Melissa Villaseñor

Melissa Anne Villaseñor (/ˌviːjəsɪnˈjɔːr/ VEE-yə-sin-YOR; born October 9, 1987) is an American comedian and actress. First garnering attention for her stand-up shows and impressions, Villaseñor found wider success when she was hired to join the cast of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live ahead of the show's 42nd season in 2016. She then departed SNL at the end of the 47th season in 2022, after six seasons as a cast member.[1]

Melissa Villaseñor
Villaseñor in February 2012
Birth nameMelissa Anne Villaseñor
Born (1987-10-09) October 9, 1987
Whittier, California, U.S.
Medium
  • Stand-up
  • television
  • film
  • music
EducationFullerton College
Years active2010–present
Genres
Subject(s)
Websitemelissavillasenor.com

Early life

Villaseñor was born in Whittier, California, in Los Angeles County, on October 9, 1987,[2] the daughter of Mexican parents Guadalupe "Lupe" Peralta and Miguel "Michael" Humberto Villaseñor. She is of Spanish, Basque, and indigenous Mexican descent,[3] with roots in Jalisco and Aguascalientes, Mexico.[3][4][5] (She also has 2% Sub-Saharan African DNA.[3]) Villaseñor and actor Mario Lopez—whose Mexican ancestry was also explored on the same episode of Finding Your Roots—are genetically connected to director Alejandro G. Iñárritu.[6]

She attended the Catholic Ramona Convent Secondary School in Alhambra, California.[7] She briefly attended Fullerton College.[8] At 15, she started performing stand-up comedy at the Laugh Factory Comedy Camp in Hollywood.[9]

Career
Villaseñor playing ukelele onstage
Villaseñor in 2013

Villaseñor was a semifinalist on the sixth season of America's Got Talent.[5] Previously, she was selected for the New Faces lineup in the 2010 Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival. She has also done voice work for the animated shows Adventure Time, Family Guy, and TripTank.[10] She appeared on the second season of HBO's Crashing.[11]

Villaseñor first auditioned for the late night sketch comedy/variety show Saturday Night Live in 2009, where she did several impressions but was not hired.[12] Villaseñor was introduced as a featured player on the October 1, 2016 episode of Saturday Night Live, and appeared between the show's 42nd and 47th seasons.[13] alongside Mikey Day and Alex Moffat. Her debut was an impression of Sarah Silverman in the Family Feud: Political Edition sketch.[14] She is the second Latina cast member after Noël Wells, who is a quarter Mexican,[15] and the first Latina to be promoted to repertory status.[16]

After she became a cast member, she deleted almost 2,000 old tweets, that she had posted mostly in 2010 and 2011, which some critics called racist. SNL and Villaseñor initially declined to comment on the accusation,[4][17][18] but in September 2018, Villaseñor explained that she was "trying to be edgy" when she posted them, and that she did not regret deleting them. She told NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, "I'm flawed like everyone else, and yeah, I just wanted to make sure I was perfect."[19]

She was promoted to the cast's repertory players in season 44 in 2018.[19] Villaseñor left the show at the end of the 47th season in 2022, after six years as a cast member.

Her debut album, Dreamer, a pop-punk/power pop-influenced work, was released in October 2019.[20][21] She is also an illustrator.[20]

She helped Rob Cantor create his viral "29 Celebrity Impressions, 1 Original Song" video to promote his album Not a Trampoline, in which she sings impressions of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Björk.[22]

She hosted the 2021 Independent Spirit Awards,[23] and voiced Robin in the radio drama podcast Batman: The Audio Adventures.

