Michael Che is half-heartedly trying to do damage control after sharing some harsh and tasteless jokes about Simone Biles dropping out of Olympic events.
The 'SNL' star announced late Thursday night on social media he intended to try out some Simone jokes on stage in NYC. That apparently set off a bunch of his followers ... who suggested some material he could add to his act, and Michael reposted them -- including one referencing now convicted molester, Larry Nassar ... Simone being one of his victims.
Che reposted, "Larry Nasser understands Simone Biles better than anyone. He too had to quit doing what he loved at the pinnacle of his career because of mounting pressure."
He critiqued it, writing ... "goddamn, that's rough. absolutely tasteless," but gave it a 9 out of 10. Again, Nassar was convicted of molesting 10 young women in the U.S. gymnastics program.
Che also shared a far less brutal "joke" when he reposted, "Who said black don't crack?"
It's unclear if he actually followed through and tried his, or any of his followers', material onstage. He claimed to have about 3 minutes worth of Biles material on his own.
Che clearly knew there would be severe online backlash for taking shots at such a beloved athlete. Early Friday morning he posted, "I got hacked today. can't believe they got me. yall kno I only do jokes about whites and cops."
The "hack" claim is clearly an attempt at humor. The fact is Che dared to go "there" ... as comedians do. We'll see if he suffers any consequences for it.