Sasheer Zamata, known for her impressions of Michelle Obama, Rihanna and Solange Knowles on Saturday Night Live, will exit the show, Entertainment Tonight announced. mxdwn TV recently reported on the planned departures of fellow co-stars Bobby Moynihan and Vanessa Bayer, who were celebrated on Saturday’s season finale, which begs the question for why Zamata’s exit wasn’t worked through before-hand.
Zamata, 31, joined SNL during its 38th season, where-upon the show was heavily criticized for its lack of cast diversity, Deadline reports. Though she didn’t have the tenure to develop many notable characters on SNL, she can be remembered through her tell-all video on Rihanna’s reaction to her impersonation of her, as well as working alongside Tom Hanks on the show’s Black Jeopardy skits. Most recently, she impersonated The Bachelorette‘s Rachel Lindsay in a cut sketch.
Beyond SNL, Zamata starred in a comedy special Sasheer Zamata: Pizza Mind released to SeeSo last March, and has made appearances on Netflix’s Bojack Horseman, Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, TBS’ People Of Earth, Amazon’s Transparent, and is currently working on a role in the upcoming indie-film The Outdoorsman.
The late night sketch comedy and variety show Saturday Night Live or SNL for short, has been broadcast live on NBC since 1975. The show often features celebrity and musical guests alongside a main cast, impersonating, mocking and making fun of current pop-culture trends and of-the-minute news. Season 42 ended last Saturday with the announcement of Bobby Moynihan and Vanessa Bayer leaving the show.
Saturday Night Live currently airs on NBC Saturday nights at 11:30 p.m. ET.