‘SNL’s’ New Cast Member Sasheer Zamata: 5 Funny Sketches and Impersonations (Video)
NBC’s Saturday Night Live added its first African-American female in five years, with Sasheer Zamata becoming the late-night sketch show’s newest cast member.
The Upright Citizens Brigade alum will make her debut Jan. 18 with host and musical guest Drake. Zamata becomes the first black female SNL cast member since Maya Rudolph.
After SNL was criticized for its lack of diversity, producers held auditions for black female comedians in New York and Los Angeles — the first time the show exclusively focused on casting minority women.
SNL skewered itself during a recent sketch with Kerry Washington, who portrayed Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce.
Zamata’s YouTube channel offers a glimpse into what viewers can expect when she makes her debut on SNL, including spot-on portrayals of Beyonce, Michelle Obama and Rihanna.
STORY: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Adds First African-American Female in Five Years
In a video uploaded in 2009, Zamata portrays Obama in a skit where she shows the First Lady at her breaking point, getting into fights with construction workers and the homeless.
In another video, Zamata portrays Beyonce as a new mom breastfeeding her newborn while listening to the beat of “Run the World (Girls)” not long after the singer gave birth to Blue Ivy in 2011.
She attempts to sing like Beyonce, too. In one video, Zamata — as Queen B — sings to her baby with a framed mug shot of husband Jay Z in the background.
In a demo reel, Zamata shows she’s capable of becoming several several different characters, including an intimidating Rihanna answering media questions about her personal life and an angry Nicki Minaj reading Green Eggs and Ham.
She can be fierce like Tyra Banks, too.
