Kerry Washington Mocks SNL's Diversity Controversy in Cold Open

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By Brian Anthony Hernandez2013-11-03 05:07:52 UTC

Embroiled in a season-long controversy over the lack of diversity on Saturday Night Live 's cast, SNL producers opened the Nov. 2 episode with host Kerry Washington playing first lady Michelle Obama and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

The cold open mocks the fact SNL has no black female cast members.

Washington, who stars as Olivia Pope in ABC's political thriller Scandal, had to make a quick outfit and hairdo change in order to play Obama and Winfrey in the skit. Then, she ran offscreen to assume the role of pop star Beyonce.

Tackling the diversity drama head on, SNL ran these words during the skit:

Kerry Washington Cold Open 1 Kerry Washington Cold Open 2 Kerry Washington Cold Open 3 Image: nbcsnl.tumblr.com

The diversity issue resurfaced at the start of the season when the show introduced six new cast members, all of whom are white. The conversation intensified when SNL's Kenan Thompson said the lack of diversity stems, in part, from the shortage of black female comedians who are "ready" to enter the show's lineup. During the same week as his comments, SNL announced Washington would host the Nov. 2 episode.

While the online reception to Washington's overall performance over the course of the episode was primarily positive, the reaction to the cold open was a bit mixed:

Washington recently vied for the outstanding lead actress in a drama series Emmy award — had she taken home the prize, she would have been the first African-American to win the category.