Month: June 2023

Believe it or not, there’s still controversy over hair and how people with kinky hair types can wear their hair in professional settings. There are only 19 states that have passed the CROWN Act, which bars the discrimination of protective hairstyles worn by people that have kinky hair types. There continue to be instances where children have been unable to walk at graduation or attend school, and adults that have been fired for protective hairstyles that are often seen as unkempt or unprofessional.

The prevalence of discriminatory dress code policies that often include specific hairstyles means that for decades, in an effort to look “professional,” women with kinky hair have used chemical straighteners, which have recently been linked to uterine cancer. While some still use straighteners, many simply hide their hair with wigs or weaves, and men may cut theirs off to find and maintain employment.

But this practice makes for a lack of representation in the workforce for diverse hairstyles in professional settings, and that’s exactly why KDKA news anchor Royce Jones wore cornrows to work. KDKA is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, news affiliate for CBS News, where Jones is a reporter and evening anchor. He typically wears his hair loose and curly but recently got his hair braided and wore them on camera.

People that have very curly to kinky hair textures have more fragile hair strands and have to use different products and styles to protect it from breakage. Cornrows, box braids and two-strand twists are all examples of protective styles to keep hair from breaking. Nevertheless, wearing protective styles in corporate settings is still a novel concept, even as people in charge learn more about what goes into caring for kinky hair textures.

That’s what makes Jones’ move so bold. While people are more accepting of different hairstyles, it’s not often represented in professional roles, especially where the attire is classified as “business.” Yet, here Jones was, wearing a suit and tie sitting behind his anchor desk with freshly braided cornrows.

The anchor took to social media to express the reason he decided to wear his hair braided on air and thank people for their support.

“Here’s a reminder to be the representation you wish to see (in any space)! Feeling confident, happy and proud wearing my braids this week! Thanks for all of your supportive/encouraging messages. And s/o to my stylist, Mia, for doing the thing,” Jones wrote.

The comments on his post were extremely supportive from fans and coworkers alike.

Fellow reporter Briana Smith wrote, “Love it! You can rock anything & everything! Keep being you! That’s why people love you my friend!”

“Braids on KDKA!! You look fabulous! CONGRATULATIONS,” one commenter wrote.

“Royce, you’re the total package, good looking as heck, a great desk reporter and field reporter and greatly entertaining when you “step out” of the narrow reporter box like you do with Ray…and the braids? Honey, you’re fire,” another person said.

“I love that you challenge the old stodgy rules about what a news anchor looks like. You keep on rockin’ it,” one person wrote.

Clearly, Jones has the support of the masses in his decision to wear braids on air. Representation of protective styles in professional settings is desperately needed, and it’s obvious people are happy Jones is helping set the tone.

There’s a wide variety of summer camps out there with activities ranging from classics like bonfires and water balloon fights to the uber niche, ala putting on musicals or prepping for space adventures.

Still, even with the plentiful themes in existence, people are calling one mom’s unique but oh-so-practical camp idea pure genius.

Kaitlyn Rowe, mom of four and content creator in Utah, gave her kiddos a list of super basic, but very important life skills to learn at home throughout summer, in what she calls “How To Be A Person” camp.

The difficulty level of each task would be age dependent. Rowe’s 3-year-old son learned things like making the bed, safely using scissors and glue, introducing himself to a new friend and organizing his toys. Whereas Rowe’s eldest daughter, age 6, would learn slightly more complex things like scrambling an egg on the stove, blow-drying her hair and packing an overnight bag. There was also a list of skills the siblings would learn together, like putting away groceries, pool safety and talking on the phone.

See on Instagram

As Rowe shared in an interview with Good Morning America, she actually got the idea from fellow mom Emily Ley, who created this alternative camp during the peak days of COVID-19.

Overwhelmed with homeschooling, Ley thought if she could teach her kids “some age-appropriate independence,” it would take the load off of her as well. Rowe borrowed the idea and the “How To Be A Person” camp title as she compiled her own list of activities in lieu of sending her kids to an actual camp. So far, her kids have loved it. And with her post currently having over 54,000 views on Instagram, it seems other parents are in love with the idea as well.

It’s no secret that many of us reach adulthood having learned obscure academic subjects and somehow skimming over the things we would actually incorporate into everyday life. Nothing against algebra and trigonometry, but it sure would have been nice to have learned about doing taxes instead, you know what I’m saying?

Plus, it’s well documented that kids genuinely enjoy mimicking adults, so having them engage in grown-up duties is not only a rewarding activity in the moment, it potentially creates a positive relationship with household chores that they can hold onto throughout their life.

