The long-running sketch comedy show added LeKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones to the writer's room. The move comes just days after the announcement of new castmember Sasheer Zamata.
Tookes and Jones, who were discovered during the sketch show's recent auditions, will join SNL's writers' room starting Monday, says The Hollywood Reporter. The auditions, held in New York and Los Angeles, came after the show faced widespread criticism about its lack of diversity — in particular, its lack of Black female comedians.
Sources tell THR that producers were impressed with both Tookes and Jones and thought they were talented, smart and funny. There are currently no plans to have either appear on-screen, though SNL writers in the past, such as Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg, have transitioned to on-screen roles and, indeed, fruitful careers in Hollywood.
With the addition of Zamata, who was the first Black woman to join the cast since Maya Rudolph departed in 2007, and now Tookes and Jones, looks like they've made great strides to add diversity both on-camera and off.
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(Photo: LaKendra Tookes via Twitter, Leslie Jones)