New “Saturday Night Live” addition Melissa Villaseñor brings a big talent for impersonation to the show — and has video clips to prove it.
Among her impressions are Owen Wilson, Gwen Stefani, and Hillary Clinton. In addition to the videos posted to her YouTube channel, Villaseñor has also appeared on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” to showcase her impersonations.
Villaseñor is a stand-up comedian who has headlined more than 100 clubs and colleges around the country, according to her official bio. She hails from Whittier, Calif.
Villaseñor was added to the cast of “SNL” for the upcoming season alongside comedians Alex Moffat and Mikey Day.
The three new featured players effectively replace veterans Taran Killam, Jay Pharoah and the one-and-done Jon Rudnitsky, who were all let go this summer. Killam and Pharoah both subsequently landed series at Showtime.
Villaseñor’s personal website includes not only her barrage of impersonations — of men and women alike — but also a list of all of her talents, including acting, impersonations, music and graphic design. Now that she’s on “SNL,” she probably won’t need her graphic design skills anymore.
You’ll get to see at least a few of her other talents on display when “Saturday Night Live” returns to NBC on October 1.
Watch all of Villaseñor’s impressions on her website.
Leslie Jones: A Timeline of Her Rise to Celebrity
The hacking of "Ghostbusters" star Leslie Jones was a cruel low point in a career that has lately been all about successes. But Jones wasn't an overnight success. Here's a look at her career.
Funniest Person at Colorado State When Jones was 19, a friend entered her into a "Funniest Person on Campus" contest -- and she won. According to People, Jones left school to pursue comedy after winning.
Stand-Up Career In 1987, Jones had her first professional gig. She opened up for Jamie Foxx -- and bombed.
"Problem Child" In 2010, Jones released her first stand-up DVD. The hour-long show, which was taped in front of a live audience, received a 77 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
No Black Comedians on "SNL" In 2013, SNL cast member, Kenan Thompson, said that the show didn't have any black women in the cast because in auditions they couldn't "find ones that are ready." Jones fired back: "There’s motherf—in’ three bitches I can call right now, goddammit, that will fill that spot."
"Saturday Night Live" In 2014, Jones joined the show. When she first auditioned in 2013, she was initially selected to be a writer.
"Top Five" Jones had a small part in Chris Rock's "Top Five," in which a few comedians hurl insults at each other. “That was the best scene in the movie, and Leslie was the best part of it,” Rock told the New Yorker.
"Ghostbusters" Jones starred in the all-female remake of the classic 1984 film. The announcement of the comedy was met with sexist comments criticizing the film for casting all women.
Milo Yiannopoulos Review A review by Breitbart's Milo Yiannopoulos criticized Jones' character for having “flat-as-a-pancake black stylings.” He was later banned from Twitter.
Twitter Attacks After the review, Twitter users began attacking the comedian with racist tweets. “OK, I have been called Apes, sent pics of their asses, even got a pic with semen on my face. I’m tryin to figure out what human means. I’m out,” wrote Jones.
Twitter Exit Following the slew of racist attacks, the comedian decided to leave the social media platform on July 18.
Twitter Comeback On July 21, Jones returned to Twitter.
Olympic Twitter Correspondant Jones' Twitter commentary landed her in Rio. NBC invited her to join their Olympics team and help cover the games.
Hacked This week, hackers took over the comedian's personal Tumblr website and posted nude photos, images of her passport and ID as well as her phone number and password to her Twitter account.
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How the “SNL” and “Ghostbusters” actress became a star
The hacking of "Ghostbusters" star Leslie Jones was a cruel low point in a career that has lately been all about successes. But Jones wasn't an overnight success. Here's a look at her career.
