"Saturday Night Live" cast member Jay Pharoah made his debut as President Barack Obama on the show’s season premiere on Saturday. The role of President Obama was previously played by Fred Armisen, (who’s Venezuelan, German and Japanese). "SNL" creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels announced the casting switch in an interview with The New York Times last week. [Michaels said it was time "to shake it up."](https://colorlines.com/archives/2012/09/snl_finally_giving_obama_role_to_black_cast_member.html)