Former Saturday Night Live cast member Jay Pharoah, best known for his Kanye West and Barack Obama impressions, has hit out at his old employer, claiming that his talents were under-appreciated on the show.
Pharoah was a cast member on the show for six years, but he was fired alongside long-time star Taran Killam ahead of the most recent season, a move that took many by surprise.
Speaking to Hot 97‘s Ebro In The Morning, Pharoah spoke at length about the reasons he was let go, saying:
“You go where you’re appreciated. And if you have multiple people on the cast saying things like, ‘You’re so talented and you’re so able. They don’t use you and it’s unfair and it’s making us feel bad’ … They put people into boxes. Whatever they want you to do, they expect you to do. I’m a little fiery too … I’m not a yes n—a.”
In 2013, Pharoah made widely-reported comments about the lack of black female performers on SNL – though Sasheer Zamata and Leslie Jones were subsequently added to the cast, he says that his remarks made him unpopular at work.
“When I said what I said and it went viral, I almost freakin’ lost my job,” he told Hot 97.
In spite of all this, Pharoah says that he does not hold a grudge against SNL producer Lorne Michaels. “Ain’t no beef with Lorne,” he said. “We’re on good graces. It’s just that there have been some shaky times.”
Since you’re here anyway, go ahead and enjoy this vintage Waking Up With Kimye sketch, featuring MVP Nasim Pedrad as Kim Kardashian:
Source: US Weekly.
Photo: Larry Busacca / Getty.
