Michael Che Shot in Minnesota: Netflix Special Is His Directorial Debut

Michael Che is back on stage. “Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota,” his first stand-up special in five years, is now streaming on Netflix, and it is also the first thing he has ever directed. The special was taped at First Avenue in Minneapolis, the Star Tribune reports.

Michael Che Shot in Minnesota: what to know

This is Che’s third special for Netflix in a decade. He told Complex the material was about ready two years ago, but his Saturday Night Live schedule left little room to work it out on the road. “With a special, you sort of want the real estate to be able to really, really test it,” he said. He finished the edit days before release, telling Complex, “We’re going down to the wire.”

What is in the special

The Los Angeles Times reports that Che opens with jokes about Charlie Kirk’s murder and goes on to cover race, President Trump, language policing, a Pride parade and growing up poor in New York. Che told the paper the stage is where he feels most himself: “The stand-up is the most me; ‘Update’ is a job and it’s a character.”

He also credited SNL boss Lorne Michaels for easing his workload so he could tour. “He didn’t ask as much of me this past season. He was really kind,” Che told the LA Times.

Michael Che reviews so far

Early takes are arriving. The Ringer says Che is “still trying to get away with it,” and Decider has a stream-it-or-skip-it verdict for viewers deciding tonight.

For more streaming news today, see our reports on the Tyson Netflix docuseries and the latest SNL monologue.

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Sources: Los Angeles Times, Complex, Star Tribune, The Ringer, Decider. Published Oct. 14, 2026. The featured image is an editorial cartoon, not a photograph.