<![CDATA[Michael Che to pay rent for NYC neighbors of grandmother who died of coronavirus]]> https://usagag.com/2020/04/16/michael-che-to-pay-rent-for-nyc-neighbors-of-grandmother-who-died-of-coronavirus/ Thu, 16 Apr 2020 02:59:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://usagag.com Michael Che to pay rent for NYC neighbors of grandmother who died of coronavirus Martha would be very proud of her grand baby.

Michael Che is paying homage to his grandmother, Martha, who recently died of coronavirus complications, in the kindest way possible.

The “Saturday Night Live” star will pay one month’s rent for 160 residents in his grandmother’s public housing complex in NYC.

“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,” Che wrote on Instagram Wednesday.

“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,” he continued.

“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.”

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Earlier this week, the city announced a $10 million initiative that aims to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus in hard-hit areas. The measure comes on the heels of a report that showed how the pandemic was disproportionately affecting minorities.

But perhaps Che won’t have to make make his kind donation alone — the funnyman urged a few choice New Yorkers to “page” him to help fix the situation.

“PS: De Blasio! Cuomo! Diddy! Let’s fix this! Page me!”, he wrote.

During “SNL’s” “At Home” episode this past Saturday, its first filmed remotely with show regulars amid coronavirus lockdowns, Che addressed his grandmother’s death during his “Weekend Update” segment in typical Michael Che fashion.

“As you know, Colin, I lost my grandmother this week,” he told co-host Colin Jost. “And coming back to work really made me feel better, especially with you.”

He asked if Jost would do his grandmother’s “favorite part of the show,” their recurring “Joke Swap” segment in which they say a joke the other wrote for them. The bit usually ends up with Jost warily saying something inappropriate, exactly as Che hoped.

After Jost plays along, Che said with a laugh that his grandmother “has never seen this show. I just wanted you to do that.” He ended the segment by signing off as “Martha’s grand baby.”

Che originally announced her death in a since-deleted Instagram post on April 6.

A rep for Che did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for further comment about the rent payments.

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