In 2023, it was announced that she would voice Nellie Ramírez-Humphrey in Primos.[24]

Villaseñor describes herself as a comedian and impressionist.[25] She has performed impressions for America's Got Talent, First Impressions, her YouTube channel, and SNL including Björk, Owen Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig,[26] Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ana Navarro, Natalie Portman, Macaulay Culkin, Sarah Silverman,[27] Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[28]

Filmography
Melissa Villaseñor film work
Year Title Role Notes
2010 The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It[29] Sara
2016 Laid in America[5] Ms. Hopkins
2018 Ralph Breaks the Internet[30] Taffyta Muttonfudge (voice)
2019 Toy Story 4[31] Karen Beverly (voice)
2020 Hubie Halloween Cat Owner Karen
Melissa Villaseñor television work
Year Title Role Notes
2011 America's Got Talent[5] Herself/contestant Semi-finalist
2012 Family Guy[29] Nora Ephron (voice) Episode: "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream"
2012–16 Adventure Time[29] Slime Princess, Moniker, Sveinn and Additional voices 11 episodes
2014–16 TripTank[29] Various (voice) 4 episodes
2015 Pickle and Peanut[29] Darla (voice) Episode: "Francine/Cell Phone Tree"
2016 First Impressions[32] Herself/contestant Episode: "Yvette Nicole Brown"
2016–2022 Saturday Night Live[29][19] Herself/various 122 episodes
2017 F Is for Family[33] Additional voices 2 episodes
2017–19 OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes[19] Drupe, Punching Judy, Potato, and Additional Voices 25 episodes
2017 The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special Additional voices Television special
2018 Crashing[11] Herself Episode: "NACA"
2018 Barry[34] Waitress Episode: "Chapter One: Make Your Mark"
2018–19 American Dad![33] Various voices 2 episodes
2019 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee[35] Herself Episode: "Melissa Villaseñor"
2020 Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens[36] Performer Episode: "Paperwork"
2020 Summer Camp Island Psychic (voice) Episode: "Susie and Ramona Chapter 1: Susie's Ark"
2021 36th Independent Spirit Awards Herself (host) Television special[37]
2021 Archibald's Next Big Thing Is Here Toothy Episode: "The Tooth Pirate/Zups"
2021 Crank Yankers Jennifer Lopez Episode: "Adam Carolla, Punkie Johnson & Melissa Villaseñor"
2021 Q-Force Various voices 10 episodes
2021–22 Amphibia Ally (voice) 3 episodes
2022 Reindeer in Here Candy (voice) Television special[38]
2023 Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Akna (voice) 3 episodes
2023 Night Court Gabby Episode: "When Abby Met Gabby"
2023 Is It Cake? Herself / Judge Episode: "That 90's Cake"
2023 Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Candy Cuffs / Babette / Heckler #1 (voice) Episodes: "The Winter King" and "Jerry"
2024 Primos Nellie Ramirez Humphrey (voice) 30 episodes (ordered)

Discography

California (single)

  • Released: June 19, 2021
  • Format: Digital

Dreamer

  • Released: October 9, 2019
  • Format: Digital
  • Label: Mira Bonita Productions
  • Tracks: "Sweet Melissa", "Dreamin' You Up", "This Time Last Year", "Quiet", "Old Me", "Love Again", "Mom", "Shine", "Sponge and Rock"

Leap

  • Released: December 19, 2013
  • Format: Digital
  • Tracks: "Puzzle Piece", "Leap into My Heart", "Free", "Rabbit Hole"

