Saturday Night Live gets slammed once more over its Donald Trump jokes, but many believe that the sketch comedy show really crossed the line this time.

Saturday Night Live is a long-running late-night sketch comedy series. Famous for its comedy sketches, political satire, and live musical performances. Its Weekend Update segment is arguably both its most popular and controversial, as it offers satirical takes on current events and pop culture.

SNL’s most recent installment of its popular Weekend Update segment sparked major backlash after one of its hosts, Michael Che, made a controversial joke about Trump. During the segment, he spoke about the president attending a performance of the musical Chicago at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He then quipped, “The president is going to the theatre, mean, what’s the worst that can happen?”

The comment got a lot of laughs from the audience, who obviously appreciated the show’s satirical content. However, it drew negative attention due to its implications. Many viewers interpreted the joke as an attack on President Trump’s life, as the remake was clearly referencing the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was killed in 1865 while attending a play at Ford’s Theater, where John Wilkes Booth shot him during the performance.

This, coupled with the very real assassination attempt that was made on the current President of the United States’ life, angered a large number of people. Audiences took to social media and condemned Saturday Night Live for making such a joke, especially considering the country’s current problems with gun violence in real life. Some users even went as far as to call the writers of Weekend Update “sick f***s” for having the audacity to crack a joke like that and the network for allowing it to air.

The disapproval SNL received was from all sides of the political spectrum. Even people who didn’t support President Trump thought the statement was wrong and in poor taste. They also expressed their disappointment in the members of the audience who cheered after Che made the joke, with one X user saying, “Not a fan of the guy at all, but that joke about Trump at a theatre and the audience cheering was not cool!“

The incident has once again highlighted the delicate line between comedy and responsibility during politically charged times. Satire has historically played a role in critiquing leaders and institutions, especially by shows like Saturday Night Live. However, moments like this demonstrate how easily audiences could interpret this type of humor as inappropriate and dangerous. As discussions continue, the segment serves as a reminder of how comedians should be careful when addressing real-world issues, particularly those involving violence.

Saturday Night Live airs episodes Saturdays at 11:30 PM ET and 8:30 PM PT on NBC.