Michael Che with co-star Colin Jost. Michael Che pays rent for late grandma’s whole apartment building
Michael Che has paid the rent for all 160 apartments in the block his late grandmother lived in. The ‘Saturday Night Live’ castmember’s beloved grandparent Martha died earlier this month after contracting coronavirus, and in the “spirit and memory” of his elderly relative, the 36-year-old star has come up with a plan to help ease the financial pressure on some New York residents. He explained in a statement shared on Instagram: “It’s crazy to me that residents of public housing are still expected to pay their rent when so many New Yorkers can’t even work. “Obviously, I can’t offer much help by myself. But in the spirit and memory of my late grandmother, I’m paying one month’s rent for all 160 apartments in the NYCHA building she lived in.
The ‘Weekend Update’ host then urged Mayor Bill de Blasio, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and rapper Diddy to get in touch with him to do something about the rent crisis. He added: “Let’s fix this! Page me!” Earlier this month, Michael admitted he felt “very hurt and angry” that Martha had suffered with the virus alone. He wrote: “I’m doing OK, considering. I’m obviously very hurt and angry that she had to go through all that pain alone. “But I’m also happy that she’s not in pain anymore. And I also feel guilty for feeling happy.“I know that’s just a drop in the bucket. So I really hope the city has a better plan for debt forgiveness for all the people in public housing, AT THE VERY LEAST.”
“But it’s still scary. I don’t know if I’ll lose someone else to this virus. I don’t know if I’ll be lost to this virus. Who f**king knows?”“Basically the whole gamut of complex feelings everybody else has losing someone very close and special. I’m not unique.
—Reuters/Bang Showbiz
