey temporarily left the show after giving birth to her first child and was replaced briefly by [[Horatio Sanz]] as co-anchor (Sanz wore horn-rimmed glasses during Fey's absence). Fey returned to the show in October for the season's third live episode.

====Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers (2006–2008)====
After the departure of Fey, Poehler continued as co-anchor along with new co-anchor [[Seth Meyers]] for the 2006–2007 season.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-09-21-snl-update_x.htm|title=Seth Meyers to co-anchor 'SNL's 'Update'|date=September 21, 2006|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|access-date=September 30, 2012}}</ref> The duo began a string of running gags, including "Really!?! with Seth and Amy", in which the pair lambast celebrities for lack of common sense. Poehler left ''SNL'' in fall 2008 to give birth to her first child.

During the 2007–2008 season, two previous hosts returned to the ''Weekend Update'' desk for one-off appearances–Chevy Chase, as "Senior Political Correspondent" and Tina Fey, as "Special Women's News Correspondent". Women's News was a running segment during the Fey/Poehler era.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sitt|first=Pamela|url=http://www.film.com/movies/amy-poehler-confirms-she-is-leaving-saturday-night-live|title=Amy Poehler Confirms She Is Leaving Saturday Night Live|date=July 17, 2008|publisher=film.com|access-date=September 30, 2012}}</ref> Alaska Governor [[Sarah Palin]] also appeared on ''Weekend Update'' once during the 2008–09 season and ended the segment with the traditional "Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow", as Poehler had left her seat to perform a "Sarah Palin rap".

====Seth Meyers (2008–2013)====
Beginning October 25, 2008, Meyers anchored the segment alone with Poehler still being credited, but not appearing. On December 6, 2008, Poehler returned, four weeks after the birth of her child, to do ''Weekend Update'' with Meyers, but on the December 13, 2008, ''Weekend Update'' she announced to the audience that the show was her last one.

After that, Meyers continued anchoring ''Weekend Update'' solo. The "Really!?!" celebrity-mocking gag (retitled "Really!?! with Seth") remained, featuring various hosts and guests including [[Tracy Morgan]] and [[Jerry Seinfeld]] in March 2009 and [[Kermit the Frog]] in November 2011. In May 2010, Poehler returned to do it once more, alongside Tina Fey as well.

A running gag of this era was [[Bobby Moynihan]]'s portrayal of [[Snooki]] from ''[[Jersey Shore (TV series)|Jersey Shore]]''. Moynihan displays a certain attraction to Meyers, who makes fun of the general attitude of the cast members of ''Jersey Shore'' as well as Snooki's own personal attributes. Another popular segment was city correspondent [[Stefon]], played by [[Bill Hader]].

During his time in office, New York Governor [[David Paterson]] (played by [[Fred Armisen]]) often appeared as a guest on the segment, and which often featured jokes about Paterson's blindness and his apparent hatred for the state of New Jersey. In the premiere episode of ''SNL'''s [[Saturday Night Live (season 36)|36th season]], Paterson himself made a guest appearance on ''Weekend Update'' next to Armisen. Amy Poehler, who had returned to host the episode, co-anchored ''Weekend Update'' as she traditionally did before her departure.

On the December 17, 2011, episode, which was hosted by Jimmy Fallon, multiple former anchors returned for a "''Weekend Update'' Joke-Off". Along with Meyers, the anchors included Fallon, Poehler, and Fey.

''Entertainment Weekly'' confirmed that Amy Poehler would appear on ''[[Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday]]'' for at least two broadcasts as co-anchor in fall 2009.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ausiello|first=Michael|url=http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/07/30/amy-poehler-returns-to-snl/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801123507/http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/07/30/amy-poehler-returns-to-snl/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 1, 2009|title=Exclusive: Amy Poehler returns to 'SNL' (REALLY?!)|date=July 30, 2009|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=September 30, 2012}}</ref> For the third episode of ''Weekend Update Thursday'', Seth Meyers anchored solo. After each episode, the anchor(s) would throw to ''[[Parks and Recreation]]''. Lorne Michaels had stated that there would be six more episodes of ''Weekend Update Thursday''; however, the spring 2010 episodes were scrapped.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

Poehler returned on both the February 18, 2012, and May 18, 2013, episodes to perform "Really!?! with Seth and Amy" twice more. In both instances, Meyers asked her if she would like to co-anchor with him again for the rest of that segment; he was barely able to finish asking before she accepted.

