Leslie Jones only remained with Saturday Night Live for five seasons, but she did manage to make an impression during her full-time stint at Studio 8H. Between 2014 and 2019, she played funny characters and appeared as an exaggerated version of herself during Weekend Update segments. In more recent years, Jones has been discussing her SNL tenure, sharing both the highs and lows. She even just talked about landing her initial audition as well as the unexpected reason she dropped F-bombs when that happened.
Over the years, a plethora of SNL alums have spoken about the moment he found out they’d be able to audition for the long-running sketch comedy series. Many of those scenarios involved some nervousness but also feelings of excitement. So one would be tempted to assume that after good buddy Chris Rock told her he’d had dinner with series EP Lorne Michaels and got her an audition, Jones would’ve dropped expletives due to being pumped. However, in actuality, she was very upset for a different set of reasons:
So, [Chris] was like, ‘Yeah, I had dinner with him and somebody's going to call you to come audition for SNL.’ And I lost my shit. I said, ‘What the fuck are you — is this what the fuck you call helping me? I was like, ‘Do you think this is what the fuck I want to do? Like, I'm not no sketch comic. I'm a fucking stand-up. Like, what are you talking like, what am I even going to do as an audition? I don't even want to hear this. I'm like, I'm pissed.
As Jones explained to fellow comic W. Kamau Bell (another friend of Rock’s) on his Who’s with Me? podcast, she was heavily opposed to the idea of joining a sketch-centric show. The eventual Coming 2 America co-star apparently wanted to stick to her stand-up comedy roots. Also, even though SNL was a big deal, Jones admitted she herself only watched when there were high-profile Black performers within the cast. So what changed her tune about the audition? Well, Rock and a manager shared some honest responses to her denial:
[Chris] just said, ‘You are the stupidest person I ever talked to. Shut up, and go and audition and do some stand-up.’ And he hung up in my face. He was just like, ‘I don't want to hear that shit. Like, are you stupid?’ And even when [I spoke to] the manager I had at the time, I was like, ‘I'm not doing that.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, you crazy.’ You're doing it. If I have to come over there and fight you, you're gonna go do it.’
Of course, Jones did eventually audition, and the rest is TV history. During this recent interview and a prior one, the Ghostbusters alum proved that she went into the tryout with a cocky attitude. Yet she also admitted to being “intimidated” during her first table read with the cast and writers. While Jones can acknowledge that she’s even bombed sketches, she produced a number of great bits in her time. To that point, she even earned consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Jones, however, also recently spoke about some of the more difficult aspects of being on the hit show. She specifically got real about feeling like she was typecast in various sketches as a tough woman looking to fight someone. Although that wasn’t easy, Jones did persevere, and she seemingly learned a lot from her SNL experience. Now, it’s just funny and ironic to know that all started with an audition offer that sparked some salty language.
Check out Leslie Jones’ greatest moments on Saturday Night Live by streaming classic episodes with a Peacock subscription. Also, prepare yourself for the show’s upcoming 52nd season, which premieres on NBC on September 26 amid the 2026 TV schedule.
