Leslie Jones Says ‘SNL’ Writers Typecast Her ‘Angry’
Leslie Jones, former cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” recently opened up about her frustrations with being typecast on the show. In a recent interview on “The Sam Sanders Show,” Jones expressed her disappointment with always being portrayed as angry and aggressive by the show’s writers.
“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 shared. “They just always would make me angry or I’m fighting somebody.”
When asked if she was comfortable with this type of portrayal, Jones admitted that she didn’t speak up at the time because she wanted to stay on the show. However, as the pattern continued, she grew more and more frustrated with the limited range of roles she was being given.
“Every time I would get a sketch, I was like, ‘OK, who am I beating up this week?’” she revealed. “I just started getting frustrated with [the writers]. I was like, ‘Stop writing me like that.’”
Despite expressing her concerns, Jones felt that the typecasting persisted. She mentioned feeling pressure to conform to the expectations set by the show’s producers and writers.
“They’re like, ‘This is successful. When you leave here, you’ll be able to make [a career],’” Jones recalled. “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?”
Reflecting on her time at “SNL,” Jones was asked if she believed it was a healthy environment for black comedians. Her response was candid: “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, making history as the oldest new recruit at age 47. She remained on the show for five seasons until 2019, during which she earned two Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series.
Despite the challenges she faced, Leslie Jones remains a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, known for her comedic talent and unapologetic personality. Her candidness about her experiences on “SNL” sheds light on the complexities of navigating a predominantly white industry as a black performer.
