With season 42 of “Saturday Night Live” now in the books, Sasheer Zamata will be leaving the cast of the famed sketch show after four seasons, TheWrap has learned.
Zamata joins cast mates Vanessa Bayer and Bobby Moynihan on the list of “SNL” departures. Though their retirement from the show was not acknowledged during last night’s season finale, the three were lifted onto the shoulders of the cast and host Dwayne Johnson after the show went off the air. Zamata posted her curtain call on Instagram.
Zamata’s roles on “SNL” were largely supporting ones, though her list of notable performances included an impression of Michelle Obama and regular appearances on the show’s “Black Jeopardy!” sketch. She also had a recurring sketch as Janelle, a ditzy YouTube vlogger that featured Chris Rock as her father. She was brought on by Lorne Michaels in 2014 after the show made six new hires, all white and five of them male, which led to demands for more diverse cast members on the show.
Outside of SNL, her work includes performances at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and films like “Sleight” and “Deirdra and Laney Rob A Train.” She also released her own stand-up special, titled “Pizza Mind.”
Zamata’s departure was first reported by Entertainment Tonight. NBC declined requests for comment.