SNL Wants Black Comediennes

The Late night comedy show Saturday Night Live wants black girl funny. Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels says he’s bringing seven or eight female African-American comediennes to New York to audition for the show, and one  will be added to the cast in January. SNL hasn't had a black female cast member for almost six years. The show has received criticism for it's lack of diversity, but Micheals said that it didn't attribute to the surge in interest to find a black actress. When Kerry Washington recently guest hosted the show, she had to play a variety of roles. Washington did Michelle Obama, Beyonce, and Oprah all in one sketch.Saturday Night Live again realized the lack of diversity, and even poked fun with an announcement:  

“The producers at Saturday Night Live would like to apologize to Kerry Washington for the number of black women she will be asked to play tonight,” the Voice-over Guy said as Washington ran on and off stage changing costumes. “We make these requests both because Ms. Washington is an actress of considerable range and talent – and also because SNL does not currently have a black woman on the cast. As for the latter reason, we agree this is not an ideal situation and look forward to rectifying it in the near future, unless, of course, we fall in love with another white guy first.”

SNL has now done multiple sketches to poke fun at the issue, but they're actively moving to do something about the situation. They held auditions earlier this month in Los Angeles, which attracted media attention because it was set up for black comediennes. Actor Kenan Thompson told T.V. guide that there hasn't been a black female cast member for so long because most of the time "they never find ones that are ready."


SNL will definitely make a role available to the right actress or comedienne. Black Womyn Rock and are clearly making a huge impact in media. Kudos to Maya Rudolph who was hilarious on the show for a long time.  Blogger Jasmine Brand was made aware of the opportunity, but it conflicted with her schedule for the show "Love That Girl" on TV One. Comedienne Tiffany Haddish also auditioned and interviewed with Inside Edition about the role. We hope to see more black comediennes shine on SNL and in the comedy arena as a whole.

Tiffany Haddish speaks out on the issue: (video)