References
  1. Schwartz, Ryan (September 1, 2022). "SNL: Melissa Villaseñor and Alex Moffat Among 3 More Cast Members Out Ahead of Season 48". TVLine. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  2. Mountford, Jayne (October 2, 2016). "Who Is Melissa Villaseñor? Watch SNL Cast Member's Jennifer Lopez Impression". Latin Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017.
  3. Stated on Finding Your Roots, February 1, 2022.
  4. Blay, Zeba (September 23, 2016). "First 'SNL' Latina Cast Member Caught Deleting Racist Tweets". HuffPost. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  5. Andrews, Travis M. (September 23, 2016). "Melissa Villaseñor, of 'America's Got Talent' fame, becomes SNL's first Latina cast member". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  6. Henry Louis Gates Jr [@HenryLouisGates] (February 1, 2022). "It took 8 seasons, but for the first time both guests on an episode of #FindingYourRoots have the same DNA cousin! That's right, our researchers discovered that @Melissavcomedy & @mariolopezviva are both genetically connected to Season 5 guest, director Alejandro G. Iñárritu" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. Amorosi, A. D. (August 6, 2018). "SNL star Melissa Villaseñor reveals the secret behind her celebrity impressions". Metro Philadelphia.
  8. Navid, Venusse (July 29, 2011). "Whittier woman a 'Talent' finalist". Whittier Daily News. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  9. "Melissa Villasenor". USA Network. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  10. Slead, Evan (September 12, 2016). "Who is Melissa Villaseñor? Get to know SNL's newest cast member". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  11. White, Chad (February 26, 2018). ""NACA" Crashing Review". C+ Comedy. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  12. "Ep 12 - Comedy and Depression | SNL's Melissa Villasenor". YouTube. The Gray Escape. March 10, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  13. Wilstein, Matt (September 12, 2016). "SNL's First Latina Cast Member Melissa Villaseñor Is an Impression Machine". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  14. Evans, Greg (October 2, 2016). "'SNL' Surprise: Newcomers Mikey Day, Alex Moffat & Melissa Villaseñor Actually Make Good, Strong Impressions". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  15. "SNL Hires its First Latina Cast Member, and She's From L.A.", LA Weekly. 12 September 2016.
  16. Villafañe, Veronica (September 30, 2016). "SNL Starts New Season With Debut Of First Latina Cast Member, Latino Writer And Lin-Manuel Miranda". Forbes. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  17. "'SNL's' Latina Cast Member Controversy: Melissa Villaseñor Deleted Racist Tweets". IndieWire. September 24, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  18. Jones, Marcus (September 22, 2016). "The First Latina 'SNL' Cast Member Has Been Deleting Offensive Tweets". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  19. Blair, Elizabeth (September 29, 2018). "A Top Impressionist, Melissa Villaseñor Is Finding Her Own Voice On 'SNL'". NPR. Weekend Edition Saturday. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  20. Contreras, Felix; Garsd, Jasmine (January 10, 2020). "SNL's Melissa Villaseñor on the Pop Punks and Pop Divas That Inspired Dreamer". NPR. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  21. G., Ryan (May 21, 2020). "REFLECTING ON MELISSA VILLASEÑOR'S 'DREAMER' AND 'SAFE PLACE'". Tuned Up. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  22. "29 Celebrity Impressions Music Video Was a Hoax; Singer Reveals 'Making Of' Video". yahoo.com. July 9, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  23. Perez, Lexy (April 22, 2021). "Spirit Awards: Melissa Villasenor Says Pandemic Marked 'Tough Year' to 'Watch Independent Movies'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  24. Balaga, Marty (June 13, 2023). "Disney Unveils Animated Series at Annecy, Teases 'Magicampers' and 'The Sunnyridge 3' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  25. "Impressions". melissavillasenor.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  26. Baysinger, Tim (October 1, 2016). "Meet the New 'SNL' Castmembers: Who are Mikey Day, Alex Moffat and Melissa Villasenor?". The Hollywood Reporter.
  27. "A Top Impressionist, Melissa Villaseñor Is Finding Her Own Voice On 'SNL'". NPR. September 29, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  28. "Biden Unites Democrats Cold Open - SNL". YouTube. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  29. Jones, Adrienne (September 12, 2016). "SNL Just Added Two More Brand New Cast Members". Cinema Blend. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  30. Desta, Yohana (November 21, 2018). "Ralph Breaks the Internet's Cast List Is Full of Fun, Surprising Easter Eggs". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  31. DeBruge, Peter (June 13, 2019). "Film Review: 'Toy Story 4'". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  32. "Melissa Villaseñor". USA Network. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  33. Haring, Bruce (June 14, 2018). "SNL's Melissa Villaseñor Signs With WME". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  34. Serota, Maggie (March 26, 2018). "HBO's Barry Plays on the Subtler Charms of Bill Hader". Spin. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  35. Guzmán, Rafer (July 19, 2019). "'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee' review: Affable entertainment from Jerry Seinfeld and pals". Newsday. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  36. Ferguson, LaToya (December 2, 2019). "Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens in Comedy Central's Official Trailer". Indie Wire. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  37. "'SNL' Star Melissa Villasenor to Host 2021 Film Independent Spirit AwardsTheWrap". February 8, 2021.
  38. Milligan, Mercedes (November 3, 2022). "'Reindeer in Here' Announces Sledful of Stars for Voice Cast". Animation Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
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