Gymnast Simone Biles highly-publicized early departure from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns has polarized fans of the sporting event. While some see the move as an important recognition of the significance of mental health issues, others criticized Biles for putting non-physical complications ahead of her Olympic duties.
However, those on both side of the discussion seem to agree that comedian Michael Che took his take on the situation too far when reposting insensitive jokes about Biles' history as a sexual assault victim.
"Man, I wanna make fun of Simone Biles. I got like 3 mins of Simone Biles jokes in my head. I’m going to the [Comedy Cellar club] tonight to say them into a microphone. As the dorky kids say, I’m choosing violence," Che initially shared with his IG followers.
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Biles was one of 150 women who accused former Olympic coach Larry Nassar of sexual assault in 2018, in a tragic court case against the predatory coach. In his quest for jokes about Biles, Che decided to highlight one of the Instagram DMs he received from a fan, who joked about Nassar's behavior: "Larry Nassar understands Simone Biles better than anyone. He too had to quit doing what he loved at the pinnacle of his career because of mounting pressure," read the DM, while Che added: "That’s rough. Absolutely tasteless. 9/10."
In response to the online backlash, Che issued a not-too-serious response, even bringing up a fellow controversial news item, DaBaby, "Maaannnn, I got hacked today. Can’t believe they got me. Y’all know I only do jokes about whites and cops. [It’s] all good now, I changed my password and everything… Anyway, y’all hear about DaBaby tho? That’s crazy. Iight. See y’all in church. Imma get there early."
Twitter users have not only criticized Che's comments but attacked his career as a comedian.
Check out Che's posts and some Twitter reactions below. Let us know what you think.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1420864518150836229
https://twitter.com/_/status/1420911104046288897
https://twitter.com/_/status/1420905038533337088
https://twitter.com/_/status/1420977779609321473
https://twitter.com/_/status/1420944732117770240
https://twitter.com/_/status/1420912942992658432
https://twitter.com/_/status/1420946297696161793
https://twitter.com/_/status/1420924169315704832
https://twitter.com/_/status/1421075874422706181