Another cool thing about the “How To Be A Person” camp idea is that it’s fully customizable. It can be a list that parents create, or it can be child-led. It can be 100% practical or silly. A healthy mix is probably the best of both worlds.

Per some suggestions in the comments, it seems that Rowe will be changing the name to “How To Do The Important Stuff” camp to be more inclusive towards those with special needs. Point being: this camp can be for every kid. And honestly, probably should be.

To see Rowe’s complete “How To Be A Person” camp list, go to Instagram.

If you’ve never seen a Maori haka performed, you’re missing out.

The Maori are the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, and their language and customs are an integral part of the island nation. One of the most recognizable Maori traditions outside of New Zealand is the haka, a ceremonial dance or challenge usually performed in a group. The haka represents the pride, strength, and unity of a tribe and is characterized by foot-stamping, body slapping, tongue protrusions, and rhythmic chanting.

Haka is performed at weddings as a sign of reverence and respect for the bride and groom and are also frequently seen before sports competitions, such as rugby matches.

The intensity of the haka is the point. It is meant to be a show of strength and elicit a strong response—which makes seeing a tiny toddler learning to do it all the more adorable.

Here’s an example of a rugby haka:

Danny Heke, who goes by @focuswithdan on TikTok, shared a video of a baby learning haka and omigosh it is seriously the most adorable thing. When you see most haka, the dancers aren’t smiling—their faces are fierce—so this wee one starting off with an infectious grin is just too much. You can see that he’s already getting the moves down, facial expressions and all, though.

@focuswithdan When you grow up learning haka! #haka #teachthemyoung #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp #foryou #kapahaka ♬ original sound – 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

As cute as this video is, it’s part of a larger effort by Heke to use his TikTok channel to share and promote Maori culture. His videos cover everything from the Te Reo Maori language to traditional practices to issues of prejudice Maori people face.

Here he briefly goes over the different body parts that make up haka:

@focuswithdan

♬ Ngati – Just2maori

This video explains the purerehua, or bullroarer, which is a Maori instrument that is sometimes used to call rains during a drought.

@focuswithdan Reply to @illumi.is.naughty Some tribes used this to call the rains during drought 🌧 ⛈ #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp ♬ Pūrerehua – 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

This one shares a demonstration and explanation of the taiaha, a traditional Maori weapon.

@focuswithdan Reply to @shauncalvert Taiaha, one of the most formidable of the Māori Weaponry #taiaha #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

For another taste of haka, check out this video from a school graduation:

@focuswithdan When your little cuzzy graduates and her school honours her with a haka #maori #māori #haka #focuswithdan #fyp #graduation @its_keshamarley ♬ Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Ruanui – 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

Heke even has some fun with the trolls and racists in the comments who try to tell him his culture is dead (what?).

@focuswithdan Credit to you all my AMAZING FOLLOWERS! #focuswithdan #maori #māori #followers #fyp #trolls ♬ original sound – sounds for slomo_bro!

Unfortunately, it’s not just ignorant commenters who spew racist bile. A radio interview clip that aired recently called Maori people “genetically predisposed to crime, alcohol, and underperformance,” among other terrible things. (The host, a former mayor of Auckland, has been let go for going along with and contributing to the caller’s racist narrative.)

@focuswithdan #newzealand radio in 2021 delivering racist commentaries 🤦🏽‍♂️ #māori #maori #focuswithdan #racism DC: @call.me.lettie2.0 ♬ original sound – luna the unicow

That clip highlights why what Heke is sharing is so important. The whole world is enriched when Indigenous people like the Maori have their voices heard and their culture celebrated. The more we learn from each other and our diverse ways of life, the more enjoyable life on Earth will be and the better we’ll get at collaborating to confront the challenges we all share.

This article originally appeared on 01.28.21

Tom Holland is a few more months away from the end of the one-year hiatus most people didn’t know he started last year. Unfortunately for him he’s still technically working: He’s been doing press for The Crowded Room, his new Apple TV+ limited series. At least he’s been having fun. For one thing, he revealed which performance garners him the most compliments, and it ain’t Spider-Man.

“It is an interesting one,” Holland told The Hollywood Reporter (in a bit teased out by Entertainment Weekly). “Because I’ve really worked hard in my career and I’ve really been calculated in deciding what it is I do and when I do it. And for all the movies that I’m incredibly proud of, the Lip Sync Battle is what I get the most compliments for.”

