I Watched SNL (Hosted by Drake and Featuring Sasheer Zamata) Last Night
Last night’s Saturday Night Live was highly anticipated because Drake was hosting (and was the musical guest) but also because it was Sasheer Zamata’s first show as a featured castmember. As a former huge fan of SNL and a currently jaded sometimes watcher, I didn’t even decide to tune in until it almost started. And I’m glad I did so I could present you with the thoughts you didn’t ask for.
Drake was HILARIOUS! We can’t forget that he started his entertainment career as an actor, but we probably didn’t expect Wheelchair Jimmy to have grown into such a talented comic. He carried the show very well and he was the reason I laughed when I did. Lumiere DID THAT and he gets props. He showed us that if he gets sick of this music thing, he might have a future in comedy.
In his skit during his monologue, Drake lampooned the fact that he’s half Black, half Jewish (does that make him BLUE-ish? BA DUM TSS! I’m here all night, folks! Tip your waitresses). And it was a flashback to his Bar Mitzvah. He had me rolling as he rapped “I celebrate hanukkah, dated Rihannakah” as part of a Hava Nagila remix.
BuzzFeed got the GIFs!
I lowkey want him to quit real rap and dedicate his time to fake rap.
His Katt Williams impression also SLAYED me, and when he played Lil Wayne playing Steve Urkel, I was rolling! He totally needs to keep acting because that’s what he’s dope at. I kinda want him to come back and host SNL so it can be funny again, because even when the episode’s material felt weak, he made it good.
The only time I was throwing any hateration in Aubrey’s dancerie during the episode were the times he took the stage to perform music. If you ever wonder why folks won’t let him cook, watch those performances.
The first one, the set was lit in all black and the only thing visible was a bright red Drake. It was like looking at a photo negative or a used tampon. I was perplexed and my eyes hurt.
Now you know why my eyes hurt.
Whose idea was THAT? It just looked real severe. The song he was performing didn’t even match it either: “Started from the bottom now we’re here.” It ain’t e’em that serious, sir. Let’s not e’em talk about how you ain’t start from the bottom. AT LEAST you were middle. Middle of the damb suburbs in Toronto. Furthermore, the subject matter ain’t e’em that deep for you to be looking like the embodiment of a teacher’s disappointment (aka red ink).
The second set, Drake started by crooning “Hold On I’m Coming Home.” Dude was outchea singing like he was voiceovering “The Notebook.” It was SO EMO! And this time, everything around him was black, but he was blue. I bet his pre-setup notes were like “make sure the blue light shines on me so people can know I’m down. I’m blue, man.” THIS IS WHY WE MAKE FUN OF DRAKE! This right here. And see? I was right. He’s BLUE-ish. HEHEHEHE.
And then Jhene Aiko came and did a duet with him and he made us all uncomfortable by singing “Tell Lorne to cut to commercial break love, so that we can make love.” Sir. SADDOWN! Just no. O____O
Ennehweighs, in spite of that, I was pleased with Mr. Graham’s appearance on SNL. He truly made the show bearable.
So let’s talk about Sasheer Zamata on SNL.
I have much respect for Sasheer because she’s handled all the sudden attention she’s been getting with grace. Plus, she’s super talented and deserves to be in the big leagues.
When I was watching the opening credits of Saturday Night Live, I was like rocking back and forth with excitement because I just wanted to see Sasheer’s name and picture. Hers was last (done in alphabetical order) and I fist-pumped.
From NBCSNL.tumblr.com
I SEE YOU, SISTHREN!
Sasheer was in the first (well, first after monologue) skit (the Bar Mitzvah one), and the 2nd skit and the 3rd and the 4th. She was in all the sketches in the first half of the show. She did well with the lines she had (1-2 per skit) and she looked comfortable. However, it felt like SNL said “you want a Black woman? We’re putting her in every skit.” It reminded me about why I was glad but nervous about their sudden new “commitment” to diversity. Let me rewind.
