*Swoon* Kerry teach me your ways
Scandal star and all-around awesome actress, Kerry Washington, will make her SNL debut on November 2nd. Yayayay! If you've ever watched Scandal you understand my excitement. And if you haven't watched Scandal...what do you do with your time? Get on it.
The announcement follows the hotly-debated lack of black female SNL cast members. Kenan Thomspon (one of only three actors of color on the 16-member cast) commented on the casting decision when he told TVGuide.com, "It's just a tough part of business...Like in auditions, they just never find ones that are ready."
Kenan Thompson
Controversy has swarmed around Thompson's comments, claiming that instead of blaming showrunner, Lorne Michaels, or the SNL series, Thompson blames black female comedians. People took to Twitter to voice their outrage:
Only four black women have been cast on SNL in nearly four decades: Yvonne Hudson (1980-81), Danitra Vance (1985-86), Ellen Cleghorne (1991-95), and Maya Rudolph (2000-07...she's hysterical). Not to mention, of the six new actors joining SNL's 39th season, only one is female and all are white.
Many viewers have come up with some pretty awesome options for a black female cast member. My favorite so far is definitiely Wanda Sykes because she is, by far, one of the funniest female comedians and I cry laughing every time she's on stage (anyone remember her detachable pussy stand-up?). An article by Bossip has named other comedians such as Issa Rae, Aisha Tyler, and Jessica Williams as undeniable funny-women and potential options for the SNL cast.
What do you think? Were Kenan Thompson's comments taken out of context or did he actually blame black women? Who do you think should be the next black female SNL cast member? Let us know in the comment section!
Thanks to Bossip, National Post, TV Line, TV Guide, and The Hollywood Reporter
Images via Paste Magazine and AddictedtoAllThingsPretty
