Saturday Night Live announced Friday that Ego Nwodim will join the show’s cast as a featured player for its upcoming 44th season, making her the eighth black female cast member in SNL history. Like many TV programs, SNL has had a diversity problem since its inception, but has begun addressing it in recent years. The show did not having any black female cast members between Maya Rudolph’s exit in 2007 and Sasheer Zamata’s hiring in 2014. Since Zamata, SNL has also added Leslie Jones to its lineup. Nwodim has a degree in biology from the University of Southern California, and has been a regular cast member at the United Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles. SNL returns on September 29.
