Sasheer Zamata
Sasheer Zamata Moore is an American actress and comedian. She rose to prominence as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2014 to 2017. Since departing SNL, she has garnered wider attention for her starring roles in the TV series Woke, Home Economics, and Agatha All Along.
Early life
Zamata, who is of African American heritage, is the daughter of American parents, Ivory Steward and Henry Moore, a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force. She was born in Okinawa, Japan, because of her father's military career. She is the great-granddaughter of Leroy Washington Mahon, a formerly enslaved man who founded the town of Fargo, Arkansas.Zamata was raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is a graduate of Pike High School. She stated her parents named her after the alien flower-like crystal called the "Sahsheer" from the Star Trek episode "By Any Other Name".
She attended the University of Virginia, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Zamata was a founding member of the university's long-form improv comedy troupe, Amuse Bouche. While a student at UVA, she participated in the Disney College Program for one semester, working as a character friend to Buzz Lightyear.
Career
Early work and breakthrough (2009–2013)
Zamata performed regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City starting in 2009. She co-starred in the ABC News''Saturday Night Live'' (2014–2017)
In 2014, Zamata joined the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live during its 39th season. She joined the SNL cast amid a season in which TV critics and black comedians had criticized the show for not being ethnically diverse. Zamata was the first black female cast member on SNL since biracial Maya Rudolph departed midway through the show's 33rd season in 2007.Zamata debuted on SNL as a featured player in the January 18, 2014 episode hosted by Drake, in which she impersonated Rihanna. She was promoted to repertory player in the first episode of Season 41. Some of her recurring characters include Janelle, a teenage girl who hosts a YouTube channel called How 2 Dance with Janelle but is unaware of how her developing sexuality is coming off to viewers, and Keeley, a contestant on an African-American centric version of Jeopardy! called Black Jeopardy!. Some of her celebrity impressions have included the aforementioned Rihanna, Michelle Obama, Kerry Washington, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Solange Knowles, Diana Ross, Lupita Nyong'o, and Taraji P. Henson. She left the show in 2017 after the season 42 finale.
Acting, comedy specials, and podcast (2017–present)
Since leaving SNL, Zamata has continued her stand-up comedy work, creating two specials: Pizza Mind and Sasheer Zamata: The First Woman.In 2019, Zamata launched the podcast Best Friends, which she hosts with her best friend and fellow comedian and actress Nicole Byer.
Zamata has acted in film and television including roles in I Feel Pretty and Spree, and voice roles in The Mitchells vs. the Machines and Muppets Haunted Mansion. In recent years, Zamata has starred in several television shows, including Woke and Home Economics. She recently portrayed Jennifer Kale in the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe show Agatha All Along.
Personal life
In 2009 through 2010, Zamata participated in and graduated from Public Allies, a nationwide AmeriCorps program dedicated to leadership development, in New York.In 2024, Zamata came out as a lesbian.