Holland was referring to his 2017 apperance on the show, in which he squared off against his real-life paramour Zendaya. Zendaya had lip-synced to “Tyrone” and “24k Magic.” Then Holland came out. He started by faking it to “Singin’ in the Rain,” only to toss off his jacket, revealing a bustier and fishnet stockings. He proceeded to do a killer dance to Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” with an umbrella.

“I’m proud of it,” Holland said of the performance. “I like that it left a lasting impact. It was an amazing time. My life was changing before my eyes. Spider-Man was coming out. I was on the up. I was getting offers and turning them down for the first time, which was really crazy… I was finally at that stage where I could say, ‘Can I bring my friends?’ And they’d say, ‘Yeah.’”

Holland says he wasn’t making a statement about toxic masculinity, though he also wasn’t worried about being seen as effeminate by macho men.

“I don’t give a f*ck,” he said. “I’ve grown up in the most non-toxic-masculine environment possible. I didn’t realize what I was doing was so forward-thinking. I was just like, ‘Yeah, f*ck it, I’ll put some fishnets on and dance in the rain. That’ll be really fun. I don’t care.’”

You can watch Holland’s beloved performance in the video above.

(Via THR and EW)

It’s been about five-and-a-half years since allegations against Kevin Spacey went public. He’s barely worked since (though he has worked a little recently). The actor is slated to appear in court for a trial involving sexual assault accusations with which he was charged last year, but he’s clearly feeling optimistic about being acquitted. Indeed, he claims he already has some work lined up should he be found not guilty.

“It’s a time in which a lot of people are very afraid that if they support me, they will be canceled,” Spacey said in a new interview with ZEITmagazin (as caught by Variety), Spacey. “But I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London. The second that happens, they’re ready to move forward.”

Spacey also said he draws resilience” from people he encounters on the street who offer support. “The media have done their best to turn me into a monster, but from the people, I have seen nothing but affection.”

The two-time Oscar-winner was first accused of sexual assault in October of 2017 by fellow actor Anthony Rapp. Last fall, a New York jury sided with Spacey, finding that he did not molest Rapp when he was a teenager. Other accusations were dropped. The upcoming trial in London, which is set to begin on June 28, comes a year after he was charged on four counts of sexual assault relating to incidents that occurred between 2005 and 2013.

Though Spacey has largely been absent from screens, he did, for a few years, release annual videos during the holidays in which he pretended to be his House of Cards character Frank Underwood.

(Via ZEITmagazin and Variety)

Have you ever noticed how some folks seem to attract mosquitoes like magnets while others can sit outside on a warm summer night without a bite? It’s a puzzling phenomenon, but there are a few reasons behind it. Mosquitoes are drawn to various factors like body heat, carbon dioxide, and even certain scents.

A group of researchers at Virginia Tech wanted to know if certain soap scents can repel or attract mosquitoes, so they tested them to see which ones give you the best shot at camping without getting bitten.

“Soaps drastically change the way we smell, not only by adding chemicals but also by causing variations in the emission of compounds that we are already naturally producing,” co-author of the study Chloé Lahondère, an assistant professor of biochemistry at Virginia Tech, said according to USA Today.

To begin the study, the research team studied the unique odor profiles of four unwashed volunteers, and then they washed with Dial, Dove, Native, and Simple Truth soaps.

The researchers determined that over 60% of the scent that is detectable after bathing is attributable to soap, rather than the individual’s natural body odor.

“The other aspect is that it’s not simply adding stuff to our body odor, but it’s also replacing some chemicals while eliminating others that are washed away,” Vinauger said in a press release. “So we think there is a lot of chemical interaction between our natural chemicals and soap chemicals.”

To see how smell affects mosquitoes, the researchers let some loose in a mesh cage with two cups inside. The blood-suckers were able to choose which unwashed and washed scents attracted them. The researchers then recreated the test with different odor combinations.

“This way we can really measure and quantify the effect of the soap in terms of increasing or decreasing the attractiveness of the individual,” Vinauger said. “That’s where we found that not all soaps have the same effect on all volunteers.”

The researchers found that three of the four soaps made the people more attractive to mosquitoes, and only one made them less. All of the soaps the mosquitoes liked had a fruity or flowery scent. The one that worked as a repellent was coconut scented.

So, there you have it, folks, if you’re someone who usually gets eaten alive and you want to enjoy a nice summer night on the porch without getting bitten, bathe with a coconut-scented body wash. For a little extra protection, you may want to sip on a piña colada as well.

