Leslie Jones, former cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” has opened up about her “frustrating” experience on the show, particularly regarding the characters she was asked to portray. In a recent interview on “The Sam Sanders Show,” the comedian recalled how writers frequently typecast her as aggressive and violent.
Pattern of Typecasting
“It was kind of frustrating that they would always make me the girl that was angry and beating up people or in love with a white boy,” Jones said. “They just always would make me angry or I’m fighting somebody.” She noted that she initially did not push back because she “wanted to be on the show” and didn’t realize the pattern until it became repetitive.
“Every time I would get a sketch, I was like, ‘OK, who am I beating up this week?’” she added. “I just started getting frustrated with [the writers]. I was like, ‘Stop writing me like that.’”
Writers’ Justification
Despite her protests, Jones said the writers maintained their approach, arguing it would lead to her success. “They’re like … ‘When you leave here, you’ll be able to make [a career],’” she recalled. “No. I don’t want to be Chevy Chase. I don’t want to be whoever. I want to be Leslie. I want to do everything. And I wanted to go across the board with everything, you know?”
Broader Context
When asked whether “SNL” was a “healthy place to be a Black comic,” Jones responded, “I think that it is the machine that it is. That’s just all I can tell you.” Jones joined “SNL” during its 39th season at age 47, making her the oldest new cast member in the show’s history. Over five seasons, she earned two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