When it came out that SNL was having an all-Black woman audition to find their next castmember, it seemed really disingenuous. For a show that normally keeps this type of thing secret to all of a sudden be so blabbermouth about it was… different.
Yes, they were being called to the carpet about the lack of color at 30 Rock, and they probably wanted to show that they were working on it. But it’s like when dealing with a toddler who you say “YOU HAVE TO TAKE A NAP!” And they lie down and tell you “See? I’m sleeping!” as they have half their eyes closed. Oh and they tap you to make sure you heard them tell you. Sometimes you just gotta SHOW before you TELL.
That is a piss poor comparison but I will go with it. (-__-)
I realized that whoever they hired would be carrying the hopes and dreams of our tomorrow with them into that show. NO PRESSURE, THOUGH! Sasheer Zamata was named and I’d seen some of her YouTube clips so I knew she was awesome. It was a life-changing opportunity obviously and her Twitter followers went from like 2,000 to 23,000 and counting in this past month.
Lorne Michaels and team also hired LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones (two comedians who also auditioned) to the writing team. THAT is when I said “AW SNAP! Lemme find out they really mean it.”
Fast forward to last night. I wasn’t expecting (nor wanting) Sasheer to be so prominent in the show, because featured castmembers aren’t typically all up in the camera. I wanted to like the fact that she was getting so much airtime but it felt weird and forced. It was like we were being pandered to and my spirit wasn’t at ease about it. It felt like tokenism and I couldn’t shake the “HERE SHE IS SO YOU CAN ALL SHUT UP NOW” vibe.
Does the SNL team get an E for effort for hiring a Black woman? Yes.
However, I can’t give them a full passing grade. I’m willing to admit that they’re in a “dambed if you do, dambed if you don’t” situation. You cannot please everybody. But there’s something to be said for how all of this comes across so heavy-handed and also slightly lazy at the same time.
I stepped back to consider that maybe we got exactly what we asked for. We said we wanted Saturday Night Live to have people who looked like us on the show and that’s exactly what they did. They hired a Black woman to join the cast and they hired 2 Black women for the writing room. WHEEEE! But it still doesn’t feel right.
Maybe what we SHOULD have asked is for them to make diversity a priority on a real level (like this awesome Slate article suggests), because TV is just really white. When we talk diversity, the convo usually means “add Black people.” We should have challenged them to be the Captain Planet of shows.
Even with Sasheer on the show now (and after being treated to the Blackest episode of SNL ever), it still doesn’t seem like the team at SNL really understands that they cannot represent popular culture without including faces of color. So I’m hoping they start doing more to embody the cultural salad bowl of America through their cast and their sketches. Instead of these isolated instances of melanin. Although the hiring of those 2 Black female writers is a for real step towards the right path. The show was already funnier than usual.
Alls I know is that something felt and continues to feel really cheap about how they’ve handled this challenge they were given. I’m happy for Sasheer and I really look forward to seeing more of her work. She’s clearly only gonna go up and up from here because she’s a dope comic. I want her to be the start of a real sincere effort towards opening the white boys’ club up to others.
I understand that Rome wasn’t built in a day. And surely we can’t expect for Lorne Michaels to hire 6 new people in mid-season. But moving forward, I’m hoping that a stronger effort will be made to be more melanin-inclusive at 30 Rockeller Center. I’d hate for the next time we see another woman of color hired for the show to be in another 6 years. Or for us to keep having to say stuff like “there’s never been an Asian American castmember on SNL (unless you wanna count Rob Schneider, who is a 1/4th Filipino or Fred Armisen who is 1/4 Japanese).” You should check out HuffPo’s infographic on SNL’s 38-year diversity problem.
Long story long, SNL, yall tried but you’re not there yet so keep trying. Consider having Drake on to host the show every week because he got the Midas touch. And please do right by Sasheer.
I will now leave you with this Drake as Weezy gif.
From NBCSNL.tumblr.com
Do we give SNL time to adjust and shut up for now or do we help steer the conversation from the get-go? Am I tripping or do you get what I’m saying here? Did you watch the show? What are your thoughts?
