UPDATE (8:45 p.m. ET): SNL will bring 7-8 black female candidates to New York this Monday for a special audition, Lorne Michaels confirmed Thursday evening. One of those performers will ultimately join the cast onscreen in January, becoming the first black female regular since Maya Rudolph departed in 2007.

Following ongoing criticism for the first half of Saturday Night Live's new season over an absence of black female players, the sketch comedy series is hoping to make up for it in the second half.

According to Deadline, executive producer Lorne Michaels has held multiple "showcases" in Los Angeles and New York over the past couple of weeks, hoping to recruit an African-American woman. Sources have subsequently confirmed with The Hollywood Reporter that the show is aiming to hire by January.

Although mid-season cast changes are not typical for the NBC show, it's not unprecedented. Current repertory player Kate McKinnon started with the show in April 2012, as the show prepared for the departure of Kristen Wiig.

SNL had reportedly planned to add a cast member mid-season following Seth Meyers' upcoming departure in January, but these recent showcases suggest Michaels is seeking to fill a hole in the cast not just for logistical reasons but for logical ones. Outside of occasional cameos or hosts/musical guests, SNL has previously either relied on Jay Pharoah and Kenan Thompson to portray black female characters or opted not to feature them at all.

As the black actors currently on SNL, Pharoah and Thompson have recently criticized the show's higher-ups regarding the issue. And as we previously reported, the diversity problem was further highlighted by last month's host Kerry Washington, who lampooned the show with a sketch about having to portray Oprah, Michelle Obama and Beyoncé.