Leslie Jones is Saturday Night Live's newest featured player

Leslie Jones is Saturday Night Live's newest featured player
(Image credit: Twitter.com/PopSugarEnt)

Saturday Night Live didn't have to go far to find a new performer: Leslie Jones, a writer on the show since earlier this year, is SNL's newest featured player.

Jones was discovered during a talent search last fall, and was one of 12 finalists invited to audition for a single spot on the show. Sasheer Zamata won that spot, but Jones was brought on as a writer, and she's made multiple appearances on "Weekend Update."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.