According to the legal documents filed by TikTok star Kelly Manno, the 'Saturday Night Live' comedian is stealing her comedy bit for four segments in the sixth episode of 'That Damn Michael Che'.
- Sep 15, 2021
AceShowbiz - Michael Che has been hit with a lawsuit from a TikTok user named Kelly Manno. Recently, the "Saturday Night Live" comedian was accused of stealing the TikToker's comedy bit "Homegirl Hotline" for his show "That Damn Michael Che".
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ on Tuesday, September 14, Kelly claimed that she is a popular TikTok creator who came up with the fictional idea of a service where "people unable to cope with certain social situations can call a hotline and order a 'home girl' " to help them out. The social media star went on to admit that Michael's "homegrrl" bit was "willful copyright infringement."
In the court paper, Kelly said that she's moving forward by taking legal action against the comedian over the matter. The TikToker was also reportedly seeking "maximum damages," alongside demands that HBO and Michael block the segment from airing.
Kelly went on to explain that her first "Homegirl Hotline" sketch was first published in August 2020. The clip allegedly received more than half a million views. Her "Homegirl Hotline" sketches portray humorous, uncomfortable and sometimes downright outrageous situations that people find themselves in. When they can't get out of whatever their problems are, they call a "homegirl" to save the day. That's why she named it "Homegirl Hotline".
A little over a year later, Michael portrayed an allegedly similar comedic scenario in the sixth episode of his HBO Max show, Kelly claimed. The episode included four segments about a fictional service where people order a "homegrrl" to show up where they are and help them out of uncomfortable situations.
According to the suit, Kelly said that each segment ended with a character saying a variation of "thank you, homegrrl." Elaborating further, the social media star claimed that it infringed on her copyright which included the phrase "Thank you, HomeGirl Hotline!"
Both Michael and HBO have yet to comment on the situation.
