"Saturday Night Live" adds three players, first Latina cast member
LOS ANGELES — “Saturday Night Live” is adding three new players for its 42nd season, including its first Latina cast member.
NBC said Monday that Mikey Day, Alex Moffat and Melissa Villasenor will be on board as featured performers for the show’s Oct. 1 season premiere.
Villasenor, of Whittier, California, will be one of the few Latino cast members in the history of the show, which has come under fire for a lack of diversity.
She’s an impressionist and stand-up comedian who’s appeared on the club and college circuit nationwide. Villasenor also performed with Mas Mejor, a comedy studio and network launched by “SNL” producer Broadway Video and aimed at finding new Latino talent.
Day, from Orange County, California, joined “SNL” as a writer in its 39th season and was a co-head writer and cast member on NBC’s variety show “Maya & Marty.”
Moffat is from Chicago and was a regular performer at iO Chicago and The Annoyance Theatre.
Last month, “SNL” said goodbye to two cast members, Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah. The long-running show is known for its changing slate of performers.