‘SNL’s’ Kenan Thompson Says Black Female Comedians Are Not Ready

"Saturday Night Live" cast member Kenan Thompson says black female comedians are not ready for "SNL" primetime.

In an interview with "TV Guide," Thompson who has become the go-to cast player for portraying black female celebrities, blames the shows lack of diversity in that realm on the lack of quality black female comedians. He says, "It's a tough part of the business," adding that in auditions "they just never find ones that are ready."

In its 38 years on the air, "SNL" has only had four black female cast members, the most recent being Maya Rudolph who ended her seven seasons on the show in 2007.

Thompson's fellow "SNL" cast member Jay Pharoah recently spoke out about the show's diversity problem. He told TheGrio.com that "SNL" needs to "pay attention" and add a black woman to the cast, even suggesting Damirra Brunson, who currently stars on "Tyler Perry's Love Thy Neighbor."

"SNL" just added six new cast members to the show. Five are male, one is female, all are white.

[Metro Networks]