Colin Jost explains Weekend Update’s confusing graphic

Saturday Night Live returned last weekend after a month-long hiatus. It was a solid episode hosted by John Krasinski but there were some signs of rust in Studio 8H. Colin Jost offered an explanation for one particular strange moment during “Weekend Update.”

After signing off on Dec. 19, Saturday Night Live took its annual holiday break. The time off was well-deserved as SNL had ripped off six consecutive shows to start season 46 and was working under abnormal conditions to ensure everyone’s health and safety.

Fans were excited for the show’s return on Jan. 30 especially because it was the long-awaited debut of John Krasinski as host. Krasinski was impressive and led what turned out to be a consistently funny episode. But it wasn’t without a few missteps along the way.

The most glaring example came during “Weekend Update.” Colin Jost opened up the segment discussing what has happened since Saturday Night Live was last on the air before pivoting to the GameStop stock story.

At one point, the graphic next to Jost lingered on an image from the Spanish biographical television series Veneno. The series documents the life and death of Spanish transgender singer and television personality Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez. It debuted on HBO Max in Nov. 2020.

The image had absolutely nothing to do with what Jost was talking about and was confusing for the audience at home. On SNL’s official YouTube channel, a revised version of “Weekend Update” has been posted that corrects the mistake.

Some fans were curious about what Veneno was or why it popped up on “Weekend Update.” Colin Jost took to Instagram to offer an explanation:

According to Jost, “at dress rehearsal last night I talked about how much I love [Veneno]. Then that section got cut for time. But then the graphic still appeared on the air show for some reason, out of nowhere. Which was pretty confusing since I think I was talking about [GameStop] at the time.”

Jost went on to give Veneno praise and recommended that fans check out the series on HBO. So if nothing else, the “Weekend Update” mistake turned out to be a great marketing event for HBO Max.

Saturday Night Live and Colin Jost have another chance for a clean show this week

Nobody can fault Saturday Night Live for making a mistake or two when putting on a live comedy show. Often, these errors are embraced by fans as part of SNL’s charm. Colin Jost certainly isn’t worried about his latest miscue.

The first sign that SNL was adjusting to being back on the air came during John Krasinski’s monologue. As the camera cut to Alex Moffat in the audience, someone was running through the background and clearly out of place. A couple of other timing errors during the episode suggested that it may take another show for everyone at SNL to be back on top of their game.

They will have that chance this weekend. Schitt’s Creek creator and star Dan Levy will be the host. He’s joined by musical guest Phoebe Bridgers. You can be sure that the graphics department at “Weekend Update” will be ready to bounce back.

Did you notice the mistake while Colin Jost kicked off “Weekend Update”? Let us know in the comment section below.