Correction: I deleted the piece about SNL never having an openly gay cast member. Terry Sweeney was in the 85-86 season. Danita Vance was one too but it was confirmed post-humously. And current castmember Kate McKinnon is one.
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52 Comments
I agree with everything you said. I lovedddddd Drake’s comedic turns. Cringed at that moment with Jhene Aiko. Also felt like have Sasheer in every sketch was a little…off. I remarked to my husband that we saw more of her in one night than we’ve seen of some of the other featured players since they started the season.
But I am hopeful we’re going to see some good things from this season. I am certainly looking forward to what the three sistas will add to the show, if Lorne lets them cook. Fingers crossed!
I totally get what you are saying. Somewhere along the line SNL, a show about pop culture, forgot they need to actually reflect the culture it wants to lampoon. That means a diverse cast so we don’t have men wearing wigs, or actors in yellow face, red face, or wearing pink shirts and giving snaps in Z formation.
Yes the need for a woman of color was painfully obvious because Keenan was wearing a wig every week. I hope Lorne notices the change in tone having these new hires made and realizes he still has work to do.
True story, Milaxx!
I loved the show I’ve always been a fan never really stopped watching even after Eddie Murphy (yep I’m old!)
Anywhoo Sasheer fit in great, can’t wait for future episodes!
I think she’s gonna be a good fit. Looking forward to seeing more of her.
I wasn’t home to watch SNL last night. But I noticed that you said everything about Sasheer’s hiring other than that she was funny in last night’s episode. You raved about Drake’s comic performances for half of the article, but didn’t refer to Sasheer’s performances as funny once during the half of the article you dedicated to discussing her. So I can only assume that you didn’t think she was funny, which is consistent with what I heard from others. That’s unfortunate because the nation’s eyes are on her, and of course, SNL isn’t going to give her as much time or as many chances to adjust/catch her bearing/get up to speed or whatever you call it. Most SNLers take a few seasons to really get their comedic acting chops “on the level” before SNL really begins to showcase them. I hope they give Sasheer that same courtesy.
Well they didn’t give her much to work with to show her funny so I couldn’t comment on that. It was the material she was given. And I agree that SNL gives their featured players some time to get acclimated, which is why seeing her in every skit (even when she had just 1 line) felt forced. We’ll see though.
Kate McKinnon is the first openly gay cast member (there were two earlier, but they were more closeted, whereas Kate got her start on The Big Gay Sketch Show)
Yes, you’re right Heather. I made the correction. And actually, I wasn’t even supposed to leave that part in there. 5am writing and editing FAIL.
Terry Sweeney was the first openly gay cast member of SNL during the horrible, yet super weird 85-86 season (remember when Robert Downey, Jr, Anthony Michael Hall and Damon Wayons rounded out the cast?) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Sweeney
I say let’s give it a minute. I think this episode was a way of introducing her to everyone. Surprised Drake was so funny considering his music is…meh…
I feel you, Roz!
I really wonder what the issue is with that. To me it would seem, if only white men audition for SNL, send out some scouts. Plenty of all types of funny out there, SNL, get looking.
True, Joy. And for them to all of a sudden have 12 Black women to audition for the show means their exclusion of us before was just simply from being lazy. They didn’t LOOK for us before.
And this is why I CANT with Drake. How this dude rose to rap prominence and postures himself all gangsta and gets away with it is beyond me.
Im not saying you have to have a bodycount to be a rapper..but at least do you. Eminem aint posturing as a drug dealing gangsta.,..but he keeps it real about his moms, his girl, the trailer park he’s from, being white in the inner city surrounded black folks. Keep it real.
But Drake…this dude grew up in a house with a pool in them mean Toronto suburbs. And sure, what they pay child actors in canada aint the same as here, but dude was at least clocking 40Gs a year. Shyt, thats a grown folks salary, and my dude was making that at 15,16. Im sure it paid a bill or two..bought clothes, paid for groceries, a car, joory, something. Now this dude wants to get on the mic and spit like he is some damn Gambino now? And then wanna be croon sangin’ on top of it??? NAWL.
