Sasheer Zamata Joins Cast of SNL Following Diversity Controversy

Miss Zamata, welcome to the extra scrutiny you'll be receiving while the rest of the cast can continue being their usual, mediocre selves.

It's great they finally added someone but 1 black woman doesn't make everything "OK". SNL still needs more diversity with mixed race latinos and asians and they could stand to add more black cast members as well.

Lorne is a piece of shit and I think things on the show won't fully change for the better until he's gone. It's pathetic that it took public outrage for them to hire another black woman. Just 4 since 1975? that's an embarrassment for a show that claims to parody "pop culture".

So, is it diverse now?

[quote]SNL still needs more diversity with mixed race latinos and asians and they could stand to add more black cast members as well.

How about a gay man as well?

Maybe they should focus less on diversity & more on being funny, witty & relevant

R5 are you over 50? SNL can't be as funny or relevant if there's no or little diversity. In this day and age, serious and stupid news are made by people of all backgrounds. It simply doesn't make sense to have an all or almost white cast unless they're narrowing the topics to be solely about white Americans. Clearly they cover more than all-white stories, hence the controversy with Keenan Thompson playing all the black female characters.

It's annoying that, he won't pick up Debra Wilson because of Mad TV but got Keenan from a crappy Nickelodean show.

I didn't realize how much of a scum bag Lorne Michaels really is until I started reading more about SNL's history.

When Seth Myers leave they will only have one Jew!

[quote]It's annoying that, he won't pick up Debra Wilson because of Mad TV

Interesting theory.

Sasheer is fantastic, but don't forget that they also have another woman of color in the cast - Nasim Pedrad

R6: are you over age 11? You should be doing your homework & eating your 2nd dessert brownie by now.

SNL hasn't been funny in 20 years - regardless of the color, religion, ethnic background, etc etc etc of anyone on the show.

It's called talent & most of the peeps on the show, have very little of it.

R7 - I agree. Debra Wilson is one talented funny woman. Keenan is just a mystery to me - being a chucklehead on a teen show doesn't mean you're an adult comic.

Keenan is bad tokenism. I'm all for diversity but I hate when they select one person who is just so subpar it doesn't compute. I count Horatio Sanz into that group as well.

This reminds of the bitchy, abusive mean girl clique in "Peanuts" offering Charlie Brown a "used" Valentine card with the original name erased out of pity .

one thing all the SNL books agree on is that Lorne is a cock

Now the, mostly Black, men can stop dressing up as women (not that there's anything wrong with that in real life). The show hasn't been funny in years. YEARS. And I'm someone who watched for many years and thought they were hilarious, esp. Darrell Hammond.

To the Debra Wilson troll who surfaces on every SNL thread:

Give it up. She is never going to be on SNL.

She's too old. Bitch is over 50.

"How about a gay man as well?"

I think you mean an out gay man. They've only had one of those that I can remember.

But there've been plenty of gay men on the show.

Mark my words: within the first 15 minutes of her first episode, she will already have played Michelle Obama and Beyonce Knowles and will sit out the rest of the night with nothing to do.

[quote] within the first 15 minutes of her first episode, she will already have played Michelle Obama and Beyonce Knowles

Knowing SNL, it's more likely that she will be asked to play roles such as "game show contestant" or "talk show guest" or "audience member who asks the host a question during the monologue."

Debra Wilson is very funny, but maybe too old to join now? She's turning 52 in April. Not that that makes it less funny, but she's old enough to be the mother of most of the current cast.

Debra Wilson IS FUNNY, even if she is 50, frankly she is full on funnier than 40% of that cast. SNL does need another woman of color,.

There is a lot more material than Michele and Bey in this country - in fact given the plethora of race baiting politics by the GOP, there is a hella lot of material. Voting rights obstruction, skewering the GOP appointed Atty Gen of Fla that incarcerated a woman for firing a warning shot, etc...

Seems the hardcore racists so intent on reconstituting the Soft Power of the Confederacy are LONG overdue for a comedic pilloring - they are featured prominently in every news cycle.

Lorne is scum, his "progressive politics" seemingly driven by his checking balance - and not biting humor.

SNL is about as fresh and cutting-edge as Archie Comics.

Completely Corporatized Comedy is what it is. It's nothing but a marketing tool. Its only "street cred" is on Wall Street.

They should hire Kerry Washington when Scandal ends. She was a hoot. Much funnier than some of the regular cast and certainly funnier than most of the hosts they've had on this season.

It's such a no-win situation for her. She's the perfect illustration of tokenism. Sure, she's getting exposure, but for the rest of her comedy career, she'll be known as The One Who Got the Job Because She's Black. She's probably pretty funny, too, but it won't matter.

[quote] It's annoying that, he won't pick up Debra Wilson because of Mad TV but got Keenan from a crappy Nickelodean show

Did you really expect him to pick Debra Wilson? She's funny. Why would they start hiring funny comedians now? Mediocre and bland is what SNL is all about

The only reason Sasheer was hired is bexause she's black.

There, does everyone feel better now, does this solve racism?

Can people jump up and down about the lack of an Asian/Latino/Arab/etc. and SNL will hire one to make them feel better?

All I wanna know is - does this increase or decrease the chances of bringing back Ellen Cleghorne for special appearances as Queen Shenequa and Zoraida the NBC page??

This must be a step down to being an Oscar frontrunner to bit player on SNL...

The show already has too many cast members with not enough airtime...

