It looks like SNL felt the pressure and criticism about its lack of diversity.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show has held two showcase auditions of all African-American women this month. “SNL indeed intends on adding one African-American woman to the cast as soon as this January,” says the report.
TVOne’s Love That Girl star Bresha Webb’s confirmed she had attended auditions to the The Jasmine Blog.
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“It’s not like it’s not a priority for us,” the show’s creator Lorne Michaels told reporters last month. The show faced widespread criticism when it hired six new cast members, all of whom were white, with the exception of Hispanic-Tunisian actor Noel Wells. It also didn’t help when Kenan Thompson told TV Guide that producers just don’t find Black women who are “ready” for the show. “It’s just a tough part of the business,” he said.
As it stands, Thompson and Jay Pharaoh are the only African-Americans on the show.
Let’s hope 2014 will be a colorful year for SNL.