Saturday Night Live star Michael Che is helping out New Yorkers with rent to honor his grandmother, who died of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), People Magazine reported Thursday.
The 36-year-old shared on Instagram Wednesday that he will be paying rent for all the residents in his grandmother’s former New York City apartment.
“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,” Che said.
“Obviously I can’t offer much help by myself,” he continued. “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,” the comedian acknowledged. “So I really hope the city has a better plan for debt forgiveness for all the people in public housing, AT THE VERY LEAST.”
Che then added a P.S. to his statement, calling on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
“Let’s fix this!” Che said. “Page me!”
Che announced that his grandmother had passed away from the contagious respiratory virus earlier this month, according to People.