In the February 16, 2025, ''SNL50: The Anniversary Special'', Meyers returned to anchor one section of ''Weekend Update'', reuniting with longtime Meyers guest, Fred Armisen, who, alongside [[Vanessa Bayer]], reprised their recurring Update roles as "best friends from growing up."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romero |first=Dennis |last2=Dickerson |first2=Terry |last3=Hamedy |first3=Saba |last4=Abbruzzese |first4=Jason |date=2025-02-17 |title='SNL50' highlights: Steve Martin, Tina Fey, John Mulaney, Eddie Murphy and more celebrate show's legacy |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/tv/live-blog/snl-50-anniversary-special-live-updates-rcna191112 |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>

====Seth Meyers and Cecily Strong (2013–2014)====
On May 12, 2013, NBC announced that Seth Meyers would become the new host of ''[[Late Night (NBC)|Late Night]]'' in 2014, succeeding Jimmy Fallon, who would take over as the new host of ''[[The Tonight Show]]''. In September 2013, Lorne Michaels confirmed that Meyers, who would stay on at ''SNL'' for at least the first half of [[Saturday Night Live (season 39)|the show's 39th season]], would be joined at the ''Weekend Update'' anchor desk by a new co-anchor, [[Cecily Strong]], beginning with the show's season premiere on September 28, 2013. Strong, who joined ''SNL'' [[Saturday Night Live (season 38)|the previous season]] and had been upgraded to repertory status in the cast for her sophomore season, was no stranger to the segment, making visits to the ''Weekend Update'' desk as her recurring character "[[Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 2012–2013#The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party|The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party]]". Michaels, who also produces ''Late Night'', hinted at Meyers potentially dropping in as ''Weekend Update'' co-anchor, noting that Meyers's ''Late Night'' will not tape on Friday nights.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/business/media/saturday-night-live-setting-its-new-cast.html?src=twr&_r=3& "New Course for ‘Weekend Update,’ and All of ‘SNL,’"] from ''The New York Times'', 9/15/2013</ref> Meyers and Strong sign off with "For 'Weekend Update', I'm Seth Meyers!" "And I'm Cecily Strong, good night!" before performing a [[fist bump]] or blowing kisses to the audience.

On February 1, 2014, Meyers performed his final episode of ''SNL'' and was joined at the ''Weekend Update'' desk by Strong, Poehler, Hader in character as Stefon, [[Andy Samberg]], and Armisen as Governor Paterson.

====Cecily Strong and Colin Jost (2014)====
''SNL'' writer [[Colin Jost]] replaced Meyers as co-anchor of ''Weekend Update'' beginning with the March 1 episode, which was hosted by [[Jim Parsons]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/snl-names-new-weekend-update-673533|title='SNL' Names New 'Weekend Update' Co-Anchor
|first=Lesley|last=Goldberg|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=January 23, 2014|access-date=January 23, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.today.com/entertainment/snl-head-writer-join-cecily-strong-weekend-update-co-anchor-2D11981955|title='SNL' head writer to join Cecily Strong as 'Weekend Update' co-anchor
|first=Gael Fashingbauer |last=Cooper|work=The Today Show|date=January 23, 2014|access-date=January 23, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/01/23/weekend-update-colin-jost/|title='SNL': Get to know upcoming Weekend Update host Colin Jost
|first=Hillary |last=Busis|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=January 23, 2014|access-date=February 2, 2014}}</ref> For the duration of this tenure, Strong stayed to the right side while Jost went to the left. Strong led off each broadcast except for the May 3, 2014 episode hosted by [[Andrew Garfield]], when Jost led off.

====Colin Jost and Michael Che (2014–present)====
Comedian and ''SNL'' writer [[Michael Che]] replaced Cecily Strong beginning with the season 40 premiere, hosted by [[Chris Pratt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tv.yahoo.com/news/saturday-night-live-adds-michael-che-weekend-anchor-011200003.html|title=Saturday Night Live' Replaces Cecily Strong With Michael Che as 'Weekend Update' Anchor|first=Linda |last=Ge|work=Yahoo! TV|date=September 11, 2014|access-date=September 11, 2014}}</ref> Che's pairing with Colin Jost is the first in which both anchors are male. Che is also the first African-American ''Weekend Update'' anchor. As of the 2024–25 season, Jost and Che are the longest tenured ''Update'' anchors in the show's history, with Jost becoming the longest running ''Weekend Update'' anchor on October 23, 2021,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/snl-colin-jost-breaks-seth-meyers-weekend-update-record-1234861329/|title='SNL': Colin Jost Breaks Seth Meyers' Weekend Update Record|first=Peter|last=White|website=Deadline|date=October 24, 2021|accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> and Che rising to second place on January 29, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/01/snl-michael-che-passes-seth-meyers-weekend-update-1234922613/#!/|title='SNL': Michael Che Passes Seth Meyers In Weekend Update Appearances|first=Peter|last=White|website=Deadline|date=January 29, 2022|accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref>

Che led off the broadcast on his premiere episode. Starting with the October 4, 2014, episode hosted by [[Sarah Silverman]], each anchor tells at least one extended joke per segment.

So far, this era features many appearances from cast members playing some version of themselves, most notably [[Pete Davidson]] and [[Leslie Jones (comedian)|Leslie Jones]]. Longtime cast member [[Kenan Thompson]] has also developed several new characters and impressions, including Willie, Michael Che's fictional neighbor. Thompson also has brought on impressions of former MLB star [[David Ortiz]] and [[LaVar Ball]]. With [[Cecily Strong]] no longer anchoring ''Weekend Update'', she reprised characters like [[Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 2012–2013#The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party|The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party]] and [[Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 2014–2015#Cathy Anne|Cathy Anne]], a woman with a southern accent who hits on Michael Che.

