One of the biggest laughs during Saturday Night Live’s dress rehearsal this weekend never made it to air.
Saturday’s “Weekend Update” saw Colin Jost covering the viral saga of Punch, the macaque who’s become an online sensation after reportedly being rejected by his troop.
The desk segment escalated quickly when Sarah Sherman appeared as Punch’s mother—complete with a deliberately trashy, talk-show-ready persona. Marcello Hernández later joined as Punch himself, leaning into the bit’s Jerry Springer-style energy.
But according to those who saw the sketch at dress rehearsal, the segment originally included a punchline that was cut ahead of the live broadcast.
In the reported exchange, Sherman urged Jost to refer to Punch by his “full name.”
“Call Punch by his full name, Colin,” she said.
“What’s his name?” Jost responded.
“Well, we’re named after our species—we are macaques,” Sherman explained, with the word pronounced in a way that emphasized its phonetic resemblance to something far less network-friendly. “So that would make him…”
“Punch… Macaque?” Jost replied.
“IF YOU INSIST!” Sherman shot back—before repeatedly punching Jost in the crotch.
Audience members say the joke drew one of the loudest reactions of the rehearsal. By airtime, however, the exchange had been removed entirely.
The reasoning isn’t hard to guess. The punchline relied on pronunciation and innuendo in a way that likely crossed a line for network broadcast—particularly given that the show now airs live coast-to-coast, including from 8:30–10 p.m. on the West Coast, a significantly earlier window than its traditional late-night slot and one that potentially includes younger viewers.
The remainder of the Punch segment aired largely intact, including Sherman’s combative defense of her parenting and Hernandez’s appearance as the beleaguered primate. But the dress-only version added an extra layer of wordplay that home viewers never saw.
For those in the room, though, “Punch Macaque” landed exactly as intended.
Watch the as-aired version of SNL’s Punch the Monkey segment below:
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Sarah Sherman is the best female SNL player since Gilda Radner, IMO.
Did anyone else notice that the two hottest chicas on the cast were in all of the first few sketches, as well as on Weekend Update?
Would have been edgier if Michael Che said: “Punch… Macaque” and then got whacked in the genitals.
But SNL has lost his relevancy for some time now.
Surely this is no ruder than “Cork soakers”?