Saturday Night Live, having just come off of a wildly successful run at the 2018 Emmy’s and being only one week away from the premiere of Season 44, has just announced the latest addition to their cast, Ego Nwodim. So far, she is the only person to be officially welcomed into the group, and may be the show’s only pickup of the season.
Ego Nwodim got her start largely in improvisational comedy, having worked with the UCB in Los Angeles, one of the most-highly regarded improv groups in the world. This is not an uncommon place for an SNL cast members to start, with many of the show’s most recognizable faces having humble beginnings in Chicago, New York, or L.A. improv troupes. It is even recognized that the executive producer and mastermind of the show, Lorne Michaels, commonly goes to improv shows during SNL’s off-season to judge the new crop of talent.
Nwodim has also had small roles on shows like the CBS sitcom Two Broke Girls, NBC’s recent crime-drama Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders, and Do You Wanna See a Dead Body?
Although the season premiere of SNL is only a week away, it is not unusual for cast member additions to be announced late in the game, having the same event transpire last year as well. However, having only Ego’s name released is likely an indication that she will be the only hire for the regular cast this season, as last year all three additions: Luke Null, Chris Redd, and Heidi Gardner, were announced at the same time. The show did have an empty space to fill this summer, after it was announced that the aforementioned Luke Null was leaving after just his freshman season on the program. Although it is still unclear what exactly transpired that led to his departure, it seemed likely that his seat would need to be filled before the program began again in the fall.
Nwodim will be joined by wonderful cast mates for her first year on the series, including Kenan Thompson, who will be embarking in his sixteenth season on the series, for which he holds the record. Although he did not win, his recent Emmy nomination only helped to highlight his work throughout the past decade and a half on the staple of television. In addition, SNL also saw more of its ladies critically recognized this year, with three of them (Aidy Bryant, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon) going head-to-head in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at last weekend’s Emmy Awards. Although none of the three won the award, the recognition only further proved SNL’s continuous reign over the comedy airwaves.