During the latest 'Weekend Update,' co-host Colin Jost highlights an ironic blend of past host and guest, Russell Brand and Chris Brown, as both have faced serious allegations.
- April 7, 2025
AceShowbiz - "Saturday Night Live" is not shying away from addressing its problematic past hosts. After humorously paying tribute to its sketches and characters that "aged horribly" over the years during the 50th anniversary special in February, Colin Jost drew viewers' attention to the February 2011 episode that featured two of its guests with checkered pasts.
Hot on heels Russell Brand being hit with sexual assault charges in his home country of U.K., Jost roasted the "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" star by looking back at a clip that shows the embattled actor as the host and singer Chris Brown as the musical guest.
"Actor Russell Brand was charged in England with sexual assault," Jost began. "Which somehow makes this video even creepier," before playing the old clip. "Wow. We really know how to pair 'em up," he quipped, referring to Brown's similar accusations.
Allegations against Russell Brand stemmed from incidents that took place between the years of 1999 and 2005 but they first surfaced in 2023, prompting investigations by authorities. He is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 2.
In the wake of his official charges, the actor issued a statement to vehemently deny the allegations. "I've always told you guys when I was young and single, before I had my wife and family.... I was a fool, man," he admitted.
"I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a s*x addict, and an imbecile. But what I never was, was a rapist," he insisted. "I've never engaged in non-consensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes."
Chris Brown's history of legal troubles is equally extensive, spanning from his infamous 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna to a recent accusation of drugging and assaulting a woman during a 2020 yacht party hosted by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.
Although Brown denied the allegations and is currently suing the studio responsible for a documentary about his legal issues for defamation, his past remains a cloud over his career.
The "SNL" also addressed the controversial removal of comedian Amber Ruffin from the upcoming White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The collision of their controversial histories makes the February 2011 SNL episode an uncomfortable relic.
