After six years impersonating Barack Obama, Will Smith, Ben Carson, Drake, etc, Jay Pharoah was fired from SNL before the beginning of the current season. Jay, along with former cast member Taran Killam, were let go somewhat unceremoniously and everyone at SNL has been pretty tight-lipped about their sudden departure.
In an interview with Hot 97 this week, the 29-year-old Pharoah opened up about the nuances of SNL that left him unemployed, and he did not mince words.
“If you have multiple people on the cast saying things like ‘you’re so talented, you’re so able, they don’t use you and it’s unfair and it’s making us feel bad,’” Pharoah said. “They put people into boxes. Whatever they want you to do, they expect you to do,” he added. “I’m a little fiery too… I’m not a yes n***a.”
Pharoah also noted that the show essentially gave up on Obama during the last year and a half that he was on. “I was like, ‘Just let me do my character and we’ll be fine.’ [They] didn’t want to do that,” Pharoah said. Jay also said that he grew frustrated with the writers putting him in an “impression box,” as much of his tenure on SNL was spent playing someone else.
Jay narrowly missed getting canned back inn September of 2013 after he went public saying that SNL needs to “pay attention” in reference to bringing more diversity on staff.
“They were ready to get rid of me in 2013, in September, when I spoke up. When I said what I said, and it got on The Grio, and it went viral, I almost freaking lost my job.”
Pharoah claims his rattling of the cage directly correlated to the hiring of more black women on the show’s cast and writing team, including Sasheer Zamata, Lakendra Tookes, and Leslie Jones.
“A lot of people are scared of Lorne,” Pharoah said. “I respect the hell out of him, but if I want to talk to you, I’ll go up to you, ‘Hey man, this is what I’m feeling.’”
Still, Pharoah says, that he’s got no ill-will toward the SNL figurehead, before slipping into an impression of SNL alum Chris Rock: “I met Lorne Michaels and I ain’t been broke ever since.”
Don’t weep for Jay Pharoah. He just locked down a gig starring in a Showtime comedy called “White Famous” with Jamie Foxx.
[h/t AV Club]