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Kerry Washington to host ‘Saturday Night Live’ amid racial controversy

Poor Kerry Washington was just trying to make the rounds as TV’s “It Girl” by hosting “Saturday Night Live” next month, but she inadvertently walked into a growing controversy about the cast’s lack of diversity. NBC’s announcement Wednesday that the “Scandal” actress would host the Nov. 2 broadcast comes on the heels of SNL regular Kenan Thompson who opined this week that the real problem is the lack of black female comedians. “It’s just a tough part of the business,” Thompson told TVGuide.com. “Like in auditions, they just never find ones that are ready.” O-kay, then. His remarks contributed to the ongoing firestorm which began last month when the show debuted six new cast members — none of them African Americans.

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Related: Kerry Washington’s style 

Kerry Washington’s style

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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Actress Kerry Washington arrives at the 2013 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter at Sunset Tower on February 24, 2013 in West Hollywood, California. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Kerry Washington’s style

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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Actress Kerry Washington arrives at the 2013 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter at Sunset Tower on February 24, 2013 in West Hollywood, California. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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