Women
5 Women Who Could Replace Kenan Thompson on SNL Immediately
Kenan Thompson really should have kept his mouth shut on this.
October 17 2013 1:36 PM EST
December 09 2022 9:12 AM EST
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Saturday Night Live, to me, is like football. I can talk stats, MVPs and golden years all day long. So when All That alum Kenan Thompson said there were just "no" black women who were ready to be on the show right now, I was like "WHAAAAAAA???!@@?!" I like Kenan Thompson, but come on -- he's no Damon Wayans, Garret Morris, Chris Rock, Tim Meadows, or Tracy Morgan, to name a few of his predecessors. Now, there have been few women of color on the show since 1975 (black women like Yvonne Hudson, Danitra Vance, Ellen Cleghorne, and Maya Rudolph, as well as current player Nasim Pedrad, who is of Iranian descent). But personally, as a comedy writer in Los Angeles and an improv nerd when I lived in New York, I've seen some women perform who fit the bill of comedy that SNL is selling right now:
Amber Ruffin, @ambermruffin
From her Bio: Amber Ruffin was in a freestyle rap improv show called The Beatbox where she learned how to freestyle rap. Then she moved to Amsterdam to become an actor/ writer/ improviser at Boom Chicago for 2 years. At Boom, she performed in improv and sketch tour shows all around Europe and at Boom Chicago's 300 seat theater in Amsterdam and she worked on hosting and developing TV game show pilots. Then she came back to the states and worked a lot with Second City and now she lives in LA.
Angla Basset as Dora The Explorer
Call Sexy Ladies Now
Faced With Danger
Sasheer Zamata, @thesheertruth
From her Bio: Sasheer is an actress, writer, improviser and stand up comedian. After graduating from the University of Virginia, she started taking improv and sketch classes at the UCBT in 2009. She performs improv with Doppelganger and on Harold Night with Bucky, and hosts School Night at UCB. Her work has been featured in Jezebel, Hairpin, Vulture, Think Progress, Clutch Magazine, Time Out New York and The New York Times. She's done stand up at the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, the Great American Comedy Festival, the Letterman Showcase in the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival, Comedy Central's Comics to Watch Showcase, and has opened for John Mulaney and the Bonnaroo365 tour. She has performed in online videos for Jest and College Humor that have been featured on the Today Show and Jezebel. She writes and performs in a webseries for The Cooking Channel, called Fodder. She was a co-star in The Cooking Channel's Back In Time for Thanksgiving. She also appears in sketches on Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell on FX, and Inside Amy Schumer on Comedy Central.
Standup
More Great Moments in Black Hipstery
How to Politely React to Your Friend's Terrible Engagement
Gloria Bigelow, @gloriabigelow
From her Bio: Originally from the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Gloria seamlessly slipped into the New York comedy scene, where she performed at all of the top comedy clubs, including the Improv, Carolines and Gotham. Glo hosted the pre- and post-show for the first NewNowNext Awards on Logo, and was nominated the following year for their Brink of Fame Comic award. Other television credits include Laughing Matters...Next Gen and Showtime's Fierce Funny Women. Glo has also performed at numerous festivals, including the New York Underground Comedy Festival, the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, the Michigan Comedy Fest and the Outlaugh Comedy Festival. Gloria has recently been published in a Seal Press Anthology called Here Come the Brides!: Reflections on Lesbian Love and Marriage. Most recently, she was on Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious on OWN.
The Color Purple
Standup set At The Dinah 2010
Nicole Byer @nicolebyer
From her Bio: Nicole Byer has been performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre since 2010. Nicole performs on Maude Night with Fambly and on "Harold Night with Bucky." Past shows included; "The Bachelor: Romance Roses and Romance," "Cool Show for Teen Girl," and "Diva's Live a Benefit for Baby Diva." She's also 1/3 of the smart lady group Doppelganger who currently have a show running called "Doppelganger Gets Inked." Nicole has appeared on "30 Rock," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" and a Nestle commercial that only runs in Israel. Her voice can also be heard in many a radio spots. Nicole is a lover of all things, namely bacon, VHS tapes and the late great Patrick Swayze.
Nicole Byer - Big Girl Code
Long Nails: I Can't
Can I Borrow Your Phone? (It's also a bonus Sasheer Zamata video!)
Nyima Funk, @nyimafunk
From her Bio: Nyima Funk is a Second City alum from the Chicago and Detroit resident stages. Her television credits include CW’s Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Comedy Central’s Key & Peele, NBC’s Thank God You’re Here, MTV’s Wild ‘N Out and Short Circuitz, TNN’s LifeGame, VH1’s Basketball Wives LA, ABC’s According To Jim, UPN’s Girlfriends, The Oprah Winfrey Show, TV Guide Channel’s Countdown Shows, and The George Lopez Show. She has also done extensive voiceover work for the Style Network’s Style Star and numerous national commercials.
African Pop Star Exposed!
LEAKED!!! Mary J Blige Unaired Burger King Commercial
Nyima Funk is NOT ready to be on SNL
Like SheWired on Facebook
Follow SheWired on Twitter