Chapter
Impersonation Auditions
38:44 - 41:24 (02:40)
A comedian recounts the funny and impressive story of a fellow comedian who auditioned for a role by perfectly impersonating former US President Obama, which likely won him the job due to people always expecting black comedians to do impersonations of famous black people.
Clips
SNL has historically placed the burden of impersonating black figures on its black cast members, regardless of accuracy.
38:44 - 40:05 (01:20)
SNL
Summary
SNL has historically placed the burden of impersonating black figures on its black cast members, regardless of accuracy. The lack of diversity in the writer's room and performer pool adds to this issue.
ChapterImpersonation Auditions
EpisodeRobert Smigel
PodcastFly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
In this snippet, the person being interviewed talks about impersonating Obama, including a story about a cast member on their show who had done it for years, and how blackface was a red flag.
40:05 - 41:24 (01:19)
Obama Impersonation
Summary
In this snippet, the person being interviewed talks about impersonating Obama, including a story about a cast member on their show who had done it for years, and how blackface was a red flag.