Seth Meyers hosted another edition of Jokes Seth Can’t Tell on Tuesday’s “Late Night,” the recurring bit where writers Amber Ruffin (who’s Black) and Jenny Hagel (who’s a lesbian) make their host repeat jokes that are problematic for a white, straight man to be telling.
Tuesday’s segment climaxed with Ruffin telling Meyers that he needs to pray to “Black Jesus” as he nervously stuttered his way through a joke about Black movie-goers.
“I got it. Here we go. Oh Jesus, I know we’ve never talked, I really need this one,” Meyers said, getting on his knees and raising his eyes to the ceiling after his third failed attempt at getting through the punchline.
“You need to be praying to Black Jesus,” Ruffin quipped.
The joke in question involved a Maryland university (probably Baltimore’s Coppin State University, based on some Google sleuthing) that recently hosted a talkback for students with what Meyers identified as “African American quilters.”
“A Maryland university recently had a talkback with African American quilters. Also having a talk –” Meyers said before cutting himself off: “I mean, I just want to …”
“It’s great,” Ruffin assured him.
“OK great. A Maryland university recently had a talkback with African American quilters. Also having a talkback with American, African American — wait, sorry,” Meyers began again, laughing nervously at the gaffe. “I got it. I got it.”
That’s when he got on his knees to pray between his two writers. Then he got it: “A Maryland university recently had a talkback with African American quilters. Also having a talkback with African Americans? Movie screens.”
“Seth! How dare you!” Ruffin exclaimed in faux offense.
Staring at his audience, who admittedly responded with muted, nervous laughter themselves, Meyers joked: “Why did we edit out the laugh?”
Watch the whole bit in the video, below:
