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Ego Nwodim opened up about her shocking exit from Saturday Night Live and her hopes for the sketch comedy show going forward. *SNL *has only ever had eight Black female cast members: Nwodim, Maya Rudolph, Sasheer Zamata, Leslie Jones, Punkie Johnson, Yvonne Hudson, Danitra Vance, and Ellen Cleghorne.

Nwodim’s exit means there are no Black women in the current cast.

Nwodim appeared on *Sherri *this week and reflected on her time on SNL. She admitted (via Variety) that while she didn’t feel the “weight” of what her casting meant for representation on SNL, she “felt honored” to be only the seventh Black woman in the cast (Johnson joined two years later).

The *SNL *alum represented a “myriad of characters, different types of characters.” She claimed that sometimes people didn’t catch the “nuance” she brought to the sketches she appeared in, but she left with a sense of accomplishment, which was “really important” to her.

When asked about her reasons for leaving, Nwodim felt like 2025 was the right time to “make space” for a new beginning in her life. She compared the job to a marriage and added that *SNL *was her “longest relationship” she’s ever had. The comedian continued the comparison by saying she’s ready to “date other people,” referring to her career.

Thinking about the fact that *SNL *currently lacks an important demographic, Nwodim revealed that she hopes that more Black women join the show in the future.

I don’t know that I would call it weight. I felt honored to be the seventh Black woman in that cast. I hope that there will be more Black women. Punkie Johnson came on the show after me. Who knows who else they’ll find as they explore and seek out other talents?

I do believe I represented a myriad of characters, different types of characters. Some people didn’t always catch that nuance, but I do feel like I got the chance to represent and that was really important to me.

It’s like being in a marriage. I’ve never done it before, but that show was my longest relationship ever. I’m not a commitment-phobe, but I heard when you’re married, you get the seven-year itch. And it’s like, I wanna date other people! I wanna see some other privates! It felt like the time to make space for something else for me.

*SNL *season 51 isn’t the only season that dealt with a crisis when there were no Black women in the cast. The show came under intense backlash over a decade ago when faced with the same situation. SNL showrunner Lorne Michaels ended up hiring Zamata in 2014 as a result of the criticism.

Jones joined SNL around the same time as a writer and started making on-air appearances. After receiving a positive reception from viewers, she eventually became a cast member.

Before Zamata, there were no Black women in the cast for several years after Rudolph’s 2007 departure. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were similar gaps. Hudson was on *SNL *from 1980 to 1981, Vance joined in 1985 and left in 1986, and Cleghorne was on the show for multiple seasons from 1991 to 1995.

SNL season 51 hired Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska. Only one of them is Black, and there’s only one woman among the newbies.

None of them are Black women, which puts SNL back into the territory they faced before Zamata. However, multiple media companies and networks have been shying away from diversity efforts in recent months, so there might not be a desire at NBC to rectify this issue anytime soon, unless the political winds change in a few years.

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:29 p.m. EST on NBC.

Release Date October 11, 1975

Network NBC

Showrunner Lorne Michaels

Saturday Night Live is a live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels, premiering in 1975. It features comedy sketches parodying contemporary culture and politics, performed by a rotating cast. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest and includes musical performances.

Directors Dave Wilson, Don Roy King, Liz Patrick, Andy Warhol, Linda Lee Cadwell, Matthew Meshekoff, Paul Miller, Robert Altman, Robert Smigel

Writers Will Forte, Bill Hader, Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, Chris Parnell, Asa Taccone, John Lutz, Tom Schiller, Simon Rich, Michael Patrick O’Brien, Nicki Minaj, Herbert Sargent, Matt Piedmont, John Solomon, Chris Kelly, Alan Zweibel, Kent Sublette, Ari Katcher, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schnedier, Scott Jung, Justin Franks, Jerrod Bettis, Rhiannon Bryan

Main Genre Comedy

Producers Lorne Michaels, Lindsay Shookus, Erik Kenward, James Downey, Jean Doumanian, Ken Aymong, Marci Klein, Michael Shoemaker, Erin Doyle, Steve Higgins, Al Franken, Dick Ebersol, Gary Weis

Seasons 51

Story By Colin Jost

Streaming Service(s) Peacock