Cicely Tyson was the first Black woman to host SNL on February 10, 1979.
2. Cicely Tyson
Here, Cicely Tyson appears during a monologue with comedian Garrett Morris on February 10, 1979.
3. Oprah Winfrey
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
Halle Berry hosted SNL on October 18, 2003 with musical guest Britney Spears joining her as a co-host.
5. Janet Jackson
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
On October 9, 2004, Queen Latifah hosted SNL and portrayed “Darthula” alongside Finesse Mitchell as Starkisha during the “Political Starkisha” skit.
7. Rosario Dawson
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
Gabourey Sidibe lended her vocals when she hosted SNL on April 24, 2010.
9. Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington joked about the lack of diversity on SNL during her hosting gig on SNL on November 2, 2013.
In the 40th Anniversary Special, Maya Rudulph appeared as Beyoncé with comdian and actor Martin Short during the “Marty and Beyonce” skit on February 15, 2015.
11. Taraji P. Henson
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
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
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
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
Regina King will join the list of dynamic Black women to host SNL on February 13, 2021.