I said it last week, this dude is extra and always super up in his feelings. He need to change his name from Drake( and why the hell does he call himself Drake of all things?) to the Kleenex Kid.
Uhmmm I am going have to disagree with this whole rant. Where does Drake ever try to act like he’s gangster? I feel like everyone wants to put him in this “rapper” box when I think he’s just a great musician. He raps , he sings, he writes and now we all know he’s actually a pretty decent actor as well. Black people’s first reaction is to pick faults instead of praising guh! Also, he calls himself Drake because that’s what his momma named him, Aubrey Drake Graham so…
Clearly you havent listened to all of his music.
I agree with you… Nothing hardcore or gangsta about Drake. Using certain catch phrases doesn’t make you “gangsta”. Please, I’m a mom of a 13 yr. old and find myself repeating some of the phrases (no cuss words tho).
I have to disagree with you as well. As a TORONTONIAN I can assure you that Drake was not a “rich” kid. The so-called suburbs in Toronto are not necessarily affluent either. You don’t need to be rich to live in the suburbs here. Secondly Drake has stated MANY TIMES, that his mom was in serious debt before he made it big. As a child actor in Canada he wasn’t making any serious money. We don’t have a celebrity culture like you do in the states. Thirdly, Drake has said MANY TIMES that “Started from the Bottom” is about HIS reality. He has said that “the bottom” is different for everyone. I don’t think a lot of you realize what a big deal it is that Drake is as famous as he is. We have thousands of extremely talented rappers in this city that never made it outside of Toronto. The fact the Drake broke through is a miracle in itself. As far as the “gangster” image, I’m sure Young Money had a lot to do with that. Unfortunately in America, if you haven’t shot someone, or been shot 9 times or sold crack, no one wants to take you seriously as a rapper. They say you aren’t “street” enough and call you “emotional”. I wish Drake didn’t play into the gangster thing, but I’m sure Lil Wayne and Baby weren’t about to let him do what came naturally to him. Now that he’s surpassing Young Money’s expectations and has become more mainstream hopefully he will leave that behind, because that’s not who he is and its not who he has ever claimed to be outside of the music.
Co-sign everything you wrote in this article, Luvvie.
I LOVED Drake on the show. He kilt it. I think he was one of the strongest hosts they’ve had in a long time and agree that his comedic chops are dope. I could watch it every week if he were on.
As for Sasheer–maybe cause it was the first show and she was just kinda thrown in there, but….I agree it seemed forced (like, “you said you wanted a Black female, here she is.”) The parts she played coulda been played by an extra. There wasn’t much room to shine or make them her own.
And her as Rihanna? Why did that make me uncomfortable? Truthfully, that bit woulda been funnier if Keenan played it (cause like it or not, a fat guy playing a gorg sex bomb like Rihanna is funnier than a good looking Black woman playing her–unless the bit was written a different way so Sasheer could have owned it.)
I’m hoping it just takes time for her to develop some classic characters–or if she already has, for those characters/bits to be featured on the show.
Hoping this gets better (I have a feeling it will).
That 90s flashback definitely had the fingerprints of Black writers. Especially the Weezy as Steve Urkel thing. Her Rihanna was just ok to me. I thought the makeup and costume was subpar because had they not added “Rihanna” at the bottom, I wouldn’t know who she was supposed to be.
Yeah…her as Rihanna made me cringe for some reason. I wasn’t sure if it was because of that, her having to shake her ass or something else…not sure what it was, but I wasn’t feeling it
I was really impressed by Drake’s comedic timing.
Me too! He’s really good.
Great Article! I’m hoping Sasheer’s hiring leads to more diversity in the cast but especially in the writers. Also, Kate McKinnon is an openly gay castmember of SNL. Her Justin Beiber was funny!
You’re right, Kyree! I made that correction.
I watched until Weekend Update when my eyelids felt tired. And I was surprised at Drake’s performance. To me as better on SNL than as a rapper. The rap thing from him seems so forced while his SNL performance seemed to be natural. Nothing is wrong with a career change, Drake. Consider it.
