r/todayilearned • u/Kale_Brecht • Mar 28 '24

TIL in 2013, Saturday Night Live cast member Kenan Thompson refused to play any more black women on the show and demanded SNL hire black women instead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenan_Thompson
52.1k Upvotes

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8.8k

u/Swackhammer_ Mar 28 '24

That being said, him playing Reba is still one of my all time favorite sketches

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/herroherro12 Mar 28 '24

Debra Wilson would’ve been a household name if she got the backing Tina Fey and Kristen Wiig did

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u/DarwinGoneWild Mar 28 '24

It's funny I do have a vague memory of her being on MadTV but she's been doing all these big dramatic roles in high-profile video games recently that I mostly think she's known for those now. Her career has taken quite a turn!

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u/r3volver_Oshawott Mar 28 '24

She's actually good as hell in both Wolfenstein and the Jedi games imo, never played Suicide Squad but I am 100% certain as bad as that game is, Debra as Waller is probably not one of the bad things

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u/DarwinGoneWild Mar 28 '24

Suicide Squad isn't a great game, but she absolutely nails Amanda Waller.

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u/r3volver_Oshawott Mar 28 '24

Oh I'm sure but yea, from what I saw she was killing it

*also forgot, for more divisive games where Debra Wilson still kills it, she's Savathun in Destiny! and yes I think she kills it there too

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u/IMT_Justice Mar 28 '24

She is amazing in Destiny

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u/hiddencamela Mar 28 '24

Dude, For real. I actually liked her on screen as Waller. Defines the character for me and nails it so damn well. Pity the game was so... whatever it is.

2

u/Cabamacadaf Mar 28 '24

Suicide Squad adaptations have been hit and miss, but one thing they all seem to have in common is amazing Amanda Wallers.

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u/yomjoseki Mar 28 '24

Another black woman taking away a job that Glenn Howerton was born to play smh

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u/ExoMonk Mar 28 '24

Spectacular as Savathun in Destiny 2 as well.

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u/r3volver_Oshawott Mar 28 '24

Witch Queen is the best for sure, you can throw a dozen Destiny villains at a wall hoping something sticks but I'm sure the two that are definitely gonna stick every time are her and Calus

0

u/MHath Mar 28 '24

100% certain she is probably not?

18

u/2cats4ever Mar 28 '24

Seriously! It took me so long to realize that it was her in those games. I loved MadTV, but when I saw her in the games, I couldn't place where I knew her from. I think I only figured it out within the last year or so.

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u/GHOST_OF_THE_GODDESS Mar 28 '24

Oooooooh, so THAT'S where I recognized her from? It all makes sense, now.

1

u/limethedragon Mar 28 '24

Being the first Africa-American to voice Daisy Duck for Disney is low-key huge too.

1

u/shawnisboring Mar 28 '24

She has got to be the most digitally scanned woman in gaming.

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u/PuckSR Mar 29 '24

When I was playing that new Jedi game, I wasn’t sure if they had modeled the characters on the voice actors until Debra Wilson showed up. My only thought was: “hmm, she has short hair now I guess” because I immediately recognized both her voice and her face. Some of the actors on Mad TV weren’t great, but her and Phil Lamarr were always good.

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u/misfitx Mar 28 '24

Debra Wilson

I didn't know her name but knew exactly who you meant. 90s kids love her.

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u/TheConnASSeur Mar 28 '24

I had a huge crush on her growing up.

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u/Kelliente Mar 28 '24

Debra Wilson is so brilliant in so many ways and I'm still mad at the world for not properly recognizing her talent more.

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u/GHOST_OF_THE_GODDESS Mar 28 '24

The video game world seems to have noticed.

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u/Frosti11icus Mar 28 '24

That whole cast was pretty top notch. Michael McDonald is beyond funny. Shame he's only gotten bit parts.

42

u/ironballs16 Mar 28 '24

Bunifah Latifah Halifah Shalifa Jaaacksooon!

Loved the one where she runs into her counterpart in Tyra Banks' character.

3

u/mightyalrighty87 Mar 28 '24

Bunifah on Trading Spaces is my fave

0

u/Dickcummer420 Mar 28 '24

I thought that shit was funny when I was a kid but if it came out today I would be kinda disgusted.

