Let's Talk About That Cold Open On SNL Last Night

Well, they did it. Saturday Night Live finally addressed “The Issue” that everyone has been talking about. Sort of…

After weeks of making headlines for the show’s longtime failure to hire a permanent black female comedian, (culminating with longtime producer Lorne Michael’s statement on Friday that he would ‘get around to’ hiring a black woman eventually), SNL took the bull by the horns and gave us a skit that featured Kerry Washington scrambling to make costume changes to portray famous black women. Meanwhile, if you ever need to see 70 Matthew McConaugheys in one skit, they’ve got you covered.

So, let’s talk about it. I want to hear what you think—first of all, was it funny? I was actually surprised that they would start with a sketch like this, and I’ll admit, I laughed. As far as dealing with the issue, do you think the producers/writers did a good job addressing the controversy? Do you think they were trying to get themselves off the hook or did they do a good job of admitting they know it’s an important issue? Some of the commenters here have already pointed out numerous other things during the show were far more problematic (Foreign women talk funny! The ghetto is hilarious!)

Anyway, let’s get the discussion started below! Tell me, commenters, what did you think?