When Will Melissa Villasenor's Star Finally Rise on Saturday Night Live - Modern Brown Girl

For more than four decades, Saturday Night Live has been a sanctum for comedy’s best to hone their skills week after week before a national audience. Some cast members transform into comedy legends, while others simply leave Studio 8H with no lasting impression. Some stars are quick to rise, like Kristen Wiig and the late Chris Farley, while others are slow burners like Bill Hader and Fred Armisen. California native Melissa Villaseñor appears to be falling into the latter group, with a dependable wit that strengthens with every sketch. Brought on in 2016 as SNL’s first Latina cast member, Villaseñor is slowly finding her footing in a late-night sketch comedy environment that is impatient and competitive.

Raised in Whittier, CA, Villaseñor’s father taught her an appreciation for the comedy greats: Rodney Dangerfield, Steve Martin, Jim Carrey. Her admiration evolved into a life-long passion and at just 16, Villaseñor began stand-up classes at the Laugh Factory Comedy Camp in Hollywood. She headlined at over 100 comedy clubs across the U.S. and became nationally recognized as a semi-finalist on season six of America’s Got Talent. Although she’s earned her stripes in the stand-up circuit, being a good stand-up comedian doesn’t always guarantee SNL success. However, Villaseñor was an easy fit due to her multitude of spot-on celebrity impressions. Since the show is so heavily dependant on impersonations, Villaseñor’s impressive talents have made her an early stand out and a go-to source for quirky and dependably funny impressions.

Donning a voice that’s wide and deep with embrasure -- a perfect fusion of Mickey Mouse and Kermit the Frog — Villaseñor inhabits her impersonations with such precision and authenticity that she easily ranks along the lines of top impressionists on the show like Kate McKinnon and Kristen Wigg. In the years since she made her SNL debut, Villaseñor has gained acclaim, hitting the mark with her takes on Owen Wilson, Gwen Stefani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Lady Gaga.

While the ability to nail a spot-on impression is paramount for SNL success, what really makes an ensemble cast member stand out is the development of a recurring character, something that Villaseñor has yet to accomplish. But perhaps this is something that is not in her control. The recent landscape of SNL has not particularly lent itself for strong character development. Since the run-up to the 2016 Presidential election, SNL sketches have been dominated by the political landscape. Unlike any other time in the show’s history, the SNL writer's room is putting a majority of their attention into political satire with a strong desire to illuminate the cast of characters coming out of the Trump administration. There is really no need for original SNL characters when there is such a large pool to choose from politically. At the same time, this is taking away from cast members’ ability to create original characters that can stand the test of time, independent of what’s happening politically. Take Dana Carvey’s “Church Lady,” Bill Hader’s “Stefon,” Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri’s “Spartan Spirit Cheerleaders” — these characters age well despite the current state of pop-culture or political climate.

In SNL’s 1991-1992 season, there are approximately 15 recurring characters on the show, compared to the 2017-2018 season, where there were approximately five recurring characters, almost all played by Kate McKinnon and Keenan Thompson. Perhaps SNL’s comedic formula is changing and recurring characters are no longer the bread and butter of SNL? One thing is for sure, Villaseñor’s success on the show stands with her ability to gel with a writer’s room that’s historically made up of mostly white males and connects with white America.

As one of eight women of color to be a repertory cast member in SNL’s 44-year history, Villaseñor’s success on the show is important for further diversifying an institution that has been slow to progress. Only time will tell what her journey will look like on SNL, but all signs point to many years of success.