Former “Saturday Night Live” star Sasheer Zamata has come out as a member of the LGBTQ community.
The actress, writer and stand-up comedian, who starred on the legendary sketch comedy series from 2014 to 2017, says she identifies 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,” the 38-year-old revealed in a recent interview with Them, published on Monday. “I guess I’m one of those late-in-life lesbians. I just feel very comfortable and confident in my life.”
Art unwittingly imitated life for Zamata, who has portrayed lesbians in previous roles on TV shows such as “Woke,” “Home Economics” and “Tuca & Bertie.”
“I kept getting cast as queer women… I kept getting these roles. 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?’”
Zamata, who next stars in the forthcoming Disney+ Marvel series “Agatha All Along,” explained how she grappled with becoming more open about her sexual identity.
“No one asks straight people about their journey of discovery, 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,” she said. “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.”
Leave a comment