“Weekend Update” brought back its joke swap tradition on Saturday and, while Colin Jost’s wife Scarlett Johansson wasn’t a punchline this time around, the host nearly got his hair shaved off on live TV.
The wild moment was teed up by Jost, who was reading jokes penned by his co-host Michael Che, advising viewers to try and “separate the art from the artist” as he discussed a new album by Ye (formerly Kanye West).
“Remember, Ye can make awful music and still be right about Hitler,” cracked Jost in a quip that’s in line with the dark and edgy tone of past joke swap segments.
He went on to apologize for the joke that was “offensive to everybody” by making an offer.
“I’d like to sacrifice the most important thing in my life: my beautiful, award-winning, world-famous hair,” said Jost, who caused the audience to erupt in laughter as he appeared to break while delivering Che’s lines from the teleprompter.
“That’s right, I’m shaving it off. Send in the barber.”
A man dressed as a barber soon walked onstage and placed a cape around him, leading the crowd — and Che — to lose it for several seconds.
As the barber pulled out a hair clipper and began to hover it over Jost’s head, the comedian quipped, “Jerome, make me unpretty.”
“No! No! No!” interjected Che as he grabbed Jost by the shoulder.
“You were really gonna do it?” said Che as Jost buried his head in the “Weekend Update” desk. “Man, you are the greatest comedian of all time.”
Jost, relieved, laughed off the near makeover, “God damn it, I was so scared.”
Watch more of “Weekend Update” in the clips below.