Where Are SNL’s 8 Former Black Female Cast Members Today

Ahead of its 52nd season premiere, “Saturday Night Live” made a major casting announcement: Brooklyn-based comedian Saidah Belo-Osagie will be the newest member of the sketch comedy show. Her addition to “SNL” marks a historic milestone as she becomes just the ninth Black woman in the show’s 50-plus-year history to join as a featured cast member. Following in the footsteps of trailblazers such as Danitra Vance, Ellen Cleghorne, and Sasheer Zamata, Belo-Osagie is a welcome addition to late-night television.

As we celebrate her joining the cast, let’s take a look back at the Black women who have starred on “SNL,” and where they are now.

Yvonne Hudson

Yvonne Hudson began as an uncredited actor often featured in “SNL” sketches. However, she made history in 1980 when she became the first Black woman hired as an official cast member on the live comedy show. Hudson starred in sketches alongside “SNL” icons Eddie Murphy and Garrett Morris.

Hudson’s time on the show ended in 1981 when “Saturday Night Live” underwent a leadership change and didn’t invite the comedian back for a second season, according to the fan site SNL Rankings. Since then, Hudson has lived out of the public eye, with one other IMDb credit for working in the production department on the 1985 TV special, “Motown Returns to the Apollo.”

Related: Danielle Brooks Talks About Being Shut Out of the Met Gala, Despite Being an EGOT Nominee

Danitra Vance

Danitra Vance became the first Black woman hired as a featured cast member four years after Yvonne Hudson’s tenure at ‘SNL’ ended in 1985. Like Hudson, Vance spent only one season on the show. She left in 1986, feeling that she had limited roles due to typecasting, but her career didn’t end there. After “SNL,” the comedian appeared in a handful of films and TV shows, including a 1987 episode of “Miami Vice” and the 1991 drama, “Little Man Tate.”

Vance’s career was cut short in 1994 when she died of breast cancer. She was 40. Today, she continues to be remembered as a pioneering Black woman on “SNL.”

Ellen Cleghorne

Ellen Cleghorne joined the “Saturday Night Live” cast in 1991 and became the first Black woman to remain past a single season, staying for four years before leaving in 1995 to star in her own sitcom, “Cleghorne!,” which lasted only one season before being canceled by Warner Bros. She then appeared in films, including “Coyote Ugly” and “Armageddon,” and returned to academia, earning a doctorate in performance studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2014, according to BuzzFeed.

In 2021, Cleghorne became a part-time faculty member at The New School in New York before leaving in 2023. Today, she remains active on social media, often appearing in sketches on her Instagram page.

Maya Rudolph

Maya Rudolph made her debut on “SNL” in 2000 and was part of the cast until 2007, although she has made many cameos on the show since her exit. In 2024, Rudolph made a surprise appearance in the cold open alongside Kamala Harris just before the presidential election.

Since leaving “SNL,” Rudolph has starred in countless comedy films, including the 2011 hit “Bridesmaids,” voiced Connie the Hormone Monstress in the Netflix animated series “Big Mouth,” and appeared in Adam Sandler’s “Grown Ups” film franchise.

Sasheer Zamata

Seven years after Maya Rudolph’s exit, Sasheer Zamata became the fifth Black woman to join the “SNL” cast. During her time on the show, Zamata was known for her impressions of Michelle Obama and Rihanna. She left the show in 2017, saying the job wasn’t what she thought it was going to be, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Since then, Zamata has thrived in the comedy world. She starred in the 2021 sitcom “Home Economics,” the Marvel series “Agatha All Along,” and continues to perform stand-up comedy.

Leslie Jones

Along with Sasheer Zamata, Leslie Jones joined the “SNL” cast in 2014 and was a prominent cast member until her departure in 2019. During her time on “SNL,” Jones starred in several acting projects, including the 2016 remake of “Ghostbusters” and the animated film, “Sing.”

Ultimately, Jones left to pursue movie projects she was unable to take on due to “SNL’s” demanding work schedule. She has since appeared in “American Dad!,” “Coming 2 America,” and “Good Burger 2.” In 2020, the comedian released her Netflix stand-up special, “Leslie Jones: Time Machine.”

Ego Nwodim

In 2018, Ego Nwodim joined the “Saturday Night Live” cast, bringing plenty of laughs until her exit in 2025. After seven seasons on the show, Nwodim told host Sherri Shepherd on her daytime talk show, “Sherri,” that she wanted to pursue other projects.

Nwodim has done exactly that, starring as Kate Woodson in the 2026 coming-of-age sitcom “Not Suitable for Work” and voicing the Fish Queen in the 2026 Disney-Pixar animated film “Hoppers.” She also hosts her own podcast with iHeartMedia, “Thanks Dad with Ego Nwodim.”

Punkie Johnson

Punkie Johnson joined the “SNL” cast in 2020 and made history as the show’s first openly queer Black woman—although the late Danitra Vance was a lesbian, per Vulture, her sexuality was not publicly known during her time on “SNL.”

Johnson departed the show in 2024. In the years since, she has focused on her stand-up material while appearing in several films and TV series, most notably playing Shawnita for 10 episodes on “The Chi.”