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EXCLUSIVE: With the future of its biggest female star, Kristen Wiig, up in the air, NBC’s Saturday Night Live is moving to add reinforcements. I hear that in the past several weeks, seven comedy performers tested for SNL honcho Lorne Michaels, including the following four ladies: Kate McKinnon (The Big Gay Sketch Show), Jessica Joy (The Playboy Club), Lauren Lapkus (Are You There Chelsea) and Elaine Carroll (Very Mary-Kate). I hear one of them, UCB’s McKinnon, will make her debut on SNL‘s next show next Saturday hosted by Sofia Vergara. It is unclear if Michaels would try out more new performers this season in preparation for locking in the cast of NBC’s late-night sketch comedy series for next season. As for Bridesmaids star Wiig, whose contract is up at the end of the season, a final decision about her future on SNL will likely come in the summer.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Seems to me like Lorne should be trying to beef up the male talent rather than the much stronger female cast. He should hire new writers instead of cast members.
I love Elaine Carrol! She is so witty. Her humor is so unique. But perfectly scripted, and it’s just what snl needs. Her fast paced sketches are all so funny and short enough to realy get a kick out of.
They sure are all white…
When is SNL going to add a woman of color to the cast? It’s downright shameful.
STILL no black females? Really?!
does it matter it depends whos autditoning mayb their were no funny ones or maybe none audtioned OR she was the best
It matters because with SNL, you get invited to audition, you don’t just show up. But hey, at least they’re white females and not white males.
Who cares if there are no black females? Would you prefer to have one that isn’t funny just because she’s black? The show isn’t racist. Get over it.
It’s about time Lorne started hiring people out of UCB.
Lorne has already hired a bunch of people from UCB.
UCB people SNL has hired: Abby Elliot, Bobby Moynihan, Nasim Pedrad.
And that’s just performers. The writing staff is littered with UCB people.
Jeebus! If SNL has a bunch of UCB ‘talent’ then Lorne Michaels should look elsewhere. The new cast and writing have been brutally aweful. SNL is not even worth fast-forwarding through with a DVR!
Nasim Pedrad is techincally UCB, but she really didn’t get noticed until she became a member of the Sunday company at The Groundlings. So Lorne didn’t get her from UCB.
It seems you both lack a sense of irony…
Ummm, Amy Poehler is one of the FOUNDERS of UCB.
It’s called sarcasm, morons.
”With the future of its biggest female star…” Shouldn’t that read, ”the future of its biggest STAR?”
Right on! Cuz quotas will totally make the show funnier.
Actually, preliminary analysis of her Human Genome results indicates Lauren Lapkus may be as much as 8% Black, and 23% Latina. This kind of rigorous scientific scrutiny is absolutely essential if we ever hope to achieve true racial balance in the media.
Bwahahaha! Awesome!
They tried the black female with Ellen Cleghorne and that was a massive failure. Then again, they had success with Maya Rudolph (who is mixed race) but she can’t be there all of the time. However, not having an African American female limits what the show can do. Whenever they have made fun of the “View” they don’t have anyone to make fun of Sherry Shepard and the one time that they did make fun of Sherry was when Tracy Morgan last hosted the show.
Cleghorne was fine. I liked her pushy usher character. Rudolph was terrific. But yeah, you can’t tell there isn’t a funny versatile black female comedian anywhere in the US.
They desperately, desperately need to take Obama away from Fred Armisen and give it to Jay Pharaoh.
Was disappointed that Paul Brittain left the show. I thought he was going to be the next Will Forte.
Some episodes are better than others. If two or three of their skits succeed, that’s a good episode, like Zooey Deschanel’s had the Paris sketch with Jean Dujardin, the two Nicolas Cages, and Bein Quirky with Abby Elliott as Zooey and Zooey as Mary-Kate Olsen. Then there are others like Anna Faris’s where nothing works.
before Ellen Cleghorne SNL had two other black female cast members, Yvonne Hudson in the 6th season, and Danitra Vance in the 1985-86 season.
“Are You There Chelsea?” would be completely unwatchable without Lauren Lapkus. (As it is you should still fast forward through the parts where she’s not on screen.)
There are people who actually watch “Are You There Chelsea?”
So true.
What’s the point? They barely use the new current cast members as it is.
Really? Taran Killam has received tons of play, as has the the new redhead whose name I’m blanking on. Jay Pharaoh is more specialized with his comedy, but he still gets a lot of time.
And, still, nobody to play First Lady Michelle Obama.
Agreed – ditch Seth and hire new writers.
It seems like John Mulaney is being groomed to be the head writer eventually. He’s abeen a producer for at least a season, or so.
NOOO!!!!
Dee Dee has to stay on Chelsea, she’s the best comedic actress on television right now.
You do know that SNL is televised, right?
Promote from within. Christine Nangle is awesome!!!!!!!! She is a great writer and her web series is hilarious.
Advice to Kristen: Stay 1 more year. SNL fans will compare you to LeBron for making an abrupt exit to take your talents to the silver screen. LeBron has never been forgiven for the way he stiffed Cleveland for “taking his talents” to South Beach.
Abrupt? Please. I wasn’t aware her contract was up this year until now, but I’ve been saying she needs to go — not because she’s bad (obviously, she’s the strongest woman on the show), but because she’s too good for it. I said, Oscar win or lose, she needed to go. She’s bigger than the show, at this point.
She should go after this season. Bigger fish to fry.
I’m black and I’m gonna say it right here. Who cares what color thay are?!? They should be more concerned about hiring people that are actually FUNNY. Not concerned about what race they are.
Kate McKinnon is amazing. She is perfect for this show.
Agreed. Seth has had a good, pleanty long run.
ELAINE CARROLL! She is one of the funniest, most talented writer/actress I’ve ever seen. verymarykate.com is case and point.
Kate is the funniest cast member be it straight/gay/black/white/christian/jewish/martian/human/female/etc…. just wait till you see her characters mastered from the big gay sketch show! (which ps, rosie o had nothing to do with!)
Kate McKinnon is brilliant. Glad a BGSS alum is getting more exposure!
Nasim Pedrad was born in Tehran, Iran
She IS a woman of color. I’m surprised you didn’t notice.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure Kate represents a different kind of diversity… she’d be the first out lesbian female cast member on the show’s history if she actually becomes a featured player this year.
What about Danitra Vance?
I don’t think Vance (one of the many short-lived members of the 1985-86 cast) was openly out at the time of the show. Castmate Terry Sweeney was openly gay.
Watched her kill it on the Big Gay Sketch Show, so I guess I’ll have to tune in to SNL now. She might be white but she’s the first out lesbian SNL has ever hired (not to mention the fact that she’s hilarious), so I am cheering.
Wasn’t Danitra Vance lesbian?