To further their understanding of the topic, the researchers want to try different soaps and see if they lose their effectiveness as the day progresses.

“Trying different soaps is important because we are showing that it’s really the combination between your natural odor and a specific soap that matters,” Vinauger said. “We also need to study the duration of these effects. What if you shower in the morning? The evening? We need to answer these questions in our future work.”

The researchers also note that soap is just one part of the equation when it comes to body odor. Laundry detergents, deodorants and other scented products could also play a factor as well.

Promotion for the upcoming “Barbie” movie is in full swing as Margot Robbie (who plays the titular blonde) and a huge supporting cast grace various talk shows to chat about the film. Though no one knows fully what to expect from the story, all signs point toward it being a very fun ride.

Case in point: the adorable “favor” Robbie asked director Greta Gerwig before taking on the iconic role.

While appearing on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Robbie, along with cast members America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon and Issa Rae, shared their personal, childhood connections to the doll. For Robbie, it was the Christmas she received a Barbie Dreamhouse that she quickly became “obsessed” with.

So obsessed, in fact, that she told Gerwig, “I’ll follow your vision. Whatever you want this Barbie movie to be, let’s do that. [But] please, please, please can we have a Dream House where she has a slide that goes from her bedroom down to her pool,? Because that is my goal in life.”

Now if that’s not a relatable goal, I don’t know what is.

Robbie clearly got her wish, because in the trailer dropped on May 30, you can’t miss that shamelessly girly pink slide attached to Barbie’s house.

Even before seeing the movie, what’s apparent is that the “Barbie” creators were determined to let their inner child run wild.

In a previous interview with Vogue, Robbie shared adorable anecdotes like leaving Ryan Gosling (who plays loveable himbo doll Ken) a little present every day, bonding with all the other Barbies during a Barbie sleepover, and having “movie church” Sundays where the group would watch films that were reference points.

The set design required so much pink paint that there was an international shortage, for crying out loud. This seriously sounds like the best summer camp ever.

Barbie means a lot of things to a lot of people, but one common denominator is the way she ignites a sense of childlike wonder in our hearts. Or, at the very least, she takes us back to a time when that wonder was much easier to access. It makes sense that in order to successfully tell a story about such a magical doll, everyone involved would need to take fun very, very seriously. And the way they are doing it is so infectious that you can bet plenty of folks will show up and the movie theater dressed in pink from head to toe, with the same kind of excitement. I know I will.

High schools are a perfect breeding ground for weirdness. First of all, you have a bunch of teenagers who are starting to deal with adult problems but they don’t have the experience or the brain development to figure out how to navigate complex feelings and relationships.

Then you add sex, drugs, learner’s permits, the stress of trying to get into college and really bad facial hair to the situation and you have all the ingredients for people and situations to go completely sideways.

Then there are the teachers. High school teachers tend to be a bit more eccentric than those in the younger grades because they are hired as specialists in a given field, such as history, math or science. Whereas teachers in younger grades have to be nurturing and have a more holistic approach to child development.

Also, hindsight makes a lot of things that seemed normal at the time begin to seem a bit strange. As we get older and have a firm grasp on the realities of being an adult, there are some things that we can’t believe we lived through as teenagers in high school.

When I was in high school we had a drama teacher that sat in the gym and chain-smoked while we rehearsed the play and we didn’t think anything of it. I’m pretty sure my home economics teacher hit the cooking sherry during lunchtime, and we got a day off from school due to the L.A. riots in 1992.

Everyone dealt with some amount of weirdness while they were in high school, so Jimmy Fallon asked his “Tonight Show” audience to share their stories with #MyHighSchoolWasWeird and he read some of his favorites on his show.

We took a look at the hashtag and picked some of the responses we liked the most. Here are 19 of them. Why was your high school weird? Tell us in the comments on Facebook.

Itu2019su00a0Hashtagsu00a0time! Tell us something weird or funny about your high school, and tag it with #MyHighSchoolWasWeird. Could be on the show!

— jimmy fallon (@jimmy fallon)
1643049328

1.

My chemistry teacher would give us an example a day of how to kill your mother in law with chemical compositions #MyHighSchoolWasWeird

— Liisa Spink (@Liisa Spink)
1644342578

2.

We had a kid nicknamed Johnny Appleseed ( JohnA for short) who placed marijuana seeds in any available place they could grow. Our school had pot plants popping up so often they had to get rid of all the potted plants in classrooms and offices . #MyHighSchoolWasWeird

— OldHippie (@OldHippie)
1643055449

3.

