Michael Che Sued By TikToker Over ‘HomeGirl’ Bit
Michael Che is being accused by a popular TikToker for hijacking her “HomeGirl Hotline” sketch for his HBO Max show.
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Che is being sued by the social media content creator, Kelly Manno, for stealing her idea of the “HomeGirl Hotline” which is a bit she does on TikTok where “people unable to cope with certain social situations can call a hotline and order a ‘home girl’ to help them out.”
Manno says she created and posted the first “HomeGirl Hotline” back in August of 2020 which got her a couple of hundred thousand views and when she posted a second one the following month she racked up more than half a million views.
Che’s HBO Max show, That Damn Michael Che was released in April of 2020 and Manno is claiming that in the sixth episode of the comedy series Che uses four segments of a “homegrrl” that helps people in fictitious situations just like in her TikToks.
Not only is Manno suing for stealing her segment but according to the suit, Manno claims that at the end of each segment a character says, “Thank you, homegrrl” which she claims is an infringement on her copyright of the phrase, “Thank you, HomeGirl Hotline!”
Per the outlet, Mano wants maximum damages, an order to block Che and HBO Max from using her phrase and segment likeness as she alleges it is a willful copyright infringement.
Neither Che nor HBO Max has commented about the suit.
