Michael Che Beats Claims He Copied TikToker’s ‘HomeGirl’ Jokes

Comedian Michael Che escaped a lawsuit alleging that segments of his HBO comedy sketch show copied jokes from a set of TikTok videos called “HomeGirl Hotline” made by digital content creator Kelly Manno.

The premise of Manno’s jokes—a “homegirl” who is called to fight battles on behalf of another person—isn’t protectable under copyright law, said Judge Denise L. Cote in a Wednesday opinion for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

“Even the underlying premise regarding the need for a homegirl is different” in the jokes of both comedians, the judge said. In Manno’s sketches, a ...