Saturday Night Live is facing backlash after a joke about President Donald Trump being assassinated, which drew loud applause from the studio audience.

During the “Weekend Update” segment, co-host Michael Che joked about Trump attending a performance at the Kennedy Center, before making a remark that alluded to the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth.

“President Trump attended the opening night of Chicago at the Kennedy Center, and I think that’s cool that the president is going to the theatre. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?” Che said.

The comment prompted loud applause and cheers from the live audience in New York City, appearing to show support for the concept of the president being murdered. 

The backlash comes amid heightened political tensions and follows multiple past threats against Trump. Among the most notable was the incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was slightly wounded by gunfire during a rally, and an attendee was killed. The joke also comes after last year’s high-profile killing of right-wing commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

The episode featured several other jokes targeting the president and his administration. Co-host Colin Jost referenced the recent firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi, joking about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and saying that she was asked to “redact herself” from the position. Jost then added, “The only person Trump has ever trusted to handle the Epstein situation is a prison guard with the cameras off.”