Sherri Shepherd calls out ‘SNL’ over lack of Black women in the cast: ‘Do not disappoint us’

With Ego Nwodim gone, Sherri Shepherd says SNL has no excuse not to bring new Black female comics on the show.

Sherri Shepherd has a message for “Saturday Night Live”: hire another Black woman and do it fast.

On Monday’s episode of her daytime talk show, the comedian and actress reflected on the absence she felt during the sketch series’ season 51 premiere.

“When I watched ‘Saturday Night Live’ this weekend, I did notice something was missing: Ego Nwodim left the show,” Shepherd said. “She was their only Black female cast member, so now there are no Black women on ‘SNL.’ So what do I say to ‘SNL?’ Y’all gotta hurry up and you gotta find somebody, this is a ‘break glass in case of an emergency.’ It is an emergency.”

As previously reported by theGrio, Nwodim announced last month that she was leaving the show after seven seasons. Her exit came after SNL had already introduced five new performers — Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska—none of whom are Black women. While the writing staff does include Black women, Shepherd said that isn’t enough when it comes to representation in front of the camera.

“We gotta have representation on that show,” she emphasized.

Shepherd then recalled her own experiences being left out of “SNL’s” parodies of “The View,” where she cohosted from 2007 to 2014.

“When I cohosted ‘The View,’ there was no Black woman on the show to play me,” she explained. “There was no Black woman to even play Whoopi [Goldberg] — Kenan Thompson would play Whoopi at the table when they spoofed us!”

Without a Black woman on the cast, Shepherd said she was erased from those sketches — until a surprise guest filled in.

“Then they had the nerve—when Tracy Morgan guest hosted—Tracy Morgan played me on the daggone show,” she recalled, laughing as she showed a throwback photo of Morgan in a floral blouse and wig. “That was supposed to be me! They had Tracy Morgan in that old tired Shake-N-Go wig looking like he sits third row at church and serves the dinner after service. He’s even still got a five o’clock shadow!”

Shepherd admitted she understands the show is in transition, but rejected excuses about the talent pool. “What I don’t like hearing is ‘We can’t find anybody.’ There are lots of talented Black female comics that you can cast on ‘SNL,’” she said. “If you go to any comedy club or improv place, they are out there waiting for this opportunity, getting ready for this very opportunity.”

She even offered a few names herself — Tacarra Williams, B-Phlat, Yamaneika Saunders, and her own comedy producer, Robin Montague. “And those are just three women who came on my show and were hysterical,” Shepherd said. “So many more including my comedy producer Robin Montague, she is a comedy legend who keeps us laughing all day long.”

Her final words to the show were clear: “’SNL,’ do not disappoint us. You are charged!”

Shepherd’s remarks come just as another former cast member, Punkie Johnson, spoke candidly about her four years on the show. In an interview with People magazine, Johnson described “SNL” as a “different monster” and a “different beast” that demanded constant resilience. 

“They just throw you in the water — you better know how to swim. They don’t give you no life jacket,” she said.

Johnson, who left last year after not feeling like she fit, said her time on the show forced her to distinguish between simply “going through the motions” and doing “something really great.” She ultimately credits “SNL” with making her stronger: “I feel like I can take on anything in Hollywood as I handled every piece of adversity that went on in that building.”

With Nwodim’s exit and Johnson’s earlier departure, Shepherd and many fans are urging “Saturday Night Live” to act quickly before another season passes without Black women represented on its iconic stage.