UPDATE: NBC has officially confirmed Zamata’s addition to the “SNL” cast.
NBC’s late night sketch comedy series “Saturday Night Live” has, reportedly, taken a step towards alleviating the diversity issue they’ve faced this season. According to Deadline, the series has hired African American comedienne Sasheer Zamata to join the cast in time for the January 18th episode, the first episode of 2014.
The lack of diversity at “SNL” this season has become headline news, forcing the show to take this action. In fact, the problem has become a popular enough topic of discussion that the series itself did a bit on it when Kerry Washington hosted earlier this season.
As for the new actress, Zamata has worked at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and will be the first female African American actress on the series since Maya Rudolph left a half decade ago. She just recently appeared on the NBC special “What we Wasted our Year on” where she was their field correspondent.
According to her profile on the UCBT website, Zamata started at the improv organization in 2009 after graduating from the University of Virginia. Among her credits are appearances on “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell” and “Inside Amy Schumer.”
Check out her performing at Stand Up NY back in April of last year below (the Kerry Washington clip is also there) and tell us, do you think she’ll make a good addition to the show?