SNL's Colin Jost says this is the biggest thing he needs to improve on as 'Weekend Update' co-anchor
Colin Jost has become the young face of not only Weekend Update, but the show itself, as he was promoted to head writer following the exit of Seth Meyers in early 2014.
As the show tries to find its footing with its mostly new cast, Weekend Update co-anchors Jost and Michael Che have taken the brunt of the criticism.
"If anything, Che and Jost's struggles show what an incredible pro Meyers was in making it look so easy for so many years, and doing it solo for most of them," opined The Atlantic in February. "Whatever you thought of his smarm, 'Update' was always the safe center of his tenure as the show's head writer, whereas now weekend Twitter feeds are flooded with longtime fans asking what's to be done."
And things didn't get better a month later when Jost butchered a joke on the segment, misreading the line about the average length of a man's flaccid penis being "36 inches" instead of the correct line, "3.6 inches." (See at 2:33 mark.)
"A guy can dream," Jost ad-libbed quickly after the flub.
Familiarity is always the biggest hurdle new members of "Saturday Night Live" have to face. Though Weekend Update has been around for over 40 years, there's still a need to have people in the chairs that the audience can instantly gravitate toward. Jost believes that should be the focus this coming season.
"That's what I think we're trying to hone in on this year," he said. "Just make it more and more in our voice and take swings. Just to experiment with it as much as we can in that format and try new things. Not be worried about what happens - at least at dress rehearsal."