The joke’s on “Saturday Night Live” this time.
“Saturday Night Live” addressed its lack of black, female cast members during the opening skit of this weekend’s episode, with host Kerry Washington playing multiple roles – and Rev. Al Sharpton making a cameo.
Discourse leading up to the episode centered around the show’s diversity struggles. In the past four decades, only four black women have served as cast members. Current SNL’er Kenan Thompson spoke out about the slight, deciding to stop performing in drag.
So it was up to Washington – sexy and vogue as Olivia Pope on ABC’s “Scandal” – to fill SNL’s staffing deficiency. She first appeared as Michelle Obama, greeting her husband (cast member Jay Pharoah) in the Oval Office. Soon after she arrived, Obama’s press secretary (Taran Killam) emerged to announce Oprah’s arrival.
“Don’t you think you should go and get changed?” the secretary asked the ‘first lady.’
“Why?” she asked.
“So that Oprah can come in.”
Ah, yes. So Washington disappeared to change outfits as text scrolled across the screen: “The producers at ‘Saturday Night Live’ would like to apologize to Kerry Washington for the number of black women she will be asked to play tonight.
“We agree that this is not an ideal situation and look forward to rectifying it in the near future … unless, of course, we fall in love with another white guy first.”
After Washington switched into a blue dress and frizzy hair, screaming to the crowd as ‘Oprah,’ she again quickly departed – Beyoncé had arrived.
By then it was Sharpton’s turn, speaking directly to the audience.
“What have we learned from this sketch? As usual, nothing,” Sharpton said.
The episode’s musical guest, Eminem, performed “Berzerk” and “Survival” off his latest album, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2.”
“Saturday Night Live” also honored rocker Lou Reed, who died Oct. 27, by playing a clip from his 1986 appearance on the show.