Michael Che Sued For Allegedly Stealing TikTok Star’s ‘Homegirl Hotline’ Bit For His New Series

Michael Che Sued For Allegedly Stealing TikTok Star’s ‘Homegirl Hotline’ Bit For His New Series

Did Michael Che steal a TikToker’s idea for his new show?

Earlier this year, Michael Che unveiled a new comedy series for HBO Max, That Damn Michael Che. However, the actor has a new legal matter on his hands due to what went down on the sixth episode of the show.

In the episode, Michael Che included four comedy sketches involving a service called “homegrrl.” Essentially, the fictional service is designed to be used to call a “homegrrl” to assist someone in their day-to-day hardships.

However, a popular TikTok star–Kelly Manno–claims Michael Che‘s “homegrrl” bit ripped off her “Homegirl Hotline” TikToks. Last year, Kelly Manno uploaded her first “Homegirl Hotline” TikTok, and the premise is similar to Michael Che‘s version: a person calling a “homegirl” to show up and assist them in various ways.

@kellymannoHOMEGIRL (noun) a friend who’s always down to do sketchy shit with you ?? #Homegirl #homegirlhoodie? original sound – Kelly Manno?

Kelly Manno also points out that Michael Che uses a variation of her copyrighted catchphrase–“Thank you, Homegirl Hotline!”–when he says “Thanks, homegrrl” at the end of his sketches.

Due to the similarities, Kelly Manno has filed a lawsuit against Michael Che. The TikToker is accusing Michael Che of willful copyright infringement and is reportedly seeking maximum damages. She also wants the court to issue an order barring Michael Che and HBO Max from using the material in question.

Michael Che has not publicly responded to the lawsuit or accusation.

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