1. Cicely Tyson
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Cicely Tyson was the first Black woman to host SNL on February 10, 1979.
2. Cicely Tyson
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Here, Cicely Tyson appears during a monologue with comedian Garrett Morris on February 10, 1979.
3. Oprah Winfrey
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Oprah Winfrey hosted the show on April 14, 1986. She portrayed Sally Engel alongside Danitra Vance as Emma during the ‘One-Shoe Emma’ skit.
4. Halle Berry
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Halle Berry hosted SNL on October 18, 2003 with musical guest Britney Spears joining her as a co-host.
5. Janet Jackson
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Janet Jackson also appeared in a sketch as Escalade with Finesse Mitchell as Starkisha and Maya Rudolph as Appreciante during the “Janet Ticket Line” skit on April 10, 2004.
6. Queen Latifah
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On October 9, 2004, Queen Latifah hosted SNL and portrayed “Darthula” alongside Finesse Mitchell as Starkisha during the “Political Starkisha” skit.
7. Rosario Dawson
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Rosario Dawson appeared with Jason Sudeikis in a sketch on the Disney movie “Aladdin” when she hosted the show on January 17, 2009.
8. Gabourey Sidibe
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Gabourey Sidibe lended her vocals when she hosted SNL on April 24, 2010.
9. Kerry Washington
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Kerry Washington joked about the lack of diversity on SNL during her hosting gig on SNL on November 2, 2013.
10. Maya Rudolph
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In the 40th Anniversary Special, Maya Rudulph appeared as BeyoncĂ© with comdian and actor Martin Short during the “Marty and Beyonce” skit on February 15, 2015.
11. Taraji P. Henson
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Taraji P. Henson played her “Empire” role Cookie and went head-to-head with Cookie Monster from “Sesame Street” during the “Sesame Street Promo” skit on April 11, 2015.
12. Octavia Spencer
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Octavia Spencer played Minny Jackson alonside Kate McKinnon as Attorney General Jeff Sessions during the “Jeff Sessions Gump Cold Open” on March 4, 2017.
13. Tiffany Haddish
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While Tiffany Haddish wasn’t the first Black woman to host the show, she did become the first Black woman comedian to host the late-night sketch show on November 11, 2017.
14. Issa Rae
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Issa Rae also held a first as the first Black women to host the show during a pandemic. She hosted the show alongside special guest Justin Beiber during the COVID-19 pandemic on October 17, 2020.
15. Regina King
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Regina King will join the list of dynamic Black women to host SNL on February 13, 2021.