Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby achieved international renown last summer with her bittersweet, groundbreaking Netflix comedy special “Nanette,” but there’s one place she’s pretty sure her success won’t take her: “Saturday Night Live.”
In an appearance earlier this week for Vanity Fair‘s New Establishment Summit, interviewer Monica Lewinsky asked if Gadsby would host “SNL” if asked.
“Yeah, it’s not a real question, because I won’t be asked,” said Gadbsy. Say it ain’t so! But why? Apparently, as far as she knows the show doesn’t like her.
“I am not a friend of them. They’re not so fond of my work,” she said.
“Really?” asked Lewinsky.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” said Gadbsy. “We’ll all cope. Plus I think I’m a bit slow for live TV.”
She didn’t elaborate as to why, exactly, she thinks the people behind NBC’s long-running sketch show don’t like her, but it might have something to do with Michael Che.
In July, the “SNL” co-head writer and “Weekend Update” co-anchor commented on the current state of comedy in an Instagram post that said in part: “You know some critics say rape jokes aren’t funny. But you know whats [sic] DEFINITELY not funny? Rape stories… I don’t know about you but that hasnt [sic] made me laugh once.”
Many of Che’s followers thought that he was throwing shade on “Nanette,” which deals frankly with serious topics including rape. Che, for his part, has repeatedly said he’s never seen “Nanette” and wasn’t referring to it, though he says, “I hear it’s great.”
That didn’t stop Gadsby from making an oblique joke at the Emmys last month that quite a lot of people assumed was a clap back at Che, who co-hosted the ceremony alongside his “SNL” co-head writer Colin Jost.
“This is… not normal? The world’s gone a bit crazy. I mean, for somebody like me — a nobody, from nowhere — gets this sweet gig, free suit, new boots, just ’cause I don’t like men? That’s a joke, of course. Just jokes, fellas, calm down. #NotAllMen, but a lot of ’em. No, it is just jokes, but what are jokes these days? We don’t know. Nobody knows what jokes are. Especially not men! Am I right, fellas? That’s why I’m presenting alone,” Gadsby said while presenting an award.
We’ve reached out to “SNL” to ask if they have any comment as to whether or not they’d have her on the show.
Meanwhile, check out the full interview over at Vanity Fair.