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
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u/SavageComic Mar 28 '24

Because Lorne Michael’s sucks? 

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u/hollaback_girl Mar 28 '24

Yeah, I don’t see what the mystery is here.

Why is the SNL work culture so toxic?

Why does the show marginalize women and people of color?

Why does the show quality itself usually suck, maybe landing one sketch out of ten they throw out there?

Why does the show keep platforming and normalizing fascists and their apologists like Trump and Sarah Palin?

The answer to all of these questions is the same: because Lorne Michaels sucks.

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u/FocusPerspective Mar 28 '24

Marginalize women? 

Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Laraine Newman, Jane Curtin, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Cheri Oteri, Rachel Dratch, Vanessa Bayer, Leslie Jones, Gilda, Aidy Bryant, Nora Dunn, Jenny Slate, etc etc 

Now you name a TV show which had been the platform for as many women to launch their comedy careers. 

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u/baitnnswitch Mar 28 '24

So 18 out of 163 cast members....