SNL’s Michael Che and Colin Jost to host the 2018 Emmys

In a shocking move for the Emmys, Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che and Colin Jost will host this year’s awards show.

Weekend Update is headed to the Emmys! SNL‘s beloved anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost will host the awards show this fall, a move that is both surprising and potentially refreshing.

The trend as of late has been late-night hosts running the telecasts, delivering jokes and jabs to their celeb-filled audience. Looking back, the last time we saw an SNL personality as an Emmys host was Eddie Murphy in 1983.

SNL has made a comeback though with its 2016-17 season, winning its first Emmy in decades for Best Variety Show. This could be a key reason for the hosting selection, along with how well the show has tackled the recent political climate.

Then again we’re talking about SNL, one of the longest-running and most nominated series on television. Many of its current and past cast members would be a delight to see as hosts.

What has shocked many though is who was chosen from the cast to host. Che and Jost are funny — there’s no arguing that. They have delivered some memorable Weekend Update sketches, sure. Leslie Jones and Jost’s love for each other is by far one of the best recurring jokes on the show. Che and Jost have also received Emmy nominations before for their work as SNL co-head writers.

But can the two hold up as Emmys hosts? NBC has confidence they can and will. Robert Greenblatt, NBC Entertainment chairman, said the following about the decision:

"NBC is thrilled to be the home of this year’s Emmy Awards, and with Colin and Michael in the driver’s seat as hosts, along with surprise appearances by other castmembers of Saturday Night Live, I think we are in for one of the funniest awards shows in a long time."

Now, if other SNL castmates make an appearance, the night could move along pretty smoothly. Then again, we could easily see this turning into a very lengthy SNL sketch with some awards thrown in.

Either way, NBC looks to be yearning for an uptick in ratings for the awards show. The show has moved back to Monday with a Sept. 17 date. If anything, this hosting selection is a somewhat safe choice to draw viewers back.

“We’re proud of our deep comedy roster at NBC, and Michael and Colin — along with the return of king of comedy producer Lorne Michaels — will make this the must-see comedy event of the year,” said NBC Entertainment alternative and reality group president Paul Telegdy.

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Do you think Michael Che and Colin Jost will do well as Emmys hosts?