What the Duck? Michigan Family Makes SNL’s ‘Weekend Update’

*** Note: This post contains colorful language.

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" has been around for nearly half a century. One of the show's most enduring segments is its "Weekend Update" feature, which parodies both the most serious and lighthearted stories of the week, often skewering political officials and others in the process.

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SNL Joke Mentions Michigan

It's not every week that a Mitten State story makes the cut, so when the words "a family in Michigan..." rang out from the TV this weekend, it made more than a few Michigander ears perk up.

"Weekend Update" host Colin Jost set up the joke this way:

A family in Michigan whose duck lost its mate placed a personal ad online to find the bird a new partner - and in a loving act of understanding, they even specified, "power bottom".

The studio audience burst into laughter as expected, but there's got to be more to the real story, right? Turns out there is.

Sophia the Lonely Duck

WZZM in Grand Rapids originally reported about the pet duck in question, whose name is Sophia.

The Fleser family in Grand Haven had provided a home for Sophia and her partner Evie for the past four years or so. Evie suddenly disappeared about a month ago, and evidence was discovered that suggested a wild animal might have been involved.

Not Sophia or Evie. Just a duck. Photo via Canva

According to WZZM's account of the story, Sophia had gotten used to having Evie around, and quacked up a storm day and night; the Flesers assumed she was grieving. They worried about the duck not having a companion as the colder January temperatures settled in, and that's when they hatched a plan to find her a new mate.

They posted a personal ad for Sophia on Facebook. Sorta.

RELATED: "Live from Michigan, It's Saturday Night!": Michiganders on SNL

Hundreds of responses reportedly flooded in, and long story short - Sophia has two new companions, Lucy and Goosey, who also presumably lost companions to wildlife.

In case you missed it, or just want to see it again, SNL's "Weekend Update" story inspired by Sophia starts around the 5:15 mark.