We are rooting for everybody Black!
Comedian Punkie Johnson just became the first openly Black lesbian to join the cast of "Saturday Night Live (SNL)," Autostraddle reports.
Johnson is a writer and comedian who is a regular at the world-famous Comedy Store in Hollywood. She has credits on several shows, including Netflix's "Space Force," Comedy Central's "Corporate" and "Bill Burr Presents: The Ringers," as well as TruTV's "Adam Ruins Everything." She also had a guest-starring role in the hit HBO comedy series "A Black Lady Sketch Show."
A New Orleans native, Johnson will become one of only 22 Black cast members to grace the SNL stage in the show's 46 years. Of that group, only seven have been a Black woman; Yvonne Hudson (1980-1981), Danitra Vance (1985-1986), Ellen Cleghorne (1991-1995), Maya Rudolph (2000-2007), Leslie Jones (2014-2019), Sasheer Zamata (2014-2017), and Ego Nwodim (2018 - present).
Vance was the first Black lesbian to join the cast back in 1985; however, her sexual orientation wasn't made public until after her death from breast cancer in 1994. Johnson stands on her shoulders, joining the ranks during a pivotal season for the sketch show, which is just returning to live tapings amidst the coronavirus pandemic, in front of a limited, socially distanced studio audience inside Rockefeller Center in New York. Nwodim was recently promoted to a primary cast member, and comedic icon Jim Carrey will be joining the show to play Presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Johnson reposted a tweet from SNL, welcoming her to the cast but has yet to release an official statement.
Welcome to the cast! 🎉
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) September 16, 2020
Andrew Dismukes
Lauren Holt
Punkie Johnson pic.twitter.com/TwasfjrtMF
We can't wait to see what you add to this show's legacy!
Photo Courtesy of Laugh Factory/YouTube