After "Saturday Night Live" cast member, Kenan Thompson, said the lack of diversity on the show is due to a "lack of quality black female comedians," the show announced Kerry Washington will host the show Nov. 2, Time magazine reported.
During an interview with TVGuide.com published on Monday, Thompson said the lack of female comedians on the show was due to a lack of talent. His comments have caused an uproar with fans, and led to the quick decision to cast Washington from "SNL", Time magazine reported.
In "SNL" history there have only been four black female comedians casted on the show, and the their history of hosts isn't that diverse either, according to Time magazine.
During the TVGuide interview, Thompson also said that he or Jay Pharaoh would no longer dress in drag for female impersonations. Thompson has previously played Maya Angelou and Jennifer Hudson.
A casting director with knowledge of trying to find black, female comedians responded to Thompson's remarks and said that although it is hard to find, the issue is actually in contract terms. She anonymously cites troubles with a current black, female comedian considered great for "SNL," Time magazine reported.
It's also a casting problem. Time magazine points out that more than half of this years new cast members come from the Upright Citizens Brigade which is dealing with race issues of its own.
According to a New York Times article, the theater provides exposure without pay even though classes are extremely expensive at $400 for eight courses. The lack of financial compensation deters minorities.
The UCB and NBC both claim to want improvements in these areas and offer a diversity scholarship for a full year of classes to one person, according to Time magazine.