As for Sasheer, I’m looking forward to more things from her. The SNL process is that they get everyone together for skit ideas. The ones they like stay. Hopefully some good ones for her will stick. Lorne Michaels is a tough tasks master so my hope is that he will continue to make changes that truly reflect diversity
One ofthe female original not for prime time players said it could be a sexist show. With that I can see it being other things as well. Michaels made light of the lack of black women on the show when Kerry Washington hosted but he must have felt some pressure to get a black woman on the show and fast. I’m glad Sasheer made it but Ilook forward to them stepping up thier game in adding other diverse comics and writing funny material for Sasheer.
Yes indeed, Nichole. All of this.
Why would he consider a career change with three platinum albums?
Watched SNL and loved it. Drake was great. I listened to Drake’s albums because my 13 yr. old son likes his music. I had to check it out to make sure it wasn’t too crazy and for the most part I don’t have a problem with my son listening to it. After seeing all the comments and jokes made about Drake, I decided to do a little research. Whoa and behold, he has three platinum selling albums and as Luvvie pointed out a successful acting career. I googled his net earnings and the young man is a multi millionaire. LOL, no wonder he doesn’t pay any mind to the jokes and snide remarks. I guess its one of those things that black people do sometimes— tear somebody down for no reason. I remember they did the same to MC Hammer, then wanted to sell fish dinners so he wouldn’t lose his house.
I wish the best for Sasheer. I stopped watching SNL, but I will start again to show support to the new cast member and writers. Hopefully others will do the same and it leads to more diversity and inclusiveness.
Of course he’s a super successful rapper. No one said he wasn’t and yes we do make jokes bout him. It’s a thing. But I don’t think his music is good. Personal opinion and of course it doesn’t affect anything. He’s still dumb rich. I just think he’s a gifted actor. Musician? Meh.
Yeah, that’s what I meant “it’s a thing”. No shade intended. All music is a personal preference and judging from the size of his bank account, a lot of people prefer it. He only has one song I like, but as a mom, I’m just glad to see him legally make money.
Love your site. I saw where my son has started following you, so I’m constantly monitoring….I use you as example of a person “who did all her homework”.
I agree with everything you said. Drake was funnier than I thought he’d be. That Katt wig! One thing I wanted to see: Drake come out as Obama and Jay wanting to fight him for it.
If Drake ever hosted with Justin, and Tina, Jimmy and Alec Baldwin showed up, I’d pass out from the awesomeness.
Ummmm I would TOTALLY watch that show with glee. That would be plain hilarity.
One Up : THEY ALL DO A GLEE SPOOF!!!
#ACTUALLY SNL has had two openly gay castmembers, both of whom were out before they went on air. In fact, SNL’s first black woman (Danitra Vance) was also SNL’s first lesbian. And I learned all this from Kate McKinnon’s wiki. G’wan ‘hed and crank up that strikethrough tag in the HTML preview, Luv.
You are perfectly right. I was actually supposed to delete that piece. That’s what I get for no re-editing and for writing at 5am. Sorry!
I watched and thought it was a good show overall. Sasheer did okay with what she had to work with, but hey, so long as they quit putting Kenan in a dress and wig, it’s a victory.
SNL has other featured players who don’t get this much screen time, and I am sure they must be feeling real salty right now.
It will take time to strike the right balance and since SNL is at least trying, I will cut them some slack for now.
And Drake was so good as host. My favorite skit was him as the corny dad whose daughter was having a sleepover, and why was Twitter blowing up over his short shorts in that Disney sketch? lol I thought he perfectly captured the cheesiness of those Disney park presentations.
The corny dad had me cracking up! That daddy sweater and haircut was perfect.
