Sasheer Zamata

Sasheer Zamata Moore, born on May 6, 1986, in Okinawa, Japan, is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Her early life saw her raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, and she is a graduate of Pike High School. Zamata pursued higher education at the University of Virginia, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. During her time at UVA, she was a founding member of the long-form improv comedy troupe, Amuse Bouche. She also gained early professional experience participating in the Disney College Program, working as a character friend to Buzz Lightyear.

Zamata’s career in comedy began in New York City, performing regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre starting in 2009. This period saw her in various television and web roles, including co-starring in the ABC News hidden camera series ‘Would You Fall for That?’ and as a cast member on MTV’s ‘Hey Girl’. She also appeared in sketches for ‘Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell’ and ‘Inside Amy Schumer’. A notable early project was the web series ‘Pursuit of Sexiness,’ which she co-created and co-starred in, earning recognition as one of Variety’s Top 10 Web Series of 2013. Her YouTube channel featured popular impersonations of figures like Michelle Obama, Rihanna, and Beyoncé. Her breakthrough came in 2014 when she joined the cast of NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL) during its 39th season, a significant milestone as the first black female cast member since Maya Rudolph’s departure in 2007. She remained on SNL until 2017, where she developed recurring characters such as Janelle from ‘How 2 Dance with Janelle’ and Keeley on ‘Black Jeopardy!’.

Following her SNL tenure, Zamata continued to expand her acting career in film and television. Her film credits include ‘I Feel Pretty’ (2018), ‘Spree’ (2020), and voice roles in ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ (2021) and ‘Muppets Haunted Mansion’ (2021). In television, she held leading roles in ‘Woke’ (2020–2022) and ‘Home Economics’ (2021–2023). A recent high-profile role includes portraying Jennifer Kale in the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe series ‘Agatha All Along’ (2024). Beyond acting, Zamata released two stand-up comedy specials, ‘Pizza Mind’ (2017) and ‘Sasheer Zamata: The First Woman’ (2023), and co-hosts the podcast ‘Best Friends’ with Nicole Byer. Since 2015, she has also served as a celebrity ambassador for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), working with the Women’s Rights Project to address gender discrimination and advocate for women of color.