Appearing as a guest on Monday’s episode of Late Night, Michael Che said that he has never called the police in his life—even though his brother is an active member of the New York City Police Department.

“I don’t really like to talk to him about stuff like this. I’ll make fun of him in hindsight, but I can only imagine what it must be like for him to grow up the way we grew up and also have to do his job with people who police the way some of these guys police,” Che told host Seth Meyers. Che actually has two brothers who have a history with law enforcement, though he noted that one of them is retired. “They get it. They’re from where we’re from. But it’s a weird thing. I don’t think I’ve ever dialed 9-1-1 in my life.”

When Meyers asked why, Che answered, “Because I have a feeling that they’re not for me, and it’s a really sad, unfortunate thing that you don’t realize until you come across people who don’t feel that way. Does that make sense?”

Che has joked about his brother before, most notably in the 2016 Netflix comedy special Michael Che Matters. “There’s a lot of tension in this country that needs to be addressed,” Che said in the special. “Let’s do it right now. Blacks and cops aren’t getting along. I don’t know if you’ve seen the news in the past 400 years. My brother’s a cop, actually. I only see him at Thanksgiving, and even then, I’m like, ‘I’m reaching for the potatoes!’”

In the same set, Che went on an extended riff about the Black Lives Matter movement. “They don’t tell you black lives don’t matter. That’s not what they say; that’s not the argument. They hit you with that slick shit. ‘Well, all lives matter.’ Really? Semantics?” Che said at the time. “That would be like if your wife came up to you and was like, ‘Do you love me?’ And you were like, ‘Baby, I love everybody, what are you talking about?’”

He continued, “Why do black people have to get over shit so quickly? Slavery: ‘Oh, that was 400 years ago.’ Segregation: ‘You guys got black history month out of it. We gave you February.’ Police shooting: ‘That was two weeks ago. Still?’ 9/11: ‘Oh, never forget.’ That’s why this September I’m getting a T-shirt that says all buildings matter. We’ll see how that works.”

Asked about the special and that specific joke by Meyers on Monday, Che replied, “It’s almost bittersweet, because I’m happy that people like the clip. But it’s also kind of a bummer that it’s still relevant. I wish it wasn’t, you know? I feel like the guy who wrote ‘Amazing Grace.’ You’re happy you hear the song, but every time you hear it you’re like, ‘Oh no, what happened?’ Because no one plays it for a good occasion.”

Since George Floyd was killed in police custody on May 25, thousands of Americans have hit the streets to protest police brutality and the country’s deep history of racism. But that unrest, which police escalation has often turned violent, has left Che feeling somewhat hopeful.

“I think the optimism can be seen in these young people especially, and their ability to unite,” he said. “It’s coming across as extremely destructive, but I do think, if they channeled it, that they can get a lot done that generations before them couldn’t get done. We’re seeing their power. I think that’s optimistic. A lot of these times, people will come on these shows and speak for the community. And this one of those rare times where you don’t have to speak for the community—because the community is actually speaking for themselves louder than they ever have. So it’s really up them. It’s really up to us as a community, but it’s really up to this younger generation who’s tearing stuff apart. I hope something good comes of it.”

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