On October 13, 2018, former cast member/''Weekend Update'' anchor Seth Meyers hosted the show for the first time since taking over hosting ''Late Night'', and he returned to ''Weekend Update'' for the first time since he left the show, in a segment called "Really?!? With Seth, Colin, and Michael", a callback to the "Really?!? With Seth and Amy" segments. This time, Meyers, Jost, and Che talk and joke about rapper [[Kanye West]] (a Trump supporter) visiting the [[White House]].

For the [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] episode in 2015, Jost and Che did a joke swap, where they each read a joke written for them by the other. Since season 44 in 2018, at the end of each [[Christmas]] show and season finale (except for season 47 and 48) Jost and Che have continued this segment, with both of them reading multiple jokes written by the other (except for the season 45 finale, where only Jost read a joke written by Che).<ref name="All joke swaps">{{cite web |last=Riccardo |first=Nick |title=Watch Every SNL 'Weekend Update' Joke Swap |url=https://latenighter.com/features/watch-every-snl-weekend-update-joke-swap |website=LateNighter |publisher=Snugglefish Media |access-date=23 December 2024 |date=24 July 2024}}</ref> During the segment, Jost's jokes for Che regularly consist of Che acting sleazy, often including [[Zoophilia|bestiality]] and [[child sexual abuse]], while Che forces Jost to say highly racist and sexist jokes, sometimes at the expense of his wife [[Scarlett Johansson]], and to make him defend controversial figures such as [[Woody Allen]] and [[Harvey Weinstein]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Megh |date=May 20, 2019 |title=SNL's 'Weekend Update' Is Best When Colin Jost and Michael Che Torture Each Other |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/snl-weekend-update-colin-jost-michael-che-joke-swaps.html |access-date=May 21, 2024 |website=[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilstein |first=Matt |date=May 19, 2024 |title=SNL's Michael Che Nails Colin Jost With Best Joke Swap Prank Yet |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/snls-michael-che-nails-colin-jost-with-best-joke-swap-prank-yet |access-date=May 21, 2024 |website=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref> In 2024, Johansson was present in Studio 8H during the segment and reacted to Jost deliver jokes centered around the recent birth of their child.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flynn |first=Rachel |last2=Rice |first2=Nicholas |date=2025-01-19 |title=SNL's Weekend Update Opens 2025 with Jokes on Donald Trump, TikTok and 'Nosferatu': Full Recap |url=https://people.com/snl-weekend-update-opens-2025-jokes-on-donald-trump-tiktok-nosferatu-recap-8775121 |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref>

Due to [[COVID-19]] issues, the December 18, 2021 episode was filmed with no audience and a limited cast and crew. ''Weekend Update'' was still performed, but Jost was not part of the episode's cast, as he had tested positive for COVID.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Late Night with Seth Meyers |title=Tina Fey Spills on Saving Saturday Night Live During the NYC Omicron Wave |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=nKoiCHmAEVk |website=YouTube |access-date=April 20, 2022 |date=April 20, 2022}}</ref> Tina Fey made a surprise guest appearance to fill in for Jost; due to the reduced staff, the segment was performed on chairs placed on the main stage rather than its usual newsroom set.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Paul Rudd joins 'SNL' Five-Timers Club in unprecedented holiday episode|url=https://ew.com/tv/recaps/saturday-night-live-season-47-episode-9/|access-date=2021-12-19|website=EW.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=White|first=Peter|date=2021-12-19|title=Tom Hanks' Dean Martin, Paul McCartney's Holiday Pageant & Eddie Murphy's Disgruntled Elf Among Classic Sketches Aired On Covid-Hit 'SNL'|url=https://deadline.com/2021/12/tom-hanks-paul-mccartney-steve-martin-eddie-murphy-elf-covid-hit-snl-1234899261/|access-date=2021-12-19|website=Deadline}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Jensen|first=Erin|title='I'm extremely disappointed': Paul Rudd's fifth time hosting 'SNL' relies on taped, old sketches|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2021/12/18/snl-paul-rudd-show-host-relies-taped-old-sketches-tom-hanks-tina-fey/8958730002/|access-date=2021-12-19|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}}</ref>

For the 2025 ''SNL50: The Anniversary Special'', many familiar faces returned to the Update desk, including [[Bobby Moynihan]] who reprised his popular character, Drunk Uncle, Cecily Strong who returned as, The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party, and Bill Murray, who appeared to offer his ranking of the best ever Weekend Update Anchors, listing: "10. Colin Quinn, 9. Kevin Nealon, 8. Dennis Miller, 7. Seth Meyers, 6. Fey and Jimmy Fallon, 5. Fey and Poehler, 4. Chevy Chase, 3. Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd, 2. Norm Macdonald, 1. His brother Brian Doyle-Murray."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Itzkoff |first=Dave |date=2025-02-17 |title='S.N.L.' Celebrates 50 Years With Star-Studded Prime-Time Special |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/arts/television/saturday-night-live-50th-anniversary-special.html |access-date=2025-03-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>