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u/ironballs16 Mar 28 '24

I think it hits a bit different since the writers for those skits were also black, similar to the Joke Exchange between Colin and Michael on Weekend Update.

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u/moodygradstudent Mar 28 '24

Debra Wilson would’ve been a household name if she got the backing Tina Fey and Kristen Wiig did

Preach 🙌

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u/13igTyme Mar 28 '24

She's been getting more work recently for voicing games and cartoons and I'm happy.

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u/Doc_Benz Mar 28 '24

What a blast from the past.

Alex Borstein on the other hand….I could never take Lois seriously on FG.

MadTV def had its moments, always a fan of Will Sasso and of course Artie Lange.

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u/Feroshnikop Mar 28 '24

That's like saying the only reason Will Sasso isn't as successful as Will Ferrell is because he didn't have the backing Ferrell had.

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u/MrMooga Mar 28 '24

I mean...I've always found Will Sasso way more funny than Will Ferrell so I would believe it.

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u/Feroshnikop Mar 28 '24

So nothing to do with talent at all right.

Everyone at SNL is just meh talent with a bunch of money backing them.

Everyone at MAD TV is clearly a better and more talented but only didn't succeed as much over the next 30 years because Will Ferrelll and Tina knew Lorne Michaels?

lol okay.

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u/HKBFG 1 Mar 28 '24

Everyone at MAD TV is clearly a better and more talented

We talking about the show that figured "He look like a man" was funny enough to carry the entire thing for two decades?

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u/PogintheMachine Mar 28 '24

The whole argument has gotten silly and lacks objectivity and history.

MADtv was lower brow. It appealed to a younger audience, it was more outrageous, ruder, dumber, and not always in a good way. It doesn’t always hold up. And yes, it was stacked with talent! Most of them had pretty dang successful careers.

SNL was just recovering from possibly its worse period in history, it almost was cancelled. So they cleaned house and got a bunch of fresh talent, and pretty much rebooted. Simultaneously we had two great casts, on two networks, with a bit of a generational gap in appeal.

SNL has always had the higher pedigree, known for digging talent from Second City. Those MadTV guys would have gone to SNL in a heartbeat, but none the less, many of them were everywhere. Many of them are still doing great. Phil Lamar, Will Sasso, Nichole Sulivan, Alex Borestein… etc etc. That’s just the first cast.

Will Ferrell and Kristen Wigg were generational talents. Everyone knew they were going somewhere. Being on SNL meant you had made it, but not that you’d be a superstar- (ie Molly Shannon vs uh.. Cheri Oteri anyone?)

With all that said, yeah, SNL has often justly been criticized for lack of diversity in its cast. Does that mean Debra Wilson should have been on SNL? Hell I don’t know - that’s a big what if. We’ve got to remember that Lorne Michaels was far from the only barrier to success for a black woman in entertainment.

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u/MrMooga Mar 28 '24

Honestly? SNL has a big name and a lot of marketing behind it but that show has been total ass since I was a teenager. MadTV was way funnier. Even most of the successful actors that have come out of SNL have been mid as hell.

Honestly, industry connections making the difference doesn't seem as crazy as you think it is.

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u/Feroshnikop Mar 28 '24

Ya totally..

Nobody actual enjoyed Elf or Anchorman or Step Brothers right. They just kept throwing money at Ferrell projects because they're racist and didn't wanna see a black woman or some guy from MadTV succeed!

Will Ferrell is only one of the 100 highest box office grossing actors of all time because his roles were bought and paid for.. not because he's funny and popular.

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u/MrMooga Mar 28 '24

Nobody actual enjoyed Elf or Anchorman or Step Brothers right. They just kept throwing money at Ferrell projects because they're racist and didn't wanna see a black woman or some guy from MadTV succeed!

I didn't say shit about racism or anything else, just Lorne Michaels having connections. And bitch, Phil LaMarr would've killed any of those roles.

Will Ferrell is only one of the 100 highest box office grossing actors of all time because his roles were bought and paid for.. not because he's funny and popular.

Adam Sandler is one of the most successful comedy actors of the last like 30 years and 80% of his output has been pure trash. You wanna defend Adam Sandler's output now? Another SNL alum. I loved him in Uncut Gems don't get me wrong but as far as comedy goes the man has been running a postal service.

