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Talk show host and comedian Sherri Shepherd is urging Saturday Night Live to prioritize hiring Black women following Ego Nwodim's recent departure from the show.
On Monday's (October 6) episode of her daytime talk show Sherri, Shepherd addressed Nwodim's absence from the season 51 premiere of SNL.
“She was their only Black female cast member. So now there's no Black women on SNL,” Shepherd said. “So what I say to SNL, y’all gotta hurry up, and you gotta find somebody. This is a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency. It is an emergency.”
Shepherd, who previously co-hosted The View, recalled a time when the lack of Black women on SNL led to Kenan Thompson having to portray Whoopi Goldberg in a skit.
“There was no Black woman to play me, so I was never sitting at the table,” Shepherd said. “Then they had the nerve — when Tracy Morgan guest hosted — Tracy Morgan played me. That was supposed to be me. They had Tracy Morgan in that old, tired, shake-n-go wig. Looking like he sits third row at church and serves the dinners after service.”
Nwodim joined SNL as a featured player in 2018. She took to social media last month to announce her exit from the show after seven seasons.
“I am immensely grateful to Lorne [Michaels] for the opportunity; to my castmates, the writers, and the crew for their brilliance, support, and friendship. Week after week on that stage taught me more than I could have ever imagined," Nwodim wrote.
Shepherd acknowledged that the show may still be “finding its footing” after several cast changes, but noted that there's no shortage of talented Black women ready for the opportunity.
“There are so many more, including my comedy producer, Robin Montague. She is a comedy legend who keeps us laughing all day long,” Shepherd said, also shouting out Tacarra Williams, B-Phlat, and Yamaneika Saunders as standout comedians who had appeared on her show. “SNL, do not disappoint us.”
Shepherd’s remarks come amid ongoing criticism of SNL’s lack of diversity, particularly among Black women. Nwodim was only the seventh Black woman in the show’s five-decade history.
“We gotta have representation on that show,” Shepherd said. “It’s so important.”
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