Leslie Jones, a former star of “Saturday Night Live,” recently shared with “The Sam Sanders Show” her frustration over being repeatedly typecast by the show’s writers as angry and aggressive.
Jones expressed her discontent, noting that she was often portrayed as the angry character who was either in conflict or in love with a white character. “They just always would make me angry or I’m fighting somebody,” she remarked.
When host Sam Sanders inquired if she was comfortable with such portrayals, Jones admitted she did not initially resist because she wanted to remain on the show, only realizing the pattern when it became persistent.
She recalled, “Every time I would get a sketch, I was like, ‘OK, who am I beating up this week?’” This repeated typecasting led to her growing frustration, prompting her to urge the writers to stop creating such roles for her.
Despite her protests, Jones noted that the typecasting continued.
Recalling the writers’ justification, she mentioned, “They’re like, ‘This is successful. When you leave here, you’ll be able to make [a career],’” to which Jones responded that she did not want to emulate anyone else’s career path. “I want to be Leslie. I want to do everything. And I wanted to go across the board with everything, you know?”
When questioned about whether “SNL” is a conducive environment for a black comic, Jones described it as a large, impersonal entity, saying, “I think that it is the machine that it is. That’s just all I can tell you.”
Jones joined “Saturday Night Live” in its 39th season, marking a milestone as the oldest new recruit at the age of 47. She stayed with the show for five seasons until 2019 and received two Emmy nominations for her role as an outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series.