#MyHighSchoolWasWeirdnOne teacheru2019s bathroom pass was an actual toilet seat that you had to carry with you to the restroom. pic.twitter.com/tesVLEpKe9

— Robin Smith (@Robin Smith)
1643063750

4.

My high school was across the street from a another high school #MyHighSchoolWasWeirdpic.twitter.com/iPXC7SQx7b

— Timmy Stotlar (@Timmy Stotlar)
1643056920

5.

This is the mascot at the high school i went to. nPart anthropomorphic sugar beet part food processing machinery. nn#MyHighSchoolWasWeirdpic.twitter.com/2R42p5zCYu

— omicrust prime (@omicrust prime)
1643070771

6.

#MyHighSchoolWasWeird because we had free periods during the day where we would sleep or hang out in the halls.pic.twitter.com/UCYxZPz4Dv

— nikkiu2728 (@nikkiu2728)
1643061702

7.

#MyHighSchoolWasWeird because Grimace won every student vote by a landslide. If you werenu2019t writing in Grimace on your ballots you were a narc. Youu2019d think Mayor McCheese would make more sense, being an actual politician, but I guess enough kids couldnu2019t spell it or something.pic.twitter.com/N6CrLw4v7r

— Mike-o Neill (@Mike-o Neill)
1643060956

8.

The mascot was a literal mop #MyHighSchoolWasWeirdpic.twitter.com/ypvheLGnZ2

— Courtney (@Courtney)
1643089724

9.

One time a swim meet was canceled at my friend’s high school because the pool “caught on fire.” Still have no idea how that’s possible. #MyHighSchoolWasWeird

— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) January 24, 2022

10.

My high school had the mayonnaise bandit who would put mayo on the under side of the stair railings from the cafeteria making them useless or risk getting a handful of slimy mayonnaise on your way to class #MyHighSchoolWasWeird

— Rachel Lambert (@rlambert1201) January 24, 2022

11.

My high School was called Start. The student motto for it was Start High Stay High#MyHighSchoolWasWeird

— Kelly Reads (@ReaderofBook) January 24, 2022

12.

I graduated from North Pole High School in Alaska. We had to answer letters to Santa for an English grade. #MyHighSchoolWasWeird

— Nancy J. (@LifeboatSinger) January 24, 2022

13.

My Junior year of high school there was a competition for one of the teachers to kiss a cow. Of course the most disliked teacher ended up kissing the cow. #MyHighSchoolWasWeird

— Edward Schmidt II (@edwardschmidtii) January 24, 2022

14.

There was this kid that would run around during highschool and hiss at people. He was really smart but he would just randomly hiss lol #MyHighSchoolWasWeird

— The Zelda Corner (@ZeldaCorner) January 24, 2022

15.

Got a new principal in my senior year who decided to enforce the dress code with bright orange “Dress Code Violator” t-shirts. They became badges of honor instead of the intended punishment… 🤦‍♀️ #MyHighSchoolWasWeird

— Kelsey K 켈시 (@krklemm) January 24, 2022

16.

Our cafeteria’s chicken fries were such a rare and glorious experience, once people GRADUATED, they would still come back to buy them. #myhighschoolwasweird

— EmmyAnn (@EmmyAnn412) January 24, 2022

17.

#MyHighSchoolWasWeird because we had a bring your tractor to school day, those who brought one in got to skip all classes and just talk with others about their tractors. It always causes traffic delays because there was one main road into the school.

— Mary Olmsted (@MaryOlmsted13) January 25, 2022

18.

My science teacher was convicted of a double murder during summer break. I wish I was kidding!

— Mike Bennett (@MikeBennett11) January 24, 2022

19.

Weird Al graduated from my high school. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Suge Knight also graduated from my high school. #MyHighSchoolWasWeird

— Cindy Price (@Cinderella1976) January 24, 2022

If you look back at how you acted, dressed and behaved in high school and have a little bit of shame, that’s probably a good thing. If you cringe a little when you think about your former self, that shows that you’ve grown as a person.

But wouldn’t it be great if you could go back to high school knowing what you know now? How much easier would it be to approach that special person you wanted to ask to the dance but couldn’t muster up the courage? How much more would you appreciate those carefree days when all you had to worry about was a bio test or who had a crush on whom in homeroom?

Personally, if I went back to high school I’d have a lot more appreciation for my teachers knowing just how hard of a job they have. Now that I’m an adult I have a lot more sympathy for what we put them through and I can totally understand why teaching at a high school can turn someone a little weird.

