Leslie Jones admits that her path to Saturday Night Live wasn’t just tough—it nearly didn’t happen at all.
In an interview with Newsweek on Thursday, October 23, the comedian revealed she once came close to walking away from stand-up altogether after what she believed was a failed audition for the long-running NBC sketch series.
Jones recalled sitting in a hotel room more than a decade ago, convinced that SNL producers would choose fellow comic Sasheer Zamata over her. “I just remember sitting at the end of the bed and I was like, you can’t keep doing this sh*t,” she said. At that point, she even considered calling her aunt to take a government job instead of continuing her pursuit of comedy.
But instead of giving up, Jones pressed pause. She said she took a shower, rested, and reminded herself that comedy was what she knew and what she loved. “When you’re feeling like that, if you know that this is what you’re supposed to do in life, if you feel it from your heart, there is no real giving up,” Jones explained. “There’s frustration, there’s letdowns, there’s disappointment.”
Three days later, she got the call from SNL creator Lorne Michaels inviting her to join the cast. “I knew I was funny. I knew they needed me,” Jones said, adding that persistence ultimately made the difference.
Jones spent five years on SNL, becoming one of the most recognizable faces on the show thanks to her bold, high-energy performances and candid Weekend Update segments.
But she also noted that diversity at SNL still has room to grow. “I do know that they don’t have a Black woman on there,” Jones said, pointing to a lack of representation in the current lineup.
Beyond SNL, Jones weighed in on the shifting landscape of late-night television, saying she doesn’t think the format is finished but it does need a refresh. “When you look at late night, all you see is white men in blue suits,” she said.
In her view, the future of late night will require “better writing,” new voices—particularly women, and especially Black women—and more joy on screen.
Jones’ new comedy special, Life Part 2, premieres Friday, October 24, on Peacock.