Our beloved banana hero has gone from making local headlines to becoming the punchline of a Saturday Night Live joke. Who would’ve thought that being in the right place at the wrong time, dressed as a giant banana at 4 in the morning, would turn into a national phenomenon?
It appears the story was simply too a-peel-ing for the folks over at SNL to ignore. (We know, we know. The banana jokes are getting old. But if Michael Che can get away with one on national television, surely we can squeeze in a few more jokes.)
As first spotted by Bungalower, during the show’s Halloween edition of “Weekend Update” on Saturday, Che took a moment to acknowledge Orlando’s latest contribution to the national news cycle: a woman dressed as a banana who called police after witnessing a car crash.
His punchline? “But before the cops could get there, she split.”
Cue the applause. Or the collective note-taking from dads everywhere.
Co-anchor Colin Jost seemed to appreciate the sheer predictability of the joke, responding with a sarcastic “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
For those who somehow missed the original banana saga, Orlando Weekly previously reported that Stephanie Oropeza and her fiancé were heading home from a Halloween party on Oct. 24 when they witnessed a car careen off the road and into the outdoor patio of the Moderne on Colonial Drive.
Still sporting her giant yellow banana costume, Oropeza — who happens to be a nursing student — stopped to help, called 911 and checked on the driver.
Surveillance footage of her unexpected heroics quickly made the rounds online after the Moderne shared the video in hopes of identifying the potassium-powered do-gooder. Before long, Oropeza had earned the affectionate title of Orlando’s “banana hero.”
There is, however, one minor problem with Che’s punchline. Oropeza didn’t exactly split. In fact she did quite the opposite, stopping to help someone in need.
Granted, “Woman calls 911 and checks on driver” doesn’t have the same comedic ring to it.
Still, for a state that regularly supplies the country with some of its most absurd headlines, it’s refreshing to see a Florida story making people laugh for all the right reasons. (Did Orlando comic and returning SNL cast member Kim Patterson tip them off to this local lore?)
And if nothing else, Oropeza has certainly gotten her money’s worth out of that Halloween costume. As for her fiancé’s outfit? Your guess is as good as ours. He was just playing second banana, we guess.
