Saturday Night Live promotes Leslie Jones to featured player in the cast

After making a couple of appearances on the Weekend Update desk already in 2014 and cameos in two other sketches this season, Leslie Jones earned herself an upgrade! Saturday Night Live announced tonight that Jones had been promoted from writer to featured player in the cast.

Congrats, Leslie!

Jones joined SNL in January as a writer as show creator Lorne Michaels looked to diffuse criticism that his cast and writing staffs lacked diversity, specifically among black women. Jones had auditioned over the winter, when Michaels hired her to write and added Sasheer Zamata to the cast.

In May, Jones made a breakout debut at the Weekend Update desk.

In September, she featured her stand-up down the hallways of 30 Rock at Late Night with Seth Meyers.

And to start this season, Jones returned to Weekend Update as “relationship expert.”

She also appeared in this pre-taped sketch from the most recent episode, “39 Cents.”

Remember when: Leslie Jones spoke with The Comic’s Comic in 2010 when her first stand-up special, “Problem Child,” premiered.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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