Issa Rae On Why ‘SNL’ Was Like Her Prom Night

During her opening monologue, as host of Saturday Night Live on Oct. 17, comedian and actress Issa Rae explained how the moment could be compared to her prom. She also had a few words to say about Kanye West. 

The director explained how her hit show Insecure, which premiered in 2016, felt like high school. Experiencing Hollywood for the first time, she says, was reminiscent of 9th,10th and 11th grade.

“Hosting SNL is like my prom and you guys are all my dates,” she said marking her first time ever on the comedy sketch show as the guest host. “I’m ready to go all the way, y’all.”

During the SNL episode, Issa played a lawyer representing the NAACP who promised to vote for “everybody Black” as Election Day, approaches but when it came to voting for Kanye (who appears as the vice-presidential candidate on several state ballots including California’s), Rae’s SNL character Jemele Demmings had something to say about the former artist.

“Kanye? ‘F’ him,” her character said on the “Your Voice Chicago” talk show featuring Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim. 

As the sketch went on, it was clear why her stance was to vote Black in the elections from the bottom up. 

“For too long our people’s voices have not been heard,” Rae’s character says. “It’s our duty to stand together and take our power back.” 

The sketch also questioned how billionaires could be aware of issues faced by working-class Americans. 

“How can someone who’s so rich know anything about us? Money corrupts the whole system,” her character says. 

But she shifted her stance upon learning the Black candidate was the billionaire, saying, “I find that so inspiring. We need more entrepreneurs like that in our community.”