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Michael Che Joked About Taxes and America's Debt to China in First LATE NIGHT Stand-Up Set

The 2014 set marked Che's earliest stand-up appearance on the NBC late-night program.

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A throwback clip from LATE NIGHT WITH Seth Meyers revisits Michael Che's first stand-up appearance on the show, a set built around jokes about paying taxes and America's debt to China. The performance originally aired February 28, 2014, and has resurfaced as part of the program's Late Night Throwback series.

The set finds Che working through material on financial anxieties familiar to many viewers, using the tax season setup to pivot into a bit about the country's debt obligations to China. The routine reflects the kind of topical, observational comedy that made up Che's early stand-up appearances on the program.

The clip captures Che early in his run of Late Night appearances, delivering a short set rather than sitting for a desk interview. The performance stands as a snapshot of his stand-up style from that period, built around everyday frustrations turned into punchlines.

The segment is being resurfaced now as part of Late Night's ongoing look back at earlier episodes from its archive, giving viewers a chance to revisit one of Che's first outings performing stand-up for the show.

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