“Crazy Rich Asians” and “Ocean’s 8” star Awkwafina is scheduled to make her “Saturday Night Live” debut on Oct. 6.
Awkwafina is set to host the show’s second episode of the season, which is slated to feature Grammy-nominated rapper Travis Scott as the musical guest in his debut on the show as well.
“Saturday Night Live” is scheduled to resumes its 44th season on Sept. 29.
Born Nora Lum, the 29-year-old rapper and actress rose to fame in 2012 when her song “My Vag” went viral on YouTube. After releasing an album in 2014 and a New York City travel book in 2015, she made her film debut in 2016 in “Neighbors 2.”
“A lot of Asian people are on college campuses, so it’s really nice to be a part of a film that accurately represents that,” Awkwafina, who has remained a vocal advocate for Asian-American representation in media, told NBC News in 2015 after her “Neighbors” casting news was announced.
Awkwafina can currently be seen in theaters as Peik Lin Goh in the romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians,” which has made headlines as the first major Hollywood project in 25 years to feature an all-Asian and/or Asian-American cast. The success of the Jon M. Chu-directed film has led to what many see as a turning point in Hollywood.
“I’m not going to put on a ‘Fu Manchu accent’ for comedy,” Awkwafina told NBC News earlier this year. “We’re not desperate for roles anymore. This movie is going to say we’re not sheep, and if a role sucks, then we’re not going to do it.”
Other “Saturday Night Live” hosts of Asian descent include Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, and Aziz Ansari, who, in 2016, became the first host of South Asian descent to host the Emmy-winning variety show.
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