Here’s Jimmy Fallon reading off some of his responses to #MyHighSchoolWasWeird.

This article originally appeared on 02.09.22

Kayla Berridge had been walking her normal 9-mile delivery route in Newmarket, a small town in New Hampshire, when she noticed something unusual.

The mail she had been delivering continued to pile up over a matter of days at one resident’s home. The resident was an elderly woman in her 80s, and would occasionally share a chat with Berridge, according to CNN.

Berridge told CNN that after noticing the unattended mail pile, she got “a little concerned.”

“I just had this gut feeling and wanted to make sure,” Berridge told WMUR 9 News, explaining that “most people put a hold in if they’re not there, so when people pick up their mail every day, you start to notice their habits.” Not to mention, the woman’s car was still in the driveway.

Berridge followed her instincts and called the local police department for a wellness check, and in the process saved the elderly woman’s life.

CNN reported that officers found the woman trapped on her bedroom floor under heavy artwork and frames. The theory is she tried to use her bed for support, and in the process these items on the bed fell onto her, pinning her down for three full days. Though she was suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, Police Lt. Wayne Stevens confirmed she was stable and recovering.

I can only imagine the agony and fear this poor woman was in, lying in the cold and not knowing if help would come. Luckily, help was on the way, and this story has a happy ending.

In this instance, the familiarity that comes from living in a small town really paid off. “Everyone has each other’s backs,” Berridge told CNN.

But Officer Stevens wanted to give credit where credit was due. He agreed that Berridge’s quick thinking was “part of being a letter carrier in a small town,” he added that her actions were “taking your job to the next level.”

While wellness or welfare checks have historically been associated with the elderly, they are seen as an equally “critical tool” for the safety of many young people as well, especially with the “rise of suicide rates among adolescents and young adults.”

An example of this is when “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson received a wellness check back in 2018. The comedian posted an alarming message to Instagram, saying “I really don’t want to be on this Earth anymore. I actually don’t know how much longer I can last.” This was after breaking off his engagement with Ariana Grande.

Though it certainly didn’t happen in a small town, the interconnectedness of social media helped raise some red flags and prompted authorities to make a visit.

If there’s anything to make you question someone’s well-being, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

This article originally appeared on 02.02.22

Many great comedians have sat at the helm of the “Weekend Update” desk on “Saturday Night Live” over the show’s 48 seasons. Chevy Chase was known for his cool deadpan. Dennis Miller was the hip intellectual. Norm Macdonald will go down in history for his endless OJ jokes that eventually got him removed from the desk. Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon were a great double act that was a fun mix of high-brow and low-brow humor.

The current anchors, Michael Che and Colin Jost, will probably best be known for making fun of each other. Over the years, one of the duo’s signature bits has been writing jokes for each other and reading them live for the first time. It seems like every time they do that bit, Che finds a new way to embarrass Jost.

On Saturday, April 1, Che was at it again, this time with a brutal April Fool’s prank where he secretly asked the audience not to laugh at any of Jost’s jokes.

Che and Jost opened their segment with jokes about the indictment of former president Donald Trump, but the audience laughed much harder at Che than at Jost. A few minutes into the bit, Jost made a joke at his own expense and it received only a smattering of laughter.

“At this point, it feels like even pro-Trump people have moved on,” Jost said, referring to the trial before a superimposed image of him wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat and a sign that read, “LET OUR BOY GO!” appeared on the screen.

The gag was met with an audience member screaming, “You stink!” The heckle was the last straw for Jost, who hung his head in his hand in shame. At that point, Che gave up the gag.

“I told them not to laugh at you for April Fools,'” Che told Jost, and the two couldn’t keep it together. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever done to me. I’m covered in sweat,” Jost told Che through fits of laughter.

“I was truly like, ‘Am I not mic’d?’ And then I was like, ‘Oh, I just suck,” Jost joked.

The crowd broke out in applause for Jost, but he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of acknowledging them after they refused to laugh at his jokes. “No, no! Don’t even dare! Don’t you even dare try now.”

When it was Jost’s turn to tell his next joke, a bit about Florida Ron DeSantis, Che said, “They’ll probably laugh at this next one.” And the audience did.

The episode was hosted by Abbot Elementary’s Quinta Brunson, who shined in “Traffic Altercation,” a sketch where she and Mikey Day played motorists screaming at each other in traffic. The crux of the bit was that they couldn’t hear what each other was saying, so they had to argue using hand signals.

This article originally appeared on 4.3.23