'Saturday Night Live' hires two new African-American female writers with new cast member Sasheer Zamata

Just days after hiring New York City comedienne and actress Sasheer Zamata as a new cast member, Saturday Night Live added two new writers to its team. These two scribes are LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones and will start their new jobs next week. These three women are being seen as SNL's answer to the criticism over the lack of African-American females on the cast and crew, but they were hired for their talent and experience so we should not forget that!

Read more on the casting of Sasheer Zamata by clicking here!

LaKendra Tookes is a former news reporter from Florida who decided to become and actress and comedian instead. Clearly this is working out for her considering her new job.

Leslie Jones is a stand-up comedian and actress who has appeared in The League, Sullivan & Son and written and appeared on Def Comedy Jam and 1st Amendment Stand Up. 

Both Jones and Tookes were part of the first SNL auditions to focus exclusively on minority women in the history of the show with Zamata.

The Hollywood Reporter reports:

Tookes and Jones were both among the black female comedians who auditioned during showcases held in New York and Los Angeles after the long-running Lorne Michaels sketch series faced widespread criticism that its new cast lacked diversity -- specifically the inclusion of an African-American woman. Sources tell THR that producers were impressed with both Tookes and Jones and thought they were talented, smart and funny. There are currently no plans to have either appear on-screen, though SNL writers in the past have transitioned to larger roles.