Saturday Night Live star Michael Che is paying tribute to his late grandmother Martha, who recently died of the coronavirus. He shared his decision to pay one month’s rent for 160 people living in his grandmother’s public housing complex in NYC.
He wrote: “It’s crazy to me that residents of public housing are still expected to pay their rent when so many New Yorkers can’t even work. Obviously I can’t offer much help by myself. But in the spirit and memory of my late grandmother, I’m paying one month’s rent for all 160 apartments in the NYCHA building she lived in. I know that’s just a drop in the bucket so I really hope the city has a better plan for debt forgiveness for all the people in public housing, at the very least.”
Fans were impressed, especially considering he lacks the budget many Hollywood heavyweights have. One wrote: “The man just paid what amounts to a 6 figure yearly salary to cover the rent for a bunch of strangers. The guy is on SNL, he doesn't exactly have George Clooney money!” Another opined, “I'm so sorry he lost his grandmother. He's doing a wonderful thing in her name. A good man.”