Sadly, Kate McKinnon’s time as a cast member onSaturday Night Livehas come to an end following the Season 47 finale. The comedian joined the cast in 2012 and quickly became one of the show’s standout performers. She gained early recognition for her impressions of Justin Bieber and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as well as characters like Olya Povlatsky.
Related:Best SNL Cast Members
Some of these performances, such as her impression of 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, won her an Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.SNLwon’t be the same without McKinnon’s charismatic character work, but thankfully many of her best moments are still available to watch on YouTube. These ten in particular are iconic.
10Hotel Ad
McKinnon’s busy schedule often conflicted with her commitment toSaturday Night Liveduring her final two seasons on the show. In the 2021-2022 season, she was absent for the first seven episodes, returning forBillie Eilish’s double-duty as host and musical guest. Fortunately, she didn’t waste an opportunity to steal the screen again, as seen in the sketch “Hotel Ad.”
The sketch stars McKinnon and Eilish as concierges at Business Garden Inn & Suites & Hotel Room Inn. Speaking in monotone voices throughout the commercial, the two list the benefits of spending a night at this establishment: Band-Aid colored blankets and oddly-placed stains. Of course, the real charms of the sketch are Kate’s attempts to make Billie break character.
9Dr. Wenowdis
The COVID era was a strange time forSaturday Night Live, especially when the show returned to an in-person format and a fully masked audience in Fall 2020. It was during this time that McKinnon premiered a new character on Weekend Update: Dr. Wayne Wenowdis. Dr. Wenowdis first appeared in a desk piece discussing Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
Related:Best SNL Hosts Of The 2010s
The bit mostly consists of McKinnon, dressed as an elderly doctor, responding to Colin Jost’s statements with a muted “We know this,” hence the character’s name. However, the real kicker is when the two break character to discuss McKinnon’s difficulty coping with the pandemic. It’s a moment that reminds audiences of Kate’s ability to be vulnerable in front of a live audience.
8Hillary Actually
Kate McKinnon’s impression of Hillary Clintonwas a defining moment of the 2016 presidential election cycle. She was often pitted against Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump, though some of her best moments as Clinton came with less fanfare. In a 2016 Christmas episode, McKinnon reprised the role post-election in a parody of the 2003 filmLove Actually.
In the sketch, McKinnon speaks no dialogue other than holding up posters similar to Andrew Lincoln’s character at the end of the film. Through the cards, Clinton urges Cecily Strong’s character, an elector, to refuse to confirm Trump’s election. It’s not the only time SNL would parody this iconic movie moment, but McKinnon’s facial expressions sell it every time.
7Mother Knows Best
Game show sketches are often a sweet spot for SNL. Sometimes, they perfectly embody the show’s weirdness, such as in a 2018 episode hosted by Amy Schumer.The seasoned stand-up comedian plays the hostin this Mother’s Day-themed game show titled “Mother Knows Best,” which features McKinnon and Mikey Day as a mother and son with some pretty odd quirks.
Hailing from “Fortress of the Lamb, Pennsylvania,” Kate and Mikey star in the sketch as mother Abissaleth and son John Christopher. The two sit uncomfortably close to one another, touching hands and rubbing their faces together. This is sketch perfectly depicts the chemistry McKinnon and Day have playing creepy characters who frighten the other characters in the sketch.
6Smokery Farms
Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant, who also departed from the show in the Season 47 finale, were an unstoppable comedic duo. At the very least, they certainly win each other over as they broke character through many of their sketches together. One example of this is their Weekend Update appearances as meat farm owners specializing in animals that deserve to die.
Related:Celebrities Who Have Surprisingly Never Hosted SNL
McKinnon and Bryant adopt Southern drawls as they complain about people turning vegan after seeing amazing animals online. However, the two assure customers that no one will miss these “stupid and bad” farm animals. Their explanation of each animal’s wrongdoings is funny enough, but the real joy here is seeing Kate and Aidy react to the odor of their basket of meat.
5Last Call W/ Adam Sandler & Kristen Wiig
The recurring “Last Call” sketches were highlights of Kate McKinnon’s era on SNL. Here, the comedian plays Sheila Sovage, a foul woman who hooks up with a stranger at a bar, played by the episode’s guest host. The sketches often end in a grotesque make-out session between McKinnon and hosts including Larry David, Amy Schumer, and Dave Chappelle.
However, the best iteration of this sketch finds Sheila in the middle of Adam Sandler’s Bernie Letzman and his wife Melba, played by Kristen Wiig.Sandler feels right at homeas the strange object of Sheila’s flirtations, with Kenan Thompson providing perfect reactions to their horrible romancing. Finally, this menage a trois ends with a 3-person Lady-and-the-Tramp kiss.
4Porch Scene
Kate McKinnon’s last year onSaturday Night Livefeatured some of her most charming and hilarious work to date. Among those was the sketch “Porch Scene,” a spiritual successor to the Carey Mulligan-assisted “Study Buddy” from Season 46. Here, McKinnon plays an awkward teen on the cusp of making out with his crush,played here byThe Batmanstar Zoë Kravitz.
Of course, McKinnon’s character isn’t a smooth ladies' man, and must phone a friend to ensure he nails the moment. This friend, played by Aidy Bryant, treats the situation like a covert military operation, guiding McKinnon’s character on every step. Somehow, they all work out, even McKinnon whispering the secret: “I once got mono from a trombone.”
3Kellywise
During the early days of the Trump administration, McKinnon remained a highlight of the political sketches. Particularly, her impression of Trump’s campaign manager Kellyane Conway was a smash hit. McKinnon could perfectly nail Conway’s strained manner of speech, but the best uses of the impression were sketches that made Conway seem straight from a horror film.
Related:Best SNL Hosts Of The 2000s
One of these sketches, called “Kellywise,” parodied the opening of the 2017 filmIt. Alex Moffat’s Anderson Cooper encounters Kellyanne, wearing Pennywise makeup, hiding in a sewer. Kellywise hilariously tempts Cooper with a quote, claiming Puerto Rico was worse before Hurricane Maria, in a spooky attempt to get more airtime on CNN.
2Teacher Fell Down
Perhaps one of Kate McKinnon’s strangest roles during her time onSaturday Night Livewas this sketch from an episode in 2018 hosted by Jonah Hill. Prior to the sketch’s start, a teacher played by McKinnon has fallen in class. What follows isan overly-dramatic monologue by Kate, contemplating the situation she’s in and facing the humiliation from the class.
The students, however, are more puzzled by the teacher’s insistence to soak this moment in than amused by her falling. The best moment comes when, in a moment of trying to proceed with her Driver’s Ed lesson, she falls even closer to the ground. It’s easy to watch this sketch and be confused by it, but what makes it work is Kate’s commitment to the melodrama of it all.
1Close Encounter
It’s no shock that Kate’s send-off in her final episode included one final appearance of Colleen Rafferty.The character first appeared in the sketch “Close Encounter,“which follows a trio of regular Americans who were abducted by aliens. While Cecily Strong and host Ryan Gosling recount the indescribable beauty they saw, Ms. Rafferty’s experience is less idealistic.
This sketch perfectly captures what made McKinnon such an invaluable part of SNL’s cast for almost ten years. Rafferty’s description of her experience with little gray aliens is equally crude as it is casual. She almost seems indifferent to the experience, even as she bemoans losing her pants and being poked in her private parts by curious aliens for seemingly no reason.
