Back in September, Saturday Night Live earned the ire of outspoken fans when the show announced its new cast lineup, which failed to include a black woman, a glaring omission. It didn’t help matters when black cast member Kenan Thompson blamed the show’s diversity problem on a weak talent pool.
The SNL cast had not included a black woman since Maya Rudolph left the show in 2007 (and it’s only had a handful since its debut in 1975). Yesterday, SNL producers announced what many skeptics thought would never happen: A black woman would be joining the show. When I heard the news, my heart did one of those flip-flops, and in my head, I shouted something like, “Go, black girl, go!”
Enter Sasheer Zamata, who will debut on Jan. 18. The young comedian, who earned a drama degree from the University of Virginia, moved to New York City in 2009 and began performing with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, according to her website. SNL viewers may recognize her from commercials she’s appeared in for Target, Verizon Wireless, New York Lotto and Apple, or from her hilarious (and extensive) selection of online comedy videos, many of which she writes and performs.
I’m happy for her. For a comedian, landing a gig on SNL is a dream come true, and if played correctly could be a launching pad for a rewarding career. If nothing else, her addition will keep Kenan Thompson out of drag costumes (which he vowed not to do anymore), which had been SNL’s baffling (and annoying) solution to portraying black woman instead of doing the obvious a long time ago and hiring one or some black women to actually perform in sketches.
Like I said, I’m happy for Zamata. But forgive me if I’m still not doing the same mental backflips to celebrate SNL. They finally did the “right” thing, but it’s what they should have done years ago. Adding a black woman to a nationally televised show that pokes fun at American culture in which black women prominently exist should have been a no-brainer. As soon as Rudolph went in search of brighter horizons, the search should have been on to replace her with one or, yes, more than one black female comedian.
But it wasn’t a priority or even an afterthought. It took six years and a loud outcry for anyone to say, “You know, maybe something’s missing here.” Zamata is undoubtedly talented and deserves to be on the cast, but the timing of her addition seems like more like a PR move to quell the angry masses than the genuine result of a teachable moment or even a desire to change.