NBC hit television show Saturday Night Live welcomed their latest cast member. Sasheer Zamata was recently announced as the first black female cast member since Maya Rudolph left in 2007.
She was a member of the sketch comedy outfit Uptight Citizens Brigade. Her first appearance will be the Jan. 18 show hosted by Drake. It’s also the first new episode of 2014.
Zamata appears regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in New York as part of the weekly variety show “School Night.” She is also on two improv teams that perform at the theater.
“SNL” had been under pressure to cast a black female to replace Rudolph, but seemiongly took it good old time. However, the situation became urgent when cast member Keenan Thompson told TV Guide that he wouldn’t dress in drag to play black female characters anymore.