The sweater game me Cosby and the hair cut gave me Frank Mitchell Drake should def. do some comedic acting and get featured in films. He was great. His Katt Williams was on point.
gave*
Cosign everything in this piece. It feels like a cynical move on Lorne’s part to keep us quiet and I’m not feeling it. Sassheer was pretty good in everything she was in except that RiRi joint. That was terrible. She’s going to have to plow through a bunch of BS to get a real signature sketch to shine in and I wish her and the other 2 sisters they hired the best. They also need to be ready to be the whipping girls if folks say the show is still wack (which it is). As for Drake, I knew he would be good but his comic timing was surprisingly good. I hope they keep trotting him out the way they do JT.
I do feel they were pandering to those that called for diversity. The majority of their demographics are probably white males. Therefore that is what we see on SNL. SNL didn’t use to be like this. At one point there was a lot of diversity in terms or women and people of color. I am not sure if they stopped because they were pandering to the ratings which are mainly white men.
I would like to see more diversity period. Yet it sheds light on another issue that is most of the people who aren’t white are not recognized. They don’t deal with East Indian’s, Asians, or Blacks or Hispanics. Makes you think they aren’t a thought in their lives and are included in the view of America. Hispanics, are not just maids, or farm workers they are also doctors, lawyers, judges etc, same is Asians, Blacks, East Indians. By keeping the cast all white is it because that is who they know or deal with or acknowledge in their daily lives? Well they need to move out of their comfort zone.
I am enjoying the diversity on TV this season. TV seems to be the last bastion of white supremacy and this is what it’s about. The notion that an all white America projected is what sells shows and increases the rating. I hope to see a multicultural America represented on most shows.
This is the first season in years that I have watched TV. “Personal Interest” and “Mary Jane” along with “Single Ladies” are my shows. I know a lot of the changes are influenced with the Barack Obama in the White House. I hope that it doesn’t stop and continues we need to include a lot more cultures and experiences on TV.
I feel just the same as you Luvvie. Her roles seemed a bit forced, just like the joke they did when Kerry hosted. Having her thrown in every skit was like a poke to the people who complained. A lil jack assy if you ask me but like you said their in that damned if you do and if you don’t situation. Hopefully next show for her will be better. I would rather her be in 2 skits with major lines and look natural then being tossed in multiple skits acting the role an extra could play.
SNL has always been for white men. And they’ll put a man in a dress on stage before they put a woman every time. I think they’re making efforts but only time will tell how it goes.
Drake was hilarious except for that last part. I hope his mom snatched his ass up.
I did think Drake was great.
As far as Sasheer, she was fine, didn’t really pop, but wasn’t terrible. Like the average featured player so far. I didn’t think her multiple appearances were pandering; any time there’s a black host (or Eminem), the black players work OVERTIME, serving as relatives, colleagues, significant others, etc. I mean in one sketch this week, Kenan played four different characters. When Kerry hosted, he and Jay were everywhere. That’s just how it works. If she had debuted during Jonah Hill’s episode, we wouldn’t have seen as much of her.
They did give Drake the biggest zinger of the night:
“Nancy, somewhere out there is a man wearing nothing but a Snuggie and shower shoes, and he is only half as crazy as yo ass.”
Nancy Grace has to be told every week, too. Maybe Katt Williams can become a fixture, and Drake can cameo every time that way.
I only watched because Drake was hosting, and to see what happened with the addition of Sasheer. Drake was hilarious! He should definitely do more acting. I was confused by the red light during his musical set, but liked the song. Missed some of the show because I got sleepy. Saw a couple of sketches with the Sasheer. I’m guessing she will have better opportunities to shine in upcoming programs. Hope she creates a ‘signature’ character that is memorable.
Raaaaaandom side note about Captain Planet – can we talk about “Kwame” from… South Africa? An acquaintance brought that up a few months back and I’d totally forgotten, but now it has me cackling every time that show is mentioned. #AfricaIsACountry
I watched for the first time since JT hosted (gotta watch JT ’cause he could lowkey get it). Anyhoo … didn’t even know about Drake, watched solely for Sasheer. I agree at first I thought she was up in every skit but then I figured shoooooooo why not?! and I was ok again. Drake was great! I actually enjoyed the 2 songs too, strange lighting and all and his Kat Williams made me rewind thrice.
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