Heartbroken. Saturday Night Live star Michael Che is reeling after losing his grandmother to the novel coronavirus amid the global pandemic.
“Last night my grandmother passed away from the coronavirus. I’m doing ok, considering. I’m obviously very hurt and angry that she had to go through all that pain alone,” the 36-year-old comedian wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement on Monday, April 6. “But I’m also happy that she’s not in pain anymore. And I also feel guilty for feeling happy. Basically the whole gamut of complex feelings everybody else has losing someone very close and special. I’m not unique. But it’s still scary.”
The New York native struggled to process the events that led up to his family’s loss and admitted that he felt “frustrated” by the way both news media and politicians have been informing the public about the pandemic.
“I don’t even know if I’ll be lost to this virus. Who f–king knows? I shouldn’t curse. I’m just frustrated, cause there’s so much we still don’t know about it, and I don’t think we are getting the whole truth,” Che added, questioning the true cause for the viral outbreak. “I just refuse to believe I lost my sweet, beautiful grandma, because some n–ga ate a bat one time. I’m sorry.”
The notoriously controversial comedian said he “needed a better story” to be able to fully understand why his grandmother passed away, noting that his somewhat inflammatory statement was a result of his “grieving.” He concluded by reminding his more than 450,000 followers to be considerate of their diets during their social isolation and calling out the fast food industry for their increased sales amid the pandemic.
“Make sure you’re getting your vitamins, and water, and probiotics, and dark leafy greens, and all that other good stuff I never thought twice about until the last couple weeks, so you can boost your immune system and help you fight this awful virus in the unfortunate event you get it,” Che explained.
Before signing off with a peace sign emoji, Che shared his heart with anyone else who might be experiencing the same grief as him and his family. “To anybody that’s lost someone to this virus like I have, I don’t have to tell you how much it hurts. But just know that we will make it through this,” he said. “But then again, maybe we won’t! What do I know? This could be IT.”
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