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Sasheer Zamata Cast on SNL: 5 Things to Know About the Comedienne

Sasheer Zamata
Sasheer Zamata has been cast on Saturday Night Live. She is the first black female on the show since Maya Rudolph left in 2007.

Saturday Night Live has been on a quest to find a black female cast member for months. To acknowledge the void, Kerry Washington was forced to play a series of black female personalities when she hosted the show in November. Now the historic New York-based show has hired comedienne Sasheer Zamata. (The Wrap was the first to break the news.) 

Related: PHOTOS: Stars' funniest SNL moments

Zamata is the first black female cast member since actress Maya Rudolph left the show in 2007. Want to get acquainted with this SNL freshman? Here are 5 things you should know before her debut: 

1. She's performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade

Zamata has performed standup at this popular New York venue, which was partly created by SNL alum and Parks and Recreation lead Amy Poehler. The comedienne performs with improv groups Doppelgänger and BUCKY. 

2. She is endorsed by Lena Dunham

In December, Girls creator Lena Dunham tweeted her support for the jokester, posting one of Zamata's comic takes on a scary situation she ran into. "This is crazy funny and a wonderful antidote to today's internet," Dunham tweeted.  

Related: PHOTOS: SNL's most successful cast members

3. She's been making jokes about racism her entire career

Zamata has no problem embracing her race, and will surely bring plenty of puns to SNL. In her acting reel, she addresses socially stereotypical situations regularly. 

4. She attended the University of Virginia

Though she currently lives in New York, Zamata graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in drama. She moved to New York in 2009 to pursue a career in comedy.

Related: PHOTOS: Kristen Wiig's best SNL characters

5. She doesn't mind getting sexy

She'd have no problem starring in a "D*ck in a Box" sketch. Zamata and her friend Nicole Byer star in the web series the Pursuit of Sexiness, in which they get into some compromising, yet hilarious situations. 

Tell Us: What do you think of SNL's pick?

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