Saturday Night Live alum Sasheer Zamata has come out as a “late-in-life lesbian.”
“I’m out in my life and I do keep my personal life kind of private, but I also don’t necessarily want my identity to be private,” Zamata, 38, said in an interview with Them published on Monday, September 9. “I guess I’m one of those late-in-life lesbians. I just feel very comfortable and confident in my life.”
“No one asks straight people about their journey of discovery,” she added of coming out publicly. “But I guess it felt like if I didn’t say anything, I’d be ignoring a part of me, and that doesn’t feel very good. But yeah, I’ve definitely had thoughts of, not necessarily keeping it a secret, but [that] there’s no need to say anything about it.”
The comedian and actress was part of the SNL cast from 2014 to 2017. She has also appeared in the comedy series Woke and Home Economics, and will next be seen in Disney+’s Agatha All Along starring Kathryn Hahn.
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According to Zamata, she began to question her sexuality after being cast in queer roles post-SNL.
“I kept getting cast as queer women. I played a lesbian on Home Economics. I played a lesbian on Woke. I played a lesbian on Tuca & Bertie. A lesbian on Last O.G. I kept getting these roles,” she explained. “And this is before I myself was figuring out my identity. I was like, ’Whoa, what are these casting directors seeing that I’m not seeing?’”
Asked if Hollywood “made her gay,” the actress responded with a laugh, “That’s what conservatives joke about all the time. They’re like, ‘Oh my God, they’re turning everyone gay.’ And it happened.”
On Agatha All Along, Zamata plays Jennifer Kale, a member of Agatha Harkness’ (Hahn) new coven of witches following the events of 2021’s WandaVision.
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For Zamata, appearing in a Marvel Studios project has always been a dream.
“It does feel like I am reaching another milestone,” she said. “It was my dream to be on SNL, and then I did it, and it was my dream to be in Marvel, and now I’m here, and I’m like, well, I’ve got to find more dreams now.”
