If Saturday Night Live founder Lorne Michaels thought he had settled the show’s diversity problems by hiring a black female comic he was sorely mistaken.
The show has come under fire for years for its mostly white, mostly male casts and writing teams. Michaels attempted to answer cultural critics by bringing Sasheer Zamata on board in January.
Now, a group of Latina comics is blasting SNL for a sketch they deemed offensive, saying future problems can be avoided if the show hires some Hispanic talent.
They started the Twitter hashtag #StillNoLatinas, a play on the show’s initials. Critics say the hiring of actress Sasheer Zamata and writers Leslie Jones and LaKendra Tookes, which came after months of condemnation regarding the show’s lack of a black female cast member, wasn’t enough to fix the show’s diversity problems. There’s never been a Latina cast member in its 38-season history, despite the fact that Latinos have been the biggest minority in the U.S. since 2003. ‘SNL’ alumni Fred Armisen and Horatio Sanz were both Latino.
The sketch in question utilized Latina stereotypes, the comedians argue, and includes a non-Hispanic actress playing the Latina role. They also created a video featuring a faux Latino Stereotypes for Dummies manual aimed at Michaels and co.
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