Saturday Night Live, or SNL, will start its 46th season Oct. 3 with at least one major change: The show is adding a member of the LGBTQ+ community to its cast.
Punkie Johnson is an out lesbian comedian/writer whose recent credits include Space Force, Corporate, Adam Ruins Everything and Bill Burr Presents: The Ringers. She was a New Face at the Just for Laughs Festival in 2019 and is a regular at the world famous Comedy Store in Hollywood.
SNL is also adding Lauren Holt and Andrew Dismukes to its cast, which already includes longtime lesbian regular Kate McKinnon.
In addition, as part of the newly created "The SNL Scholarship Program," SNL has partnered with four comedy schoolsThe PIT, The Second City, The Groundlings and UCBto fund a scholarship program for students of diverse backgrounds to advance their comedy careers.