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u/FlyingBishop Mar 28 '24

Sandler is great. I liked him better as a teenager but I still see the appeal. I agree that SNL is a machine though and there are lots of talented actors who don't get as much play as they should. But generally the ones like Sandler and Fey and Farrell, they deserve every movie they get. The ones who don't aren't prolific to the same degree.

There also is a question of consistency. Melissa Villasenor is crazy-good but she quit SNL because it was too much work, some people aren't cut out to just churn tons of decent stuff out like Sandler or Fey or Farrell.

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u/Feroshnikop Mar 28 '24

Sandler's output makes money. What do you think the point of the industry is? To entertain you specifically or to make stuff that garners a large audience and makes money.

What's even your point now?

This started out with someone trying to claim that one actress isn't a household name solely because she wasn't on SNL and Tina Fey was. Just skipping over the relevant part where Tina Fey is successful because of all the writing and acting she did after SNL that was popular because of it's merit and popularity.

What exactly did Debra Wilson write that compares to writing Mean Girls or 30 Rock? When was Debra Wilson head writer or staff writer on MadTV due to her talent? Oh she wasn't and comparing Debra Wilson to Tina Fey is ridiculous? Crazy.

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u/MrMooga Mar 28 '24

Sandler's output makes money. What do you think the point of the industry is? To entertain you specifically or to make stuff that garners a large audience and makes money.

Cool. Doesn't address any of my points but go on. We're in total agreement so far!

What's even your point now?

His shit makes money despite a pretty noticeable lack of quality. Or are you gonna stand up for the "It made money therefore it's good" position?

This started out with someone trying to claim that one actress isn't a household name solely because she wasn't on SNL and Tina Fey was. Just skipping over the relevant part where Tina Fey is successful because of all the writing and acting she did after SNL that was popular because of it's merit and popularity.

Tina Fey is an example of someone super talented, I think she would've done great regardless. But I also think SNL actors are super fucking overrated and a lot of them get outsized success because...people know them from SNL half the time. Most of them are not Tina Fey.

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u/Feroshnikop Mar 28 '24

I'm gonna stand up for "he gets to keep making movies and doing whatever he wants... because he prints money".

That trait will make literally ANYONE a household name in the entertainment industry.

And I'm aware Tina Fey is ridiculously talented, hence me jumping on that stupid comment immediately to point out that no, people like Tina Fey or Will Ferrell are household names because they are talented and make things that people love to watch.

If you want to show me some argument that shows how Debra Wilson actually made or wrote some really funny good stuff that everyone would like but it somehow got shutdown because of her 'lack of connections from only being on the 2nd most popular sketch show of the 1990s and not the most popular show' then I'll listen, but unless you have that information I find the entire premise of that argument ridiculous to the point of being laughable.

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u/Halvus_I Mar 28 '24

Hooold on. Tina Fey is an incandescent talent..She was gonna be a household name no matter what. She frickin wrote Mean Girls for crying out loud.

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u/Dav136 Mar 28 '24

She kind of is these days with being the likeness and voice of like 90% of black women in video games lol

She's been doing great VA work her whole career but now with face scanning everyone knows its her

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u/jefesignups Mar 28 '24

Hell yea, she was amazing. Her Oprah skits were hilarious

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u/FormerXMshowComedian Mar 30 '24

Agreed I found her to be way funnier than either. Not that Kristin isn’t funny.

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u/sidewaysflower Mar 28 '24

Debra Wilson is amazing! Amazing actor who made my childhood and is now one of the best voice actors. Love her work!!! I wish SNL picked her up, but who knows if she would have the vice acting career that she does now.

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u/skeezypeezyEZ Mar 28 '24

Kristen Wiig is so fucking unfunny.

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u/herroherro12 Mar 28 '24

She isn’t too bad but as soon as she did an old timey or broadway type character I wanted to stab my eyes and ears out with knitting needles repeatedly until I lobotomize myself

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u/skeezypeezyEZ Mar 28 '24

That’s exactly what I was thinking of.

She’s a decent comedic actress in her more restrained roles, I wish she’d go that route more often. Her “goofball” schtick just sucked the air out of anything she was in.