Nasim Pedrad won’t be back for the 40th season of Saturday Night Live, as she now has a role on Fox’s new sitcom, Mulaney. While talking to Conan O’Brien Monday night to promote the show (and talk about meeting Kim Kardashian, whom she frequently impersonated), Pedrad mentioned that she could never get her impression of comedian Aziz Ansari into a sketch — at least one that aired on the live broadcast.
Pedrad did wear SNL producers down and got to play Ansari (best known for his role as Tom Haverford on NBC’s Parks and Recreation) in a sketch, but it was cut from the show during dress rehearsal. O’Brien managed to get ahold of the lost skit, however, and aired it on his show.
As funny as Pedrad’s Ansari impersonation is, it’s not difficult to see why SNL producers decided to cut it from the show. The joke was probably a bit too obscure (though you would think plenty of comedy diehards entirely aware of who Ansari is would get it), and maybe not wholeheartedly funny. Though considering what else makes the cut, this couldn’t have been the worst thing SNL put on the air. At least the public now gets to see it.
