It’s only been a few weeks since the 40th season of Saturday Night Live began and there have already been a few reasons for the program to celebrate. Not only has newcomer Pete Davidson become a breakout star on the show but the ratings for the program recently spiked with Jim Carrey as the host.

One of the newest reasons for the show to celebrate though is its recent announcement that Leslie Jones, visit web a show writer who has appeared on the program on multiple occasions, dosage has now been named to the official cast.

For that reason, try the comedienne has earned our Monday spotlight. Here are three fun facts about Ms. Jones.

1.) During her first on-air appearance (in May of this year), Jones was a guest during the weekly update segment. Her jokes about slavery caused a lot of controversy, with the Ebony.com editor harshly criticizing the comedy. Despite the critics though, Jones bravely defended the jokes noting (according to the New York Daily News), ““Y’all so busy trying to be self righteous you miss what the joke really is.”

2.) Last year, Jones auditioned as a potential cast member on the show but was turned down. However, producers liked her so much that she was eventually hired as a writer in January of 2014. Like a few other writers for the show, it took a while for Jones to make it on air but once she did, she received the recognition she deserved.

3.) Jones is now officially the second new featured player of the fall, joining Pete Davidson, and in addition to her work onscreen, she will continue writing for the showing according to Deadline.com.

Want to see how funny Jones can she? Check out this clip of her offering romantic advice on weekend update.

What do you think of Leslie Jones and are you happy she was hired to join the cast? Sound off in the comments below.