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Ego Nwodim Explains SNL Exit, Notes Representation Gap as She Sets Off-Broadway Run

Her exit leaves SNL without a Black woman in the cast, renewing scrutiny of the show’s record on representation.

Overview

  • In a Nov. 5 appearance on Sherri, Nwodim said she left after seven seasons to explore other opportunities, joking about a “seven-year itch.”
  • She will make her Off-Broadway debut at New York’s Lincoln Center Nov. 19–23 in a comedy show directed by Zhailon Levingston.
  • Nwodim said she felt honored to be the seventh Black woman in SNL’s cast and voiced hope that more Black women will be hired.
  • Her departure means the current SNL lineup has no Black women, a gap Sherri Shepherd highlighted while urging the show to add one.
  • Nwodim joined SNL in 2018 and was promoted in 2020, as critics note that only eight of 172 cast members across 51 seasons have been Black women.