It takes only 28 seconds for actress and comedienne Nyima Funk to get ready to be on "Saturday Night Live," and we think she more than proves her point.
In a video posted to Funk’s Youtube channel on Tuesday, she says, "I'm a black woman, and I'm not ready [to be on 'SNL']." She adds, "I can get ready, but just hold on real quick." Funk disappears for a few seconds, presumably to "get ready," but a white man returns and takes her place in front of the camera. When he opens his mouth to speak, Funk's voice comes, exclaiming, "And now I am ready to be on 'SNL'! Holla!!" Zing.
An alum of Chicago's Second City theater (which birthed comedy superstars Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey, among others), Funk has appeared on The CW’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and Comedy Central’s “Key & Peele.”
She created her video in response to "SNL" cast member Kenan Thompson's recent comment about the absence of black women on the sketch comedy show. Thompson claimed that the show's producers have had trouble finding black comediennes who are prepared for the audition process.
"It's just a tough part of the business," Thompson told TV Guide this week. "Like in auditions, they just never find ones that are ready."
Thompson also said he is refusing to portray black female characters until the show hires a black female cast member. In the past, he has dressed in drag to portray a variety of black women including Jennifer Hudson and Mo'Nique.
This diversity issue has plagued "SNL" since it's early days. A recent IndieWire article broke down the history of the show's representation of black women, and the result is bleak: In its 38 years on the air, "SNL" has had only four black women as cast members. That's approximately one a decade. Maya Rudolph, the last black woman cast member, left the show in 2007, though she has since made occasional guest appearances.
Thompson's not the only "SNL" comedian speaking out on the show's diversity. His fellow black co-star, Jay Pharoah, recently told MSNBC's theGrio that "SNL" producers "need to pay attention" to actress Darmirra Brunson, best known for her role in Tyler Perry's "Love Thy Neighbor." Pharoah says Brunson would be a great addition to "SNL" "because she’s black first of all, and she’s really talented. She’s amazing."