Michael Che Calls Out Kanye West in Argument Backstage at ‘SNL’ in New Documentary

A new documentary shows what NBC’s cameras missed during Kanye West’s infamous rant on the Saturday Night Live stage in 2018. In Whose Name, in theaters now, shows SNL star Michael Che confronting the rapper for calling him out during the diatribe.

In case you missed it, West wore a Make America Great Again cap and reaffirmed his support for Donald Trump during that 2018 SNL episode. And at one point, he called out the show for having Black comedians talk about “a Black subject matter like [Bill Cosby].”

Now, the documentary shows the aftermath of that moment, as Che finds West backstage. “You good with me?” Che says in the footage, per Entertainment Weekly. “That was f***ed up! … Why you gotta call me out on the f***in’ [stage] if I don’t got a chance to say anything for myself?”

Kanye West Full SNL Rant pieced together @kanyewest pic.twitter.com/wFb4dnyzeZ

— Scott Skrt Skrt (@scott_skrt) May 25, 2025

West claims he was referring to Che’s fellow SNL star Leslie Jones, but Che disagrees. “I’m the Black comedian that made a joke about Cosby,” he says. “That’s f***ed up. Why would you do that to me?”

West replies, “Aw, man, I love you though, bro.”

And Che says, “I love you, too. I’m a fan. But why would you do that to me? I work here! I work here! Come on, man. … We treat everybody that come in like family, and you’re gonna sell us out? That’s f***ed up, man! We look up to you. We love you. What you got against us?”

And when West says he has issues with SNL “in general,” Che says, “That’s cool, but airing it out like that without letting us be able to reply is kinda foul.”

West responds, “Yeah, you right about that.”

And Che adds, “You wait ’til the last song and then say that foul s*** to us, and we brought you in here. … You’re a hero to us, man. We love you. Seriously, we love you. That’s wrong to do to us, man.”

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West and Che have had other interactions over the years. In 2022, for example, the Grammy winner reached out to Che on Instagram to offer him double his SNL salary so that he “don’t have to look at that pawn ever again,” apparently referring to SNL star Pete Davidson, who was dating West’s ex Kim Kardashian at the time, per Us Weekly.

In response, the comedian wrote, “Sorry, Ye, but I would never betray my friends for anything less than triple salary. That’s right, $90k per year! Full medical. Full dental. Four weeks vacay. Corner office. Plus, a pair of Red Octobers. Size 12. And you gotta make some beats for my band, The Slap Butts. And you gotta tell me what you’re gonna wear to work the night before so we can look like twins. You do that for me, and I’ll Rambo that whole building.”

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