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On Saturday Night ‘SNL’ Will Be Hosted by an Asian Woman…for the First Time in 18 Years!

Oct 5, 2018  •  Post A Comment

Awkwafina, “‘The Crazy Rich Asians’ and ‘Ocean’s 8’ star, will be the first Asian woman to host ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 18 years, since Lucy Liu hosted in 2000,” reports the cultural arts magazine Paper.

Awkwafina is scheduled to host “SNL” tomorrow night, Oct. 6, 2018.

Notes the Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed in its follow-up story, “She’ll also be only the fifth Asian or Asian-American person to ever host the show, a list that also includes Aziz Ansari (2017), Kumail Nanjiani (2017) and Jackie Chan (2000).”

Writes Paper, “The announcement [of Awkwafina hosting the show] brings attention to how invisible Asian people have historically been in comedy. ‘SNL’ has never had an a female Asian cast-member (and they’ve never employed a full-time Asian cast-member), and BUST reported recently that the show has had to ask a production designer, Akira Yoshimura, to play ‘Star Trek’s’ Sulu every time a skit about the TV show comes up.”

“Along with women like Ali Wong, Constance Wu and Lily Du, Awkwafina is changing things,” Paper says, adding, “She’s proved herself a killer comic, actress and rapper, defining herself through a braggadocious, X-rated comedy, talking about sexuality and race. It’s exciting to see how far she’s come from making bawdy viral hits (no shade) like her 2012 ‘My Vag.’ Aside from her Hollywood action this summer, the Queens native has been a part of MTV show ‘Girl Code,’ created a short-form web series called ‘Tawk’ (which we chatted with her about last year) and recently dropped a new EP, ‘In Fina We Trust.’”

Here’s an interview Awkwafina did with Seth Meyers in August:

3 Comments

  1. I think this is great. But at the same time as long as we count we will never be one people. It is difficult to know when that day will be, but at some point it is required for a really integrated society.

  2. Who cares? Just be entertaining, that’s all. ?

  3. How about having Ali Wong host SNL.

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