Saturday Night Live: 30 scandals and secrets you didn’t know
By Jeremy Dick
28. Leslie Jones ignites controversy with slave jokes
Leslie Jones was one of the most unique SNL performers of her era. Her distinct look and style of comedy gave her her own identity on the show. She is beloved by most of the fans, but there was a time when she managed to offend a large amount of them.
During a Weekend Update segment with Colin Jost, Jones appears to deliver some jokes. At the time, the news of People magazine naming Lupita Nyong’o as its Most Beautiful Person was dominating headlines. Jones took the chance to make a controversial joke about it.
The comedian segued into jokes about slavery, and how the standards of beauty have changed since then. Jones points out her own height and weight, noting that she’s not considered a “hot commodity” in this day and age. But, back then, she would have been the hottest slave on the market.
“I would be the number one slave draft pick. All of the plantations would want me,” Jones would quip. These may have just been jokes, but they elicited a fury of negative responses on social media. In the end, it ultimately didn’t affect the comedian’s standing on the show.