Image Credit: Kevin Parry/WireImage.com; Chris JohnIt’s that time of year again. You know, the time when Lorne Michaels and NBC announces the new slate (peace out, Jenny) of Saturday Night Live cast members. Of course, this is also known as the time we spend a good portion of our pop culture-loving existences complaining about how the new line-up is whiter than the packet of gum in that purse Paris Hilton borrowed. (Badum-ching!)
But, lo! Looks like we’ll have to change our tune this year, because SNL‘s cast has (finally!) become more diverse. Just one week after three of the new cast members officially added today (Taran Killam, Paul Brittain, and Vanessa Bayer) were leaked in a report — which quickly prompted a comment board-driven rally cry for more minority cast members — SNL announced they have also welcomed Jay Pharoah to Studio 8H. (He joins fellow minority cast members Kenan Thompson, Fred Armisen, and Nasim Pedrad.) And based on some of the unknown comic’s YouTube material, Pharoah will prove to be a valuable impressionist: He nails Will Smith and Denzel Washington — and can even pull off Christopher Walken. (Don’t hope the guy will be the new Obama, though. A source told The New York Times that Fred Armisen will continue his role as the president on the show. Don’t you like change, SNL?!)
There’s less material on the Interwebs from the show’s other three new cast members (you can watch a commercial starring Bayer’s head here), but if you’ve watched MadTV, Wild ‘N Out, or the red carpets, you’ve likely seen Killam, also known as How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders’ boyfriend. Bonus: According to his Wikipedia page, Killam can impersonate the likes of Justin Timberlake, Dustin Diamond, and Paul Giamatti. (What range!)
Tell us, PopWatchers: Are you excited to see what the new cast members can do? Stoked to see that SNL has gotten more diverse? Disappointed that the sketch show still hasn’t hired a new female African-American cast member? (We love Kenan, but must he play every one of SNL‘s female African-American characters?)
Like I said in another post, if I’m going to slam SNL for not being more diverse, I have to give them credit for at least trying here.
I don’t have anything against Kenan Thompson as a performer…I mostly hated that he had no choice but to play pretty much every black character the show impersonated. (Male or female, whether he was right for it or not.)
Pharoah may turn out to be a gigantic flop, but at least the show is TRYING to be more diverse and more accurately reflect the world and culture that it seeks to lampoon.
SNL needs to fire Kenan Thompson. My personal opinion is that he’s isn’t really funny (he does a great whoopi but that character is really getting boring). Let’s give Jay a chance.
Why do they have to fire Kenan in order to “give Jay a chance”? Apologies if I misunderstood, but that’s what I interpreted your comment to mean. Anyways, I think there’s room for both. I love Kenan, I just wish he didn’t have to shoulder so much of the “we need a black guy to play this black person” burden….so I’m glad they’ve added Jay! His Owen Wilson, Stewie Griffin, and Will Smith impressions cracked me up, and the rest were all pretty spot on too.
They should fire Kenan beacause he is horrible.
I think Jack meant to fire Kenan b/c he doesn’t find him funny, not to give Jay a chance.
Yeah. His Whoopi is funny, and should SNL do a Soul Train sketch, he’s a dead ringer for Don Cornelius, but his “What’s Up With That?” sketch needs to be thrown in the trash.
Kenan is exactly the same in every sketch.
“What Up With That” was the single best new thing to come out of SNL last season! If you don’t find the humor in that series of skits, I feel sorry for you!
keenan is the best female impersonator at SnL! He had the mother on good times down perfectly. It’s not his fault that they don’t have any other blacks at SNL. And he’s fun to watch when he does that singing interviewer that breaks out in song every other minute.
If you don’t like him blame the material, not the performer!
@ the theBigE – I love the what up with that sketch. As repetitive as it is, I think it is incredibly clever and makes me laugh every time.
what up with that is not innovative or anything but I laugh every single time. I don’t know why… it’s probably will forte doing something bizarre at the end or mike tyson getting interrupted.
at least SNL has another black guy!!
HAHA The guy from HIMYM cool
He will still be the guy from The Amanda Show to me. And is his Walken impersonation a sign that Christopher Walken will host again? Another Walken reunion sketch? Please say yes!
They shouldn’t have to wait for a guy who does a Walken impersonation to bring Walken back…I feel like Walken should just wander on set from time to time.
Walken should just be a full time cast member.
Justin Timberlake should be on the show, too, with Walken. That would make for a funny cast. While I’m dreaming, John Hamm, too.
JON HAMM SHOULD BE A CAST MEMBER TOO! Hopefully Jason Sudeikis doesn’t try to get his girlfriend to host again, but I would love to see Christina Hendricks host.
Hendricks hosting?? NOW you’re talking! (Even if all the sketches would inevitably revolve around her boobaliciousness.)
Another black guy on SNL…AND we’re imaging Christina Hendricks as host?
I think Mr. Holloway’s head just exploded.
You know me too well, KP, even if imagining CH hosting SNL is the least of the things I imagine her doing.
Hey “Mr. Holloway” – you’ve just revealled your hidden identity!
.
But don’t worry – you’re secret’s safe with us.
Who cares what race they are as long as they’re funny? Obsessing over skin color like this is passé, isn’t it?
It matters when every black female impersonated is played by Kenan.
Badly.
Would you seriously have a woman impersonate Whoopi? I don’t think it can be done. Besides, by that logic the cast should include at least one representative of every race/gender group. The cast is too big as it is!
Well maybe that’s true, but would you really call SNL funny? Sure it has its moments, but when you can count the number of times you laugh on one hand, it isn’t really that funny.
But it is still SUPPOSED to be funny, right? At least, its reputation is that of a showcase for comedic talent rather than an example of “racial diversity.” I just think it’s time to move beyond fixating on things like that, especially when it comes to TV comedy shows.
Poor Ben, convinced that skin tone sooo 1960′s. There is this trashy movement called the Tea Party you can read up on if you need further proof.
Wow, in terms of this video, most of the impressions are pretty good … if he’s looking to be a voiceover artist. It’s WAY too long, poorly lit, and the background is not a great choice.
You’re right, rockatansky. I hope Pharoah didn’t pay his hired crew too much for this vid.
Those impressions are horrible. Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, and Obama are alright. You really think he “nails” Walken? You can’t be serious. And his Nicholson is…every comedian does Nicholson, and every one of them is better than his.
Yeah, this board was responsible for this hiring. Don’t hurt your arm patting yourself on the back.
The black kid is interesting. Some of the impressions were whack, but he had Chris, Eddie, Young, 50, Denzel and a few others. Let’s see if he actually gets any airtime!
i don’t care what colour anybody’s skin is, as long as they’re good on the show. that’s the important part.
if the most important part of SNL casting is to hire more minority cast members, then the show will definitely go down hill again.
what happened to these things being about talent and not race?
I’m pretty sure the show is already sitting at the bottom of the hill. It pretty much can’t get much worse. And it matters because Kenan has to play every single black character on the show whether he’s good for it or not.
one small step, but their has to be one funny asian or black girl somewhere in second city…
His impressions are TERRIBLE. I like how his Nicholson sounded like John Wayne. I did kind of like his Jay-Z.
Shows some effort on their part. I remember in the early 80s there were like 2 women on the show and they even made a joke about it in a skit because one of them had to race off, do a costume change, and then race back as another character. They’ve come a long way in adding women in the past decade, I hope they do the same with finding a more ethnically diverse cast.
“Peace out, jenny”? Why even bother?
Is it me or does the guy on the far left look like a d-bag?