What is the job of a comedian? Most people would surely agree that it’s to make an audience laugh. This, however, is only half the story. Take Sasheer Zamata. Yes, that’s the same Sasheer Zamata who was thrust into the limelight on Saturday Night Live when the show was on the verge of a race row in 2014. Does she see her role as being responsible for making people laugh?
“I’m trying to create fun, digestible ways for people to learn without feeling like they’re being attacked,”
Zamata explained during a recent interview with Time. This – coming from a woman of colour – gives a whole new insight into the importance of being a comedian.
Zamata was born in 1986. Her parents were living in Okinawa, Japan, at the time, but they would eventually return to the United States. Zamata was then raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was in the 90s, decades after her mother, Ivory Steward, had bore witness to turbulent race relations in her own youth and become one of the first black students to attend an integrated school in Arkansas.
It was during her own school experience where Zamata first fell in love with comedy. She was introduced to the world of improv, and soon she discovered that she had a knack for the craft. There were a few hiccups along the way, particularly when she attended the University of Virginia. Zamata was rejected from the existing improv group but eventually carved her own name by starting a new group – called Amuse Bouche.
What made Zamata stand out from the crowd of up-and-coming comedians at the time? According to Zamata, it was the ‘unique’ perspective that she had from being a black woman. During an interview with Elle in 2020, she said:
“I am black and a woman, and live in America and have a very unique experience that is valid and deserves to be visible.”
After leaving university, Zamata quickly started to make a name for herself on the stand-up scene. This included performances at the Upfront Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. She also began securing television stints, such as featuring in sketches on Inside Amy Schumer.
It was around this time when a big break was on the horizon. It came, however, under tricky circumstances. Saturday Night Live – the long-running variety show – was in need of a new star in 2014. This couldn’t just be any old star; it had to be one that would usher a much-needed wave of diversity into the show.
The show had begun to receive criticism midway through its 39th season due to the fact it had only ever featured five black female comedians during its entire run. Even more, concerning at that point, there hadn’t been a black female cast member since 2007. It was decided there would be an exclusive casting call – one that included Zamata.
Discussing this in an interview with Observer in 2015, Zamata said:
“When word leaked about SNL’s casting call for black women, people were of two minds. One being: quotas aren’t great. And the second group: ‘well, this show is getting more diverse, which is positive’.”
Zamata stood out from the competition and became part of the cast halfway through the season. She was extremely well received by critics and would go on to have viewers howling at her skits. In particular, she was famed for making impressions of the likes of Rihanna, Michelle Obama, Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé.
It was a great stint for Zamata, who would remark how she felt part of an audience-instigated change. She said:
“Being in the show is a big deal. I’m glad that I was able to be here at a time people wanted change to happen. And SNL is interesting because people feel ownership of it. Not many shows have people demanding ‘we deserve a black woman’.”
Zamata would ultimately bow out of the show following the finale of the 42nd season in 2017. However, by that point, she’d showed enough talent and turned enough heads to continue ploughing ahead in the industry. More opportunities followed – and not just in terms of roles.
As she secured new platforms to perform, she kept enlightening people – albeit in an amusing way – to some of the realities of being a black woman. During an interview with Emory University in 2017, she explained that this gives people an opportunity to learn more about others.
Zamata said:
“I talk about race and gender and things that are going on that bother me, so I do put that into my material because I can, and I want to. If people want to learn from it, that’s awesome. If they don’t, that’s also okay.”
Aside from starring in films like The Weekend and television shows like Woke, Zamata is now also a celebrity ambassador to the American Civil Liberties Union. This gives her a voice to speak out against many forms of discrimination in the United States.
Upon being named as the new ambassador, Zamata released a statement in which she said she was ‘honoured’ to fight for equal opportunities. It read:
“It’s so wonderful that women continue to break down barriers and change societal expectations, but women still suffer discrimination for their gender, class and race.”
Zamata is only 34 and clearly still has many years left in her career. We’ll likely see her all across the entertainment industry in one way or another, but perhaps more importantly, she’ll continue to fight behind the scenes for greater diversity and opportunities for all.
During her interview with Time, Zamata was asked what’s left to achieve for her. She had already tasted so much success from a young age. She replied:
“I want to write, direct, produce, and act in movies and TV. I just want to rule my own empire and take over the industry. That’s all. Simple enough.”
Obviously, these words were uttered in a tongue-in-cheek fashion – but it still feels like this could actually become a reality one day for Zamata.