A day after a Saturday Night Live cast member blamed the show’s lack of a black female comic on a thin talent pool the sketch series hired a black actress to headline the program.
Kerry Washington, the star of ABC’s Scandal as well as last year’s Django Unchained, will be SNL’s guest host Nov. 2.
The announcement comes on the heels of SNL regular Kenan Thompson saying the show has tried to hire a black female comic but hasn’t found any worthy of the iconic show’s material. Thompson’s words sparked the latest round of criticism against the show for lacking diversity. The series added several new players this season, all of whom are white.
SNL may be able to trot out a First Lady sketch come November at long last. Washington happens to be one of the most vocal admirers of President Barack Obama, so it’s unlikely such a sketch would feature cutting edge comedy.