Wonder what happened to that funny looking featured player from last year who didn't make it this year?

Tim Robinson?

R27 You are an idiot and simpleton.

R25 I disagree, clearly she is talented will be bigger than that. Why on earth would you take that viewpoint? I Guess Jackie Robinson will only "forever be known. " Shheesh.

However LORNE will forever be known as a racist ass that had to be pilloried to get a clue.

R30, huh Oscar frontrunner who?

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

[quote]The only reason Sasheer was hired is bexause she's black.

Is she the only black female comic?

You guys are talking like being on SNL is some pinnacle of comedic achievement like it was 20 or 30 years ago. It's a dinosaur that is kept alive because it's on Saturday nights.

Debra Wilson is so above this. Doing SNL after the legendary sketches she did on MadTV would be a step down for Debra, I'm sure. The best they can do is find someone young with potential to be like her.

[quote]one thing all the SNL books agree on is that Lorne is a cock

Cast members from the early 00s like to tell the story of Lorne seeing Mel Brooks at a Broadway event and walking up to him to say how much Lorne loved working with Mel's son Max Brooks (then a young SNL writer - pre-Zombie fame).

Mel looked at him blankly and asked - dead serious, "And you are?"

[quote]You guys are talking like being on SNL is some pinnacle of comedic achievement like it was 20 or 30 years ago.

Yeah--ridiculous.

r38, all those people you listed are kept on the NBC's payroll despite their low ratings. You think NBC is going to keep a black woman on TV if she gets shitty ratings? You have to be white for them to do that.

R39 That is interesting, might want to keep NBC opinion line phone number on speed dial. I htink she is going to be FABULOUS, and then lets see how NBC handles it.

Frankly I imagine Tina and Amy just slamming NBC at the Golden Globes for this special kind of stupid.

Those two are deeply political, and thoughtful women...Zamata has more clout than she realizes.

She won't last, unless they treat her like the Token Nubian Princess. Pick her up in a limo. It's a horrible atmosphere, according to Jay Mohr:

"The schedule for putting together Saturday Night Live was made back in the seventies when everyone was on coke.... Problem was, no one did coke [anymore] and we were expected to keep the same hours." Floundering in the unstructured work environment, Mohr suffered crippling panic attacks, which he treated with alcohol and pot until he finally found real relief with a prescription for Klonopin. Even panic-free, Mohr still felt like the odd man out and chafes at his less than meteoric rise."

Other than the two they already have, R4?

R23, SNL is nowhere near as fresh and cutting-edge as Archie Comics!

R30, Tim Robinson got demoted from cast member to staff writer this season.

Kenan! You in danger, gurl!

I say bring her on. It can't hurt. The cast they have right now is certainly not cutting it. The only true talent they have right know is Kate McKinnon.

I'm so glad Viola is working again!!

[quote]Other than the two they already have, [R4]?

Who are?

Check out her "Pursuit of Sexiness" - 'Sheer & Nicole. They are definitely up there with French & Sanders, Fey & Poehler. These two young women do what AB FAB did without the wealth - on the Subway and in thrift stores. Sasheer is VERY WORTHY!

Racist, Misogynistic trolls are in DL - just ignore them. Also the hater school of "women aren't funny" tedious moronic shits that malinger in here.

Just ignore them and have a laugh.

I'm another Debra Wilson fan, but I agree with others there is no way she would ever be on SNL.

I was a kid in the 90s when All That was on and even back then I thought Kenan Thompson was awful.

when Amy and Tina were in the cast there was no black woman and they didn't say a word...

Maya Rudolph, r51.

What a stupid controversy.

R48: Taran Killam (who is married to lesbian Cobie Smulders) and new guy John Milhiser.

I haven't watched this show in years. It's terrible and not amusing!!

She's adorable and about ten times more qualified than some of last year's recent hires such as the fat girl.

I think most of the cast is pretty good (with Kenan being the exception). The big problem with the show is the lousy writing.

r39, it's much more complicated than that.

Lorne Michaels makes money for a failing network in a dying medium. By having his hand in Jimmy Fallon's development, he's put a 'young' face on late night, which was plagued with problems. He'll therefore have pull in a way other showrunners might not.

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

r59 Ethnic people can't write dick jokes?

I never liked Maya Rudolph. Her Whitney sucked compared to Debras.

Are you serious, r54?

[R56], her name is Aidy Bryant and she is funnier than that damn Cecily Strong who everyone keeps going on about. Sasheer makes 7 women in the cast. Some of them won't be back next season, I bet. Lorne won't keep that many women around, but he is perfectly happy to have a ton of average white guys in the cast.

Nasim Pedrad (sp) is Iranian, or is that more or less white?

[quote]SNL is nowhere near as fresh and cutting-edge as Archie Comics!

Archie comics had an openly gay character, after all!

And Taran and Cobie Smulders are pretending to be a couple (and had a baby) why?

They serve as beards for each other. It's not that uncommon. Why a baby? Why does anyone have a baby? I presume because she wanted one...

Why would they need beards? It's not like they're huge stars. And they've been together since before anyone even knew who Taran was.

No, neither of them are huge stars but both are on their way. It's common for agents to arrange "relationships" for their closeted clients long before they become famous.

Love her.

^^^ I guess you must, if you're trying to revive a 5-year-old thread . . .

Kill it, kill it with fire.

It wasn't meant to be

She was on the last episode of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee