A lot of celebrities have admitted to being nervous about the idea of hosting Saturday Night Live. The fact that the show is aired live means there’s no safety net if somebody blows a line or misses a mark. It’s also been a place where many actors have been unable to keep a straight face because things can get so funny that they break character. It’s something Ryan Gosling knows all too well; he's sort of famous for being unable to keep from laughing on the show.

Ryan Gosling has hosted SNL three times previously, and he’s set to do it for a fourth time on March 7 ahead of the release of his new movie, Project Hail Mary. Gosling has famously lost it on set more than once, specifically due to Kate McKinnon, who had Gosling in hysterics during a pair of “Close Encounters” sketches back in 2015 and 2017. Access Hollywood asked Gosling what it is about her that causes him to lose it. He said…

Even if you’re not a regular watcher of Saturday Night Live, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen Kate McKinnon’s character Colleen Rafferty, who, over the course of several years, was the victim of everything from alien abduction to near-death experiences. The character’s first appearance was one of those moments where Ryan Gosling could not hold it together. Check it out.

It’s very possible that Ryan Gosling trying not to laugh is one of the reasons that the Colleen Rafferty character became so popular, as the sketch was one of those that went viral on YouTube the morning after it aired. When Gosling hosted the show again two years later, we saw a return of the duo in a similar alien abduction sketch, and Gosling lost it again. You can tell this time that McKinnon is trying to make that happen.

Access Hollywood asked Ryan Gosling if we might see another Close Encounters sketch when he hosts Saturday Night Live this weekend. Gosling said he didn’t know what the plans were for him. Seeing these two reunite would be a treat, but considering the last time we saw Colleen Rafferty, she was going off to live with aliens, in a sketch during Kate McKinnon’s last season as a full-time cast member.

It would be amazing if they could get McKinnon to make a surprise return alongside Ryan Gosling. If that happens, you can fully expect that she will be working to see if she can make Gosling laugh, and I feel like it’s a safe bet to say it will probably happen.

SPOILERS ahead for Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, now streaming with a Disney+ subscription or Hulu subscription.

Wow, what a finale! While the arrival of Percy Jackson's Season 2 closer sadly means no new episodes for a while, we can rest assured knowing that Season 3 is already underway and will eventually head to the upcoming TV schedule. When CinemaBlend spoke to the series’ showrunners, they spilled the tea on two big casting additions for the upcoming adaptation of The Titan’s Curse.

How Amy Poehler Factored Into Kate McKinnon's Percy Jackson Casting

Back in October, it was announced that none-other-than Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon would be joining the next season as the goddess of love, Aphrodite. During our chat with the showrunners, Dan Shotz told me how he landed on casting the comedian in the role of a Greek god, and it turns out, another SNL alum was inadvertently involved.

He’s talking about Good Hang With Amy Poehler, of course, which was one of the 2026 Golden Globe winners, earning its W for “Best Podcast.” Now we know that the podcast was actually the reason why McKinnon was picked to be in Percy Jackson Season 3, I only love Poehler's interview series more. Shotz also told CinemaBlend what happened after the October episode of Good Hang the actress appeared in.

Percy Jackson meets Aphrodite in the third book, The Titan’s Curse, who is very interested in the demigod’s love life, of course. I can just imagine the funny bits McKinnon is going to create with the character.

Percy Jackson Showrunners Told Me About Getting Marvel's Dafne Keen, Too

In addition to McKinnon, another big get for Season 3 was Dafne Keen, who famously played Laura Kinney / X-23 in Logan and Deadpool & Wolverine. Here’s what Shotz said about nabbing the actress for the role of Artemis:

Artemis is the goddess of the moon, who ends up helping Percy and his friends in The Titan’s Curse when they face the manticore. She has a crew of young women called the Hunters of Artemis. Shotz’s comments about Season 3 of Percy Jackson definitely has us excited about what’s to come. The production recently reprised filming the remaining third of the season that’s left to film, and Season 3 is set to come out later this year.

While we look forward to it, you can check out our interview with Rick Riordan about adapting Thalia’s story this season.

It’s never fun to say goodbye to any Saturday Night Live players, let alone the show’s main stars, like Kate McKinnon. Even now, a few years after her Studio 8H exit, fans like me still reminisce about watching her rise to comedy royalty. So, it’s always nice to hear people like McKinnon reflect on any part of their tenure. The funnywoman recalled her sweet experience on her final show, even though they didn’t go with her sketch.

Being added to the list of SNL alumni giants to appear on Good Hang with Amy Poehler, it’s unsurprising that some 30 Rock shoptalk arose. And if you know any of Kate McKinnon’s best sketches, off the top of your head, it’s likely her as abductee, Colleen Rafferty in “Close Encounter.” The iconic recurring set up happened three times, including the Barbie actor’s farewell episode. Here’s a brief reminder of Colleen Rafferty in all of her abduction glory:

Poehler reminded listeners about the cold open where we saw McKinnon’s last appearance as Rafferty. In all of its humorous, outlandish, and goofy glory, we see her return to an alien spaceship, and the comedy vet deemed it as beautiful. The abductee impersonator agreed, by saying:

In the latter half of SNL archives, “Close Encounters,” is indisputably top tier material. From it being one of McKinnon's favorite sketches from the start to Ryan Gosling continuously losing it during the skit, it’s proved time and again just what a contender it proves to be. And regardless of the timetable–check out her goodbye:

As McKinnon continued to unveil the lead up to her last hurrah on the historic stage, she revealed who wrote it and another idea in mind to say goodbye to the masses. But after some realizations of her highly physical comedy concept, she thought the return to Rafferty was more fitting, saying:

That certainly would’ve been a surprise ending for everyone but seems like the finished product was the right choice. Don’t get me wrong, if Kate McKinnon puts her comedy stamp of approval on anything, I’d likely give it a chance.

Even through the silliness and candid retelling, the Ghostbusters star finished with how much it all meant to her. As she said:

Even after finding success post-SNL, including on the 2025 movie schedule, Kate McKinnon clearly relishes her days on the NBC offices and set, which is no surprise. From her first season to the last, she delivered continuously–even if it wasn’t her pitch.

If you’re ready to jump back into the McKinnon years of the historic late night comedy you can stream them with a Peacock subscription.

Throughout Saturday Night Live’s 50-season run, the series has produced a number of memorable and viral sketches and beloved characters. Former cast member Kate McKinnon was in quite a few viral sketches during her time on the long-running series, and despite playing countless characters, she was quick to pick her favorite, which was the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She also responded to a question about the perfect SNL sketch, and the answer, while a bit... err.. alienating, is perfect.

Considering the number of sketches SNL has pumped out over the years, it’s hard for me to pick a favorite, even if you narrow the parameter to one cast member or even a certain type of sketch, such as the commercial parodies. However, when McKinnon was asked by fellow SNL alum and The Roses co-star Andy Samberg for Esquire what SNL skit was perfect from start to finish, she didn't really seem to have to think about it. She said:

The specific sketch that McKinnon is referring to is, as she said, the very first “Close Encounter” sketch that kicked off a whole series of sketches that were popular for a time on the show. It's honestly pretty common for SNL to repeat sketches fans really love, and I think McKinnon's answer is a solid one.

The first sketch made its debut in the December 5, 2015, episode, hosted by Ryan Gosling. He, McKinnon, and Cecily Strong were the three people who were “abducted” by aliens, and you really didn’t know what to expect with the characters, their stories, or their interactions with one another. Hearing the backstory to the alien abduction and the fact that McKinnon was only pitched the premise right before the read-through is impressive, though.

Though Streeter Seidell and Mikey Day wrote the bit, McKinnon made sure to put her own twist on the sketch, especially when it came to the character of Miss. Rafferty. She revealed he take didn't change much in the lead-up to the show, but I do like the one addition that changed.

“Close Encounter” has appeared on Saturday Night Live nine times over the last decade, most recently for SNL50: The Anniversary Special earlier this year with Meryl Streep, making it even more perfect. The sketch is arguably one of my favorites, and it’s always fun seeing how insane the stories are that are told by McKinnon’s character, and how much the host cracks up.

Even though the “Close Encounter” sketches probably wouldn't work without Kate McKinnon, I am always hopeful it will make a comeback every once in a while. It’s unknown who is hosting SNL Season 51, but perhaps McKinnon and “Close Encounter” will return to Studio 8H in the near future.

Luckily, the sketches are on YouTube and all episodes of SNL are streaming with a Peacock subscription, so now would be a good time to revisit one of the iconic sketches that double as McKinnon's fondest.

Throughout Saturday Night Live’s 50-season run, the stars of the variety sketch series have impersonated hundreds of people in ways that are still talked about. So, as SNL prepares to return for Season 51 on the 2025 TV schedule, I'm starting to anticipate the impersonations the cast will do. However, before we see those, let's throw it back for a second as Kate McKinnon revealed her favorite person to impersonate, and I can’t say I disagree with her pick.

McKinnon left SNL in 2022 after ten seasons on the show and numerous Emmy nominations and wins. During her time on the series, she’s impersonated many notable figures, including Justin Bieber, Hillary Clinton, Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Lynch, Nancy Pelosi, Martha Stewart, and even Rudy Giuliani. While doing a video for Betches that harkened back to her SNL days and even her Bieber impression, McKinnon was asked who her favorite celeb to impersonate was, and she said:

The late Supreme Court Justice was first impersonated on SNL in 2012, with McKinnon portraying her. She made appearances over the years in sketches, but mostly she was featured on Weekend Update. Between her high energy and thoughts on the political system, it was always a highlight seeing RBG on Weekend Update.

After Ginsburg died in September 2020, McKinnon paid tribute to her the following month by silently sitting in the audience dressed as Ginsburg during Weekend Update, followed by a card honoring the late justice.

Playing a prominent figure may not be the easiest thing to do, but McKinnon did it flawlessly. She’s impersonated a number of political figures on SNL and a lot of other celebrities, but it was always fun seeing her as RBG on Weekend Update and watching just how crazy she may or may not get. It wasn’t surprising, though, because when McKinnon commits to a part, she really commits. And the fact that she was able to think up that answer so quickly when asked about her favorite impersonation proves how fun it was for her to do it.

As previously mentioned, McKinnon left SNL in 2022 following a string of rumors surrounding her exit, and despite it being the “best decade,” she felt it was time to move on. She has returned to the series since then, hosting the Christmas show in 2023 for Season 49. She also cameoed later that season and reprised her iconic character, Colleen Rafferty, in a special “Close Encounter” sketch for SNL50: The Anniversary Special earlier this year, with Meryl Streep playing her mother.

Assuming Kate McKinnon returns to Studio 8H for another hosting gig or cameo, it’s quite possible she’ll throw on another impersonation of another notable figure. At the very least, all episodes of SNL are streaming with a Peacock subscription, so fans can always go back and watch their favorites that way or on YouTube.

SPOILERS are ahead! Read with caution!

We’ve seen a lot of great romantic comedies over the years, but we’re not sure the release of The Roses counts as one after that ending. CinemaBlend spoke with the supporting cast of the latest of 2025 movie releases, and they had some diabolical thoughts about what happens next.

After we witness Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman’s Theo and Ivy Rose fall in love and then fall into hate with one another, we’re convinced we’re going to watch one of them murder the other before the impossible happens. The couple actually makes up! However, their rekindling is short-lived when they accidentally burn their own gorgeous house down and themselves.

During our interview with the cast (in video form above), the hilarious Jamie Demetriou told us what’s next for Rory after the Roses die with these words:

The wife of Demetriou’s Rory is played by Zoë Chao, who also didn’t think the couple would mourn long for the couple. As she said:

Yikes! Well, The Roses does expose the couple at the center of the black comedy to be rather mean, but it’s interesting to think about how they kind of had fake friends too. Kate McKinnon added this:

Throughout The Roses, McKinnon’s Amy is trying to show her interest in opening up her marriage with Samberg’s Barry, especially by doing a lot of flirting with Cumberbatch’s Theo. But with him dead, it sounds like she’d simply move on with a new target.

Sunita Mani, who plays Ivy’s sous chef, also had a pretty selfish look at her character when discussing the ending:

Ncuti Gatwa, who also talked to us in the same interview about his Doctor Who exit, suggested that Jane would probably make a massive mosaic inspired by the couple’s death. That has to be the sweetest of all the responses.

To round things out, Mani said this about how she thinks Gatwa’s Jeffrey, who plays the restaurant manager, might deal with the death, and Gatwa agreed. In Mani’s words:

It all definitely seems to check out after seeing the movie. Crazy how not one of them suggested raising the two children they would leave behind after their death, but that’s a black comedy for you!

The Roses is both a remake of the 1989 movie with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner and one of this year’s book adaptations, considering both movies are based on Warren Adler’s novel. You can check out our The Roses review now that you’ve experienced the funny relationship film.

Over the five decades that Saturday Night Live has been a staple of late-night television, it has been responsible for some of the funniest impressions of political figures in popular culture. It's invented words, like "strategery," and never failed to get the public talking. Some of the greatest cast members in the show's history have played the most famous and infamous politicians in United States history. This list is hardly exhaustive; that would be impossible, but they are some of the best.

Bill Clinton - Phil Hartman

Phil Hartman was one of the most versatile performers in SNL history and had some amazing moments on the show. He could do it all, including impersonating President Bill Clinton. In 1992, he appeared on one of the true classic skits that sees Clinton on the campaign trail, meeting people at a McDonald's. Most of the time, he's just stealing fries and taking bites of people's food.

George W. Bush - Will Ferrell

Who will ever forget Will Ferrell uttering the word "strategery" during an SNL debate? Ferrell's George W. Bush is a classic. He portrayed the former president as a little dimwitted, but generally affable. While "Dubya" is smarter than he lets on, he is certainly easygoing, just as Ferrall played him. He was so good as Bush that he later played him in a one-man show after leaving SNL and has occasionally returned to the show, as well.

Al Gore - Darrell Hammond

Will Ferrell's George W. Bush is legendary, and like all the best performances, he needed a partner to play the foil, and Darrell Hammond's portrayal of Al Gore, Bush's opponent in 2000, was perfect for the role. Like Gore himself, Hammond's take on the former VP was very dry - but make no mistake, it's pitch perfect and hilarious.

Sean Spicer - Melissa McCarthy

When Melissa McCarthy first appeared on SNL as Donald Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer, she completely stole the show. Though she wasn't a full cast member, the impression was so funny, she returned a number of times to reprise it. It's impossible not to die laughing when she starts shoving gum in her mouth, playing on one of Spicer's own habits.

Gerald Ford - Chevy Chase

The first cast member to send up a president was Chevy Chase, who became legendary for his performances as then-president Gerald Ford. Chase basically played Ford as though the president was a complete idiot, and while that might not be exactly what Ford was like, it didn't matter, because it was hilarious whenever Chase played him. Just don't make him do any math.

Vladimir Putin - Beck Bennett

Occasionally, Saturday Night Live branches out into foreign politics, and in recent years, we've had the pleasure of watching Beck Bennett as a shirtless Vladimir Putin. Is it a spot-on impression? No, but no matter, it perfectly mocks Putin's machismo that is so often on display in Russian propaganda, including his lack of shirt in pretty much every appearance.

Janet Reno - Wll Ferrell

Cast members playing across genders has a long tradition at SNL, and that certainly applies to political impressions on the show. Take, for example, Will Ferrell's hilarious impression of former attorney general Janet Reno. Especially the "Janet Reno's Dance Party" skit. Though Ferrell says he regrets the impression these days, it still should be appreciated for what it was in its time.

Ben Carson - Jay Pharoah

Jay Pharoah is hands down one of the greatest impressionists who has ever graced the SNL studio. He never failed to land just about any impersonation he took on, like former Republican presidential candidate and neurosurgeon Ben Carson. Pharoah perfectly captured Carson's sleepy appearance and gentle manner.

Michael Dukakis - Jon Lovitz

Like Al Gore, former Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis was often criticized for being too dry and too much of a policy wonk. Jon Lovitz nailed the former Massachusetts governor perfectly by playing him in an almost boring manner. It wasn't boring to watch during the 1988 election, however.

Newt Gingrich - Chris Farley

Saturday Night Live legend Chris Farley wasn't known for his impressions, but that doesn't mean when he did them, they weren't top-notch. In fact, his Newt Gingrich was so good, he was even invited by House Republicans to perform as the former Speaker of the House. Right in front of the man himself! Of course, Farley nailed it.

Donald Trump - James Austin Johnson

Everyone and their brother thinks they can nail an impression of Donald Trump, but none do it better than James Austin Johnson on SNL. A ton of cast members (and guest stars) have "done" Trump in the past, including most famously Alec Baldwin, but if we're honest, none of them come close to Johnson's. It's all about the subtleties.

Sarah Palin - Tina Fey

When Sarah Palin first emerged as a vice presidential candidate in 2008, fans of the show and its former head writer and star, Tina Fey, started clamoring for her to come back to do an impression of the Alaskan governor. Fey did, of course, and in the process made the impersonation legendary. She even returned in 2018 to reprise the role.

Bob Dole - Norm Macdonald

The best thing about Norm McDonald's impersonation of Senator Bob Dole was just how little the SNL star did. It was basically just McDonald holding a pen in his hand, as Dole did, and calling himself "Bob Dole" in the third person a lot. It's absolutely hilarious.

Jimmy Carter - Dan Aykroyd

Jimmy Carter, who some would argue might be the best person to ever be president, but none would argue he was particularly effective as a president. That's exactly how Dan Aykroyd played him, too. He was a great man, willing to help out anyone he could, but maybe a little out of his depth as the leader of the free world.

Hillary Clinton - Amy Poehler

You have to wonder just how much Amy Poehler took from her impression of Hillary Clinton into her Parks & Rec character, Leslie Knope. We know Leslie idolized Clinton, just as it seemed Poehler did, especially when they appeared together on the show in 2016.

Joe Biden - Kevin Nealon

Years before Joe Biden became VP, and hence a regular target of SNL, he was a senator from Maryland leading the Senate's investigation into Clarence Thomas when Thomas was nominated for the Supreme Court. The hearings were front-page news, and SNL landed an amazing skit with Kevin Nealon playing the younger Biden.

George H. W. Bush - Dana Carvey

For Gen X, there is no more famous impersonation than Dana Carvey's George H.W. Bush. His version of the 41st president was a little nerdy, but very forthright. He also copied some absolutely classic lines, like "1000 points of light," that have become cultural touchstones. Carvey has done a lot of impressions for SNL, both as a cast member and later as a guest star, but Bush I remains his most famous.

Ted Kennedy - Phil Hartman

The great Phil Hartman may best be remembered for his version of Bill Clinton, but his take on Senator Ted Kennedy in the famous skit about Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court hearing was at least as good and really, really funny. It's always fun to do a Massachusetts accent, even for Hartman.

Bernie Sanders - Larry David

For over a decade now, Saturday Night Live has been great at bringing in guest stars to do the biggest political players these days. One of the most hilarious was when they convinced former SNL writer and Seinfeld co-creator Larry David to play Bernie Sanders. David seemed to enjoy his time playing the independent Senator from Vermont, but he admitted later he would not have wanted Sanders to win and have to play him more than he did.

Ross Perot - Dana Carvey

The 1992 Presidential election was a wild one. George H.W. Bush, was the incumbent, and he was challenged by and young upstart named Bill Clinton. A third candidate, Ross Perot, jumped into the race with a self-funded career as a financial centrist. Dana Carvey was already famous for his Bush, and he added Perot to his repertoire during this election, too.

David Paterson - Fred Armisen

One of the more underrated impressions has to be Fred Armisen's version of the former governor of New York, David Paterson. To some, it was offensive, but Paterson himself seemed to be ok with it, as he joined Armisen for an appearance in one skit.

Donald Trump, Jr - Mikey Day And Alex Moffat - Eric Trump

Sure, usually the kids of Presidents are off-limits for sketch comedy, but when they are such visible members of the campaign, like Eric and Donald Trump Jr. were, they are fair game. Alex Moffat and Mikey Day aren't really perfect impressions, but they are hilarious.

Ronald Reagan - Phil Hartman

Early in his SNL career, Phil Hartman did an amazing impression of Ronald Reagan. The skit shows Reagan as a kindly old man, much like the image he projected to the public, but things changed when the eyes were off Reagan in the script, and he was a ruthless leader with all kinds of schemes.

Elizabeth Warren - Kate McKinnon

Emmy Award winner Kate McKinnon has dozens of amazing sketches in her SNL portfolio. She was legendary in her time on the show for her impressions, including such political luminaries as Hillary Clinton and Kellyanne Conway. One of her best has to be Elizabeth Warren, who McKinnon got to play for a little bit when Warren ran for president in 2020.

Cory Booker - Chris Redd

Cory Booker was an up-and-coming Senator from New Jersey when he through his hat into the presidential ring in 2020. Chris Redd did a very funny impression of the former Newark mayor that emphasized Booker's wide eyes.

Jeanine Pirro - Cecily Strong

Though she was a local politician early in her career, Jeanine Pirro is most famous for her Fox News talk show. On Saturday Night Live, Cecily Strong nailed Pirro's unique speech pattern and made the impression incredibly effective and funny.

Rudy Giuliani - Kate McKinnon

Before he went overboard after Donald Trump's loss in 2020, Rudy Giuliani was one of the most popular politicians in the country. After his wild claims of election interference in 2020, he lost a lot of that respect. That's the version of Giuliani that Kate McKinnon played brilliantly in the aftermath of the election.

Richard Nixon - Joe Piscopo

Early on in SNL's history, Richard Nixon was played by Dan Aykroyd. In the mid-80s, the role was picked up by Joe Piscopo, who, frankly, was even better than Aykroyd. Nixon is one of those celebrities that everyone thinks they can imitate, but it takes real skill to do it as well as Piscopo did on the show.

Barak Obama - Jay Pharoah

Jay Pharoah is one of the most talented mimics in SNL history, and his most famous impression has to be Barack Obama. He crushes the part every time he does it. Though Pharoah had a falling out with the producers on the show, he'll forever be remembered as the show's best Obama.

Paul Simon - Al Franken

We just had to include this one. Even though Paul Simon, a Democrat from Illinois, isn't really remembered by anyone born after 1990, he was a prominent member of the committee that held the Clarence Thomas hearings in '91. For the now-famous skit on SNL, he was portrayed by none other than Al Franken, who himself would later be elected to the Senate.

Michael Bloomberg - Fred Armisen

Fred Armisen's Michael Bloomberg is pretty much pitch-perfect for the smart, but sometimes whiny-sounding former mayor of New York. Armisen captured both sides of Bloomberg perfectly. It's not as famous as "The Californians," but it was still a spot-on impression.

Jeff Sessions - Kate McKinnon

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was one of the most prominent members of Donald Trump's first cabinet, and s,o of course, he had to get his comeuppance on SNL. Kate McKinnon had the hono,r and like all the other impressions she did on the show, she nailed Sessions.

The best Saturday Night Live stars made an impact on the classic sketch comedy series, not just because of their ability to be funny but, more importantly, their ability to act. These comedy icons would go on to prove their versatility by challenging themselves in more serious roles on both the big and small screen, going on to earn widespread praise for their craft. Here, we show our appreciation for these dramatic performances by very funny people, including some that earned these SNL stars Oscar nominations.

Kristen Wiig (The Skeleton Twins)

This one technically counts as a twofer because the eponymous siblings in the 2014 twin movie, The Skeleton Twins, are played by SNL veterans Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. Wiig has never given a more absorbing performance than in this movie that gets honest about mental illness as Maggie Dean, who is forced to put her own mental health struggles at bay to care for her gay, suicidal brother, Milo.

Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

Robert Downey Jr. is already better known for his dramatic roles (and playing Iron Man in the Marvel movies) than his brief SNL stint. However, many agree that his career best so far is his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan's Best Picture Oscar winner, 2023's Oppenheimer, which was his third Academy Award-nominated performance and the first to earn him the gold.

Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)

Laurie Metcalf is one of the better examples of an actor with a largely forgotten SNL stint, considering she only made a couple of appearances on the show during Season 6. She is far better known for playing Jackie on Roseanne and The Conners and for her heartbreaking, Oscar-nominated performance in Greta Gerwig's acclaimed 2017 dramedy, Lady Bird, as the mother of the angsty titular role.

Will Ferrell (Stranger Than Fiction)

Director Marc Forster’s 2006 film, Stranger Than Fiction, is still, essentially, a comedy but an undeniably dark one, as it follows an IRS agent named Harold Crick, who can hear the author of his life story foretelling his impending death. The role was one of the first to prove that a goofy actor like Will Ferrell had dramatic chops and his tender performance, one of the strongest of his career, would earn him a Golden Globe nomination.

Will Forte (Nebraska)

Perhaps the best thing outside of SNL to star Will Forte (in addition to the MacGruber movie and his prematurely canceled TV show The Last Man on Earth) is director Alexander Payne's Nebraska. The comedian shows a new rare side of himself in the Oscar-nominated 2013 as a David Grant, who agrees to travel cross-country with his estranged father, Woody (Bruce Dern), to claim a potentially non-existent prize of $1 million.

Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)

While Eddie Murphy scored a radio hit in 1985 with "Party All the Time," the moment that truly convinced the world that he was a musically talented SNL star was his performance in Dreamgirls. He received an Academy Award nomination for playing troubled R&B singer, James “Thunder” Early in the acclaimed 2006 musical.

Abby Elliott (The Bear)

Creator Christopher Storer's acclaimed FX original, The Bear, is often billed as a comedy, especially around awards season. However, real fans of the culinary series know that it is truly one of the most emotionally grasping shows of its time and Abby Elliott (daughter of fellow SNL vet Chris Elliott) has contributed to some of its strongest moments as Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto.

Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems)

While he is still beloved for comedies like Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, both critics and audiences agree that one of Adam Sandler's best movies is the intense 2019 thriller Uncut Gems. Many believed he deserved an Oscar nomination for his performance in the acclaimed A24 movie from Josh and Benny Safdie as self-destructive Manhattan jeweler Howard Rattner.

Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back)

It was not until years after her one-season stint on SNL that Sarah Silverman became one of the biggest names in comedy with her sharp stand-up and roles in popular funny movies. However, she had never received wider and stronger critical acclaim before playing vastly against type in the 2015 drama I Smile Back as a troubled woman struggling to hide her depression and self-destructive tendencies from her husband and young children.

Bill Murray (Lost In Translation)

Many would call Bill Murray (who was part of SNL's Not Ready for Primetime Players) losing Best Actor for one of the best movies of the 2000s, Lost in Translation, at the 2004 Academy Awards one of the biggest Oscar blunders in history. His performance in writer and director Sofia Coppola’s sophomore effort as a lonely veteran actor striking up an unlikely bond with a young woman (played by Scarlett Johansson) in Tokyo is a masterclass in raw honesty and charm.

Chris Rock (Fargo)

No one was more surprised to see Noah Hawley offer Chris Rock one of the lead roles in the fourth season of his hit anthology TV show, Fargo, than the former SNL star himself. Rock – who went on to play a cop in a Saw movie called Spiral and starred in the Oscar-nominated biopic, Rustin – really turned heads with his commanding performance as Loy Cannon, who leads his 1950s-ear, Kansas City crime family with an iron fist.

Bill Hader (Barry)

When he created Barry with Alec Berg, Bill Hader knew people would think the idea of him playing a contract killer who falls in love with acting is pretty funny. That must have motivated the former SNL favorite to prove that he could bring himself to some disturbingly bleak places with his two-time Emmy-winning performance in the title role of the hit HBO series.

Kate McKinnon (Bombshell)

We genuinely believe that one of the most essential reasons why Bombshell is one of Kate McKinnon's best movies is the dynamic SNL star's performance. Her role as Fox News employee Jess Carr – a composite character based on real people involved with the real-life events that inspired the 2019 docudrama – could be written off as comic relief but she does show some real gravitas in its more somber moments.

Dan Aykroyd (Driving Miss Daisy)

Some of Dan Aykroyd's most notable cinematic efforts are actually movies based on SNL characters, namely The Blues Brothers and Coneheads. However, he would earn praise and an Academy Award nomination for his moving turn as Boolie Werthan in 1989’s beloved period drama, Driving Miss Daisy.

Andy Samberg (Lee)

When appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Andy Samberg acknowledged that a movie like Lee – the 2024 biopic about World War II photographer Lee Miller, played by Kate Winslet – is unlike anything the Lonely Island member has done before. However, not only is the SNL vet a dead ringer for Miller's colleague, David Scherman, but he excels in his emotionally heavy portrayal of the man.

Maya Rudolph (Away We Go)

Director Sam Mendes' Away We Go is a sweet, tender-hearted dramedy about a couple (played by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) traveling the country in search of a worthy home for their soon-to-be-born child. Carrying most of the emotional weight in the film is Rudolph, resulting in one of her most wonderfully down-to-earth performances from one of SNL's goofiest female performers.

Molly Shannon (A Good Person)

Writer and director Zach Braff's A Good Person – following a young woman (played by Florence Pugh) and her post-accident road to recovery with help from her would-be father-in-law (played by Morgan Freeman) – is led to by heavy-hitting Oscar darlings. Yet, some say the heart and soul of the 2023 dramedy is Molly Shannon's performance as the mother of Pugh's character, for which she gives her most acclaimed, heartfelt dramatic performance yet.

Jay Pharoah (Unsane)

Jay Pharoah only departed from SNL a couple of years breaking into dramatic acting with director Steven Soderbergh's Unsane. The comedian and talented impressionist is electrifying in the mind-bending psychological thriller as a mental hospital patient who befriends Sawyer (Claire Foy), who claims she has been admitted against her will.

Jenny Slate (Obvious Child)

Arguably the most memorable moment from Jenny Slate's one-season SNL stint is when she accidentally dropped the F-bomb during her first show (which she confirmed had nothing to do with her exit, by the way). Years after her time at Studio 8H, the comedian amazed critics with her beautiful and heartbreaking performance in the 2014 romantic dramedy Obvious Child, in which she plays a stand-up comic dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.

Casey Wilson (Gone Girl)

Some might say that a sign of a great actor is the ability to convey all that an audience needs to know just in one's silent expressions. For proof, see Casey Wilson's performance as Amy Dunne's "friend" Noelle Hawthorne in David Fincher's Gone Girl, in which you rarely, if ever, hear her speak but are thoroughly captivated by her body language.

Anthony Michael Hall (The Dead Zone)

In 1984, the same year that Anthony Michael Hall became a teen idol with roles in hilarious, high school movies The Breakfast Club and Weird Science, he became the youngest SNL cast member, coming on at just 17 years old. Years later, he fully reinvented himself as a serious actor as the star of USA's series adaptation of Stephen King's The Dead Zone, in which he plays a man who wakes from a coma with the ability to see the future.

Christopher Guest (The Long Riders)

Christopher Guest joined the SNL cast in 1984, around the same time his career as the most trusted mockumentarian began as one of the writers and stars of This is Spinal Tap. He had shown Hollywood his more serious side years earlier by starring in The Long Riders – a fact-based Western noted for casting real-life siblings as real-life outlaw siblings, such as Guest and his brother, Nicholas, as Charley and Robert Ford.

Jane Curtin (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

After SNL, Jane Curtin went on to play many great comedic roles – such as her two-time Emmy-winning role on Kate & Allie and an acclaimed stint on 3rd Rock from the Sun – but did not have quite many opportunities to show her more serious side. That would change in 2018 when the one-time "Weekend Update" anchor starred in the biopic Can You Ever Forgive Me? as Marjorie, who works as the agent for author Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy).

Michael McKean (Better Call Saul)

Interestingly, Michael McKean was already an established comedy actor and had even hosted SNL before he joined as a cast member in the early 1990s. However, his reputation as a dramatic actor was never fully realized before his Emmy-nominated turn on Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad prequel series Better Call Saul as Chuck, the delusional older brother of Jimmy McGill (former SNL writer Bob Odenkirk).

Joan Cusack (Arlington Road)

Joan Cusack became the first SNL star to earn two Academy Award nominations but both were for comedic roles, namely from 1988's Working Girl and In & Out from 1997. One might argue she deserved similar recognition for her work in 1999's Arlington Road as Cheryl Lang, who, along with her husband (played by Tim Robbins), is suspected of domestic terrorism by their neighbor, a professor (played by Jeff Bridges).

Billy Crystal (Before)

With the exception of, perhaps, the tearjerker ending of When Harry Met Sally..., it is hard to imagine Billy Crystal in a role that doesn't require him to be his signature goofy self. Thus, the comedic genius shocked audiences when he served as the star and showrunner of Apple TV+'s dark thriller Before, in which he plays a widowed child psychiatrist whose newest patient exhibits signs of psychopathy.

Janeane Garofalo (Cop Land)

Janeane Garofalo's time at SNL is largely forgotten but, luckily, did not affect her reputation as one of the smartest and most dynamic comedic actors in the 1990s. She further proved her versatility in 1997 as Deputy Sheriff Cindy Betts in James Mangold's acclaimed crime thriller, Cop Land.

Chevy Chase (Law & Order)

Chevy Chase's bread and butter on and off SNL was playing smarmy jerks. However, he really upped the ante in 2006 for his guest star appearance on Law & Order as an anti-Semitic murder suspect.

Tina Fey (A Haunting In Venice)

In addition to being the Agatha Christie surrogate in Kenneth Branagh's third Agatha Christie adaptation, you could call Tina Fey's clever writer Ariadne Oliver the comic relief of A Haunting in Venice. However, the former SNL star and one-time head writer plays the role in the 2023 mystery thriller with an earnestness that is perfectly suitable for its story and tone.

Jim Belushi (The Principal)

Jim Belushi's stint at SNL was unavoidably a constant source of comparison to his older brother, John Belushi. Luckily, he went on to have a relatively successful run with more dramatic roles, such as a man who takes a job at an anarchic high school in 1987's The Principal.

Rob Riggle (12 Strong)

Rob Riggle's brief time at SNL led to a stint on The Daily Show and scene-stealing turns in comedies like Stepbrothers and 21 Jump Street but his best role might be from 2018's 12 Strong. As he told Stephen Colbert on Late Show, he was uniquely qualified to star in the fact-based military drama, not only because he is a former U.S. Marine but because the person he is portraying, Lt. Colonel Bowers, is his actual former boss.

Randy Quaid (The Last Detail)

One of the few people to become an Academy Award nominee before becoming an SNL cast member is Randy Quaid. He earned the honor from his performance in 1973's The Last Detail as a dishonorable discharged Naval officer who is shown one last good time by his superiors (played by Jack Nicholson and Otis Young) before facing jail time.

Saturday Night Live’s Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches have provided some truly iconic moments for the NBC sketch show. You hardly have to be an SNL fanatic to have seen the best Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches featuring Will Ferrell as one of the best game show hosts ever, Alex Trebek. So what would Celebrity Jeopardy! look like in the Ken Jennings era of Jeopardy! if SNL were to bring it back as part of the 2025 TV schedule? The host had a couple of amazing ideas when he was asked that very question, but I think he’s overlooking one obvious choice.

Ken Jennings Shares An A+ Idea For Who Could Play Him On SNL’s Celebrity Jeopardy!

Sean Connery on Celebrity Jeopardy! is among the funniest recurring characters on Saturday Night Live, and sketches parodying the quiz show are still some of the most popular SNL clips on YouTube. However, it’s been 10 years the NBC writers dipped into that well, with the last Celebrity Jeopardy! sketch airing in February 2015 during the comedy show’s 40th season. During a recent taping, an audience member asked Ken Jennings who he could see portraying him if they revived the idea for its currently airing Season 50. His response, per the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, was:

Regardless of the fact that she left SNL in 2022, Kate McKinnon is such a good answer, and I get the sneaky suspicion this was not the first time Ken Jennings has considered his physical similarity to the Barbie actress.

30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer is also a good choice, although he surprisingly has never appeared on Saturday Night Live. As the Jeopardy! host pointed out, the sketch comedy has been known to call on outside comedians or former cast members to fill certain roles — it took a big risk doing that ahead of the presidential election — but if they did want to go with someone currently working in Studio 8H, I think I’ve got the perfect guy.

Mikey Day Could Totally Play Ken Jennings On Saturday Night Live

Nobody could keep a straight face when Ryan Gosling dressed up as Beavis during his SNL host gig back in April, and Mikey Day’s turn as Butt-Head ensured that people were still talking about that viral Beavis and Butt-Head sketch for weeks after. Day may not look as much like Ken Jennings as the two examples he named, but I think between Day’s smaller stature and, more importantly, the range of the characters he can play, he would be a great choice.

Slap a wig on Mikey Day and call it a … never mind, I’ll leave the dad jokes to Ken Jennings. Another point in Day’s favor is that he's also got some game show experience that he could bring to the role as the host of Netflix’s Is It Cake?

I have to imagine that just like the Jeopardy! host who came before him, Ken Jennings would be nothing but flattered, no matter who portrayed him from behind the lectern. It was said that Alex Trebek loved the Jeopardy! parodies, and he even made an epic SNL cameo back in Season 27.

We’ll have to see what SNL’s future holds in terms of Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches, but for now, take a look at the upcoming Season 50 hosts and musical guests, then tune in at 11:30 p.m. ET Saturdays on NBC and streaming with a Peacock subscription.

For a lot of people, we’ve recently entered what is known as “party season,” where the holidays lead to numerous invites to shindigs large and small. However, it seems that when you’re a member of the Saturday Night Live cast, party season basically lasts as long as each television season, because those after-parties are pretty legendary when it comes to celebrity celebrations. Recently, Amy Poehler, Jason Sudeikis and more described their perfect SNL parties, and Foo Fighters and a “blizzard” were involved.

Amy Poehler’s Best SNL After Party Was During A Blizzard

I’m sure that if you ask 10 people what their idea of a great party is you’ll get 10 different answers, and that’s essentially what happened when Vulture recently asked a number of SNL luminaries, both past and current, to talk about their favorite Saturday Night Live after parties. Inside Out 2 star Amy Poehler, who starred from 2001-2008, got the best party, um, party started by remembering the event that came after an episode hosted by eventual The Holdovers Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti:

Well, leave it to the actress who portrayed the very detail-oriented Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation to make sure that we all know that her speaking about a blizzard during her favorite SNL party wasn’t a euphemism. This does sound like an amazing time, but I do wonder what she means about it being “some kind” of party. How many kinds of party are there, Ms. Poehler, and what exact kind was this?

Jason Sudeikis’ Most Memorable Post-SNL Gathering Had Foo Fighters And Karaoke

Ted Lasso (which might be on its way to a fourth season) star/creator Jason Sudeikis, of course, really came to fame as a member of the SNL cast from 2006-2013, so he probably saw a good deal of the long-running comedy’s famed get-togethers. However, the one he remembers most fondly involved and a karaoke situation he admits he wasn’t quite prepared for:

I admit that I was also prepared to give Sudeikis some “shit” for this, because I’ve never seen anyone use their phone for lyrics when singing karaoke. Then I realized that everyone can hide the fact that they might not know the words to an incredibly famous song like “Come Together” because during a traditional karaoke session, the lyrics are always displayed on a screen, which clearly wasn’t the case with this, apparently, impromptu sing-along. So, honestly, I don’t think the Ted Lasso Season 3 supporter should be too upset about his lack of knowledge here.

Kate McKinnon Remembered The Time Someone Ate Glass At An SNL Late Night Party

Listen, I’m sure we’ve all heard stories about the wild parties that famous people throw, but I was not prepared for the memory that hilarious SNL luminary Kate McKinnon unearthed, or the matter-of-fact, completely straight-faced way in which she told it:

Yeah, McKinnon knew immediately that nothing about those SNL late night parties is really normal, unless, you know, you happen to go to them on a weekly basis for most of the year. You can watch the full clip, below:

No matter how wild or weird the situation got, I think most of us would at least agree that everyone made these celebrations sound like a lot of weekly fun, which we can all use.

One of the most memorable musical acts on Saturday Night Live was The Blues Brothers, which were actually Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Of course, they are not the only great SNL cast members who have surprised audiences with their musical talents. See for yourself by taking a look at this list of comedic geniuses who can also sing, dance, and play instruments.

Fred Armisen

Fred Armisen has demonstrated his skills with multiple musical instruments on SNL on various occasions, from playing guitar as Prince, drums as Fericito, or piano as Joshua Rainhorn. Outside of Studio 8H, he would perform on his other great sketch comedy TV show, Portlandia, and even served as Seth Meyers' bandleader on Late Night for a while.

Maya Rudolph

Arguably the single funniest SNL sketch led by Maya Rudolph sees her demonstrate her amazing pipes as a woman who overdoes it a little bit with her World Series National Anthem performance. The daughter of famous soul singer Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph also made a great Beyoncé on the "Prince Show" sketches and, speaking of the late artist, she is part of a cover band called Princess. She even started in music before SNL when she was a keyboardist and backing vocalist for the '90s band The Rentals.

John Belushi

Not only did John Belushi perform with Dan Aykroyd as The Blues Brothers on the Studio 8H stage but the duo also had a record deal, a hit concert tour, and led one of the best SNL movies ever as Jake and Elwood Blues. The late comedian also performed a striking impersonation of Joe Cocker, including once with the "Feelin' Alright" singer himself.

Melissa Villaseñor

One of Melissa Villaseñor's most impressive impersonations on SNL was a spot-on Dolly Parton but she had been matching the vocals of artists like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears during her earlier stand-up days. Since her SNL exit in 2022, she has continued to demonstrate her singing talent, such as with her collaboration with Wolves of Glendale for the song "Life's Better in Spanish" in 2024.

Dana Carvey

Dana Carvey debuted his character Derek Stevens in an SNL sketch featuring a ridiculous song called, "The Lady I Know," which is concluded with the repeated lyric, "Chopping broccoli." Then and any other time he would appear as the vapid pop star, Carvey would actually play the song on piano, which he would also incorporate into his early stand-up and demonstrated in his audition for the show.

Jimmy Fallon

Before becoming a "Weekend Update" co-host, Jimmy Fallon had a recurring segment with acoustic parodies of hit songs commenting on various topics. He would go on to incorporate his musical talents into his career as a late-night talk show host and has since released a few musical comedy albums.

Eddie Murphy

After his skillful impersonations of artists like Stevie Wonder and James Brown helped save SNL in the 1980s, Eddie Murphy would later prove that his musical prowess was not limited to comedic imitations. He scored a hit single later that decade with "Party All the Time" and became an Oscar-nominated SNL alum with his performance in the 2006 musical, Dreamgirls.

Andy Samberg

Golden Globe-winning former SNL star Andy Samberg is also known as a member of the comedy hip-hop trio The Lonely Island, alongside Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer. Many of the best SNL Digital Shorts, which the group was in charge of, are their music videos, such as "Lazy Sunday" and "I'm On a Boat."

Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler would perform music often on "Weekend Update," whether it was as himself debuting original tunes like "The Hanukkah Song" or as Opera Man, recalling the week's biggest headlines in melody. The Uncut Gems actor continued to make music a part of his career with movies like The Wedding Singer and the musical grown-up animated movie, Eight Crazy Nights, as well as in his stand-up routines.

Dan Aykroyd

If Dan Aykroyd had not introduced John Belushi to the blues, The Blues Brothers would have never taken the Studio 8H stage and experienced the success they had. Outside his performances as Elwood Blues, the Ghostbusters actor also participated in the chorus for the iconic 1985 recording of "We Are the World."

Martin Short

Martin Short's most notable musical contributions to SNL happened after his one-season stint at Studio 8H when he would return as a host. However, the comedian has numerous musical accomplishments outside the show, from his Tony Award-winning performance in Neil Simon's Little Me to an insult-filled duet he and Steve Martin performed while on tour.

Kate McKinnon

While known better for her hilarious physicality and characterizations, Kate McKinnon has had a number of chances to show off her pipes on SNL. For instance, she had host Ariana DeBose in awe when she joined the future Oscar winner for a medley of songs from West Side Story.

Christopher Guest

During his sole season on SNL, Christopher Guest could be seen playing guitarist Nigel Tunfel in one of the best movies about music, the 1984 mockumentary This is Spinal Tap. The fictional English heavy metal group would reunite for subsequent performances and album recordings, namely 1992's Break Like the Wind and 2009's Back from the Dead.

Taran Killam

Very rarely did Taran Killam, who was also a MADtv cast member for a little bit, have much opportunity to sing on SNL. However, he took many opportunities to carry a tune on Broadway, performing in shows like Hamilton and Spamalot.

Ana Gasteyer

Only a singer as talented as Ana Gasteyer could impress Celine Dion with her impersonation of the French-Canadian diva enough to be invited to join her in concert. The SNL star, also known for performing with Will Ferrell as married music teachers, The Culps, has performed on Broadway as well, such as when she played Elphaba in a Chicago production of Wicked.

Kenan Thompson

Many recurring characters played by Kenan Thompson – one of the longest-running SNL cast members – are musically inclined, such as What Up with That? host Diondre Cole. The former All That and Kenan & Kel star for co-writing an R&B parody song called, "Come Back, Barack," which he also performed with Chris Redd and host Chance the Rapper.

Harry Shearer

Harry Shearer, who was on SNL from 1979 to 1980 and once more from 1984 to 1985, has demonstrated his musical talent in movies like This is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind. The Simpsons star has also co-written a satirical stage musical called J. Edgar! The Musical and released five solo musical comedy albums.

Garrett Morris

Before he became a Not Ready for Primetime Player, Garrett Morris was a Julliard-trained singer who performed with Harry Belafonte and did various Broadway shows. He utilized these talents in various memorable moments on SNL, such as when he performed a particularly risqué tune as an inmate auditioning for a prison theatre program.

Robert Downey Jr.

Perhaps if Robert Downey Jr. was given a chance to show off his vocal range during his short SNL tenure, he could have lasted a little bit longer. The Oscar winner and Marvel movie star recorded an acclaimed rendition of Joni Mitchell's "River" for a holiday album called Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas and released a studio album in 2004 called The Futurist.

Paul Shaffer

There is really no surprise that Paul Shaffer is musically talented, given his tenure as part of Studio 8H's house band and The Blues Brothers Band and as the bandleader for David Letterman's late-night TV career. What might be surprising to some – despite making history as the show's first F-bomb dropper in an infamous SNL moment – is that he was actually part of the cast during Season 5.

Pete Davidson

Given his popularity, Pete Davidson could probably release a hit album, having debuted some surprisingly good rhymes on SNL and impressed fans with his viral parody of Barbie's "I'm Just Ken," called "I'm Just Pete." The comedian once had the opportunity to perform his favorite song, "Gangster's Paradise," with the legendary rapper who crafted the song, Coolio, for a Comedy Central event.

Jim Belushi

Years after John Belushi's death, Dan Aykroyd teamed up with John's younger brother for an album called Have Love, Will Travel. Jim Belushi would also perform with a more recent iteration of The Blues Brothers Band as "Zee Blues" and he also composed and performed the theme song for his sitcom, According to Jim.

Christine Ebersole

Somehow, SNL never really figured out what to do with Christine Ebersole, whose one-season stint is much forgotten. Luckily, she would still achieve much notoriety for her Tony Award-winning performances in Broadway musicals 42nd Street and Grey Gardens.

Cecily Strong

Before Cecily Strong left SNL in 2022, she had demonstrated her singing talent as one of the main stars of Apple TV+'s musical fantasy comedy series, Schmigadoon! Thus, audiences knew to expect some special when she ended her Studio 8H tenure singing "Blue Christmas" with host and Elvis star Austin Butler.

Chloe Troast

It is a shame that Chloe Troast only lasted one season on SNL because she has one of the strongest singing voices of almost anybody to join the cast. She wowed audiences with songs she performed as a woman posing as a young orphan named Cassidy and as Mama Cass in fake footage from the recording of "Make Your Own Kind of Music."

Michael McKean

Before he joined the cast, Michael McKean appeared on SNL as Spinal Tap's David St. Hubbins and, when he hosted in 1984, was joined by Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest for a special musical performance as their other fictional band, The Folksmen. Speaking of, when The Folksmen reunited for the 2003 mockumentary A Mighty Wind, McKean won a Grammy for its title song, and another track from the film, "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow," earned him an Oscar nomination.

Will Ferrell

Probably Will Ferrell's most famous musically inclined character is Marty Culp but we also know from a certain legendary SNL sketch that he can play the cowbell like no one else. The actor also did all of his own singing in the final act of StepBrothers.

Chevy Chase

There is a great cold open from the first season of SNL in 1976 starring Chevy Chase as future president Ronald Reagan, who tries to prove that the conservative politician and actor could still be "hip" by playing keyboard in a jazz band. The comedian actually plays the keys pretty sloppily in the sketch but that is by design, as he is a very talented piano player in real life. While in college, Chase played drums in a band called The Leather Canary, alongside his college friends Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, a band that would go on to become Steely Dan.

Billy Crystal

Despite blessing SNL with many "mahvelous" memories as a host and brief cast member, none of Billy Crystal's most memorable moments from Studio 8H are particularly musical in nature. However, there are plenty of memorable musical moments throughout his career, such as when he hosted the Oscars and honored the Best Picture nominees with parody renditions of popular songs or when he and John Goodman performed "If I Didn't Have You" for the Monsters Inc. soundtrack.

Phil Hartman

The late Phil Hartman had a million-dollar voice that he put to grand use throughout his time at SNL and in other notable credits from his career but not for anything related to music. However, at the end of his very last show, he participated in a The Sound of Music parody, singing the final "Good night" lyric in such a genuine and endearing fashion.

Jason Sudeikis

During his seven years as an SNL cast member, very rarely did Jason Sudeikis make any musical contributions in a sketch, save when he played possessive '80s pop star "Ocean Billy" in a Worst of Soul Train DVD ad or one-half of Bon Jovi rip-off band, Jon Bovi. He has since gotten more use out of his musical talent on an annual basis by hosting a charity event called Thundergong.

Nasim Pedrad

We heard Nasim Pedrad's singing voice in a few SNL sketches, such as a music video for a song about getting busy with your significant other in your childhood bedroom while staying with family for the holidays. It is a wonder why she never got her own song in Disney's 2019 live-action remake of Aladdin.

When a performer says goodbye to the Saturday Night Live cast, it does not necessarily mean forever. Often, the sketch comedy TV show will invite an esteemed alum to appear in an episode either as a special guest or as a headliner, sometimes resulting in a hall-of-fame hosting gig. The following are some of our favorite times a former SNL star made a grand impression when they came back to Studio 8H.

Eddie Murphy

After leaving SNL in 1984, Eddie Murphy came back to host (actually his second time, having hosted while still on the cast in 1982) for an episode later that year, on which he debuted, arguably, his best SNL sketch, "White Like Me." After being honored at the 40th anniversary special, the Academy Award nominee came back to host a third time, resulting in one of the most acclaimed episodes of Season 45.

Ben Stiller

You might have forgotten that Ben Stiller was a cast member since he only lasted four episodes in 1989, which he acknowledged when he first came back to host in 1998 after becoming a bigger name in comedy. He would return to host again 2011 in, followed by a series of recurring appearances as Donald Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, in 2018.

Norm Macdonald

Famously, Norm Macdonald was fired from the SNL cast in 1998 for, as the NBC executives at the time claimed, not being funny. Just a year and a half later, he came back to host an episode, during which he joked in his monologue that he had not gotten any funnier but the show had gotten "really bad" since his exit.

Robert Downey Jr.

Before becoming one of the most beloved A-list actors in Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr. was one of the most heavily criticized cast members from one of the most heavily criticized seasons of SNL from 1985 to 1986. He only came back to host once in 1996, during which he proved was the supremely talented performer we know and love and, eventually, became the first former SNL cast member to win an Oscar for Oppenheimer in 2024.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus would not become a comedy icon until after her three-year stint at Studio 8H from 1982 to 1985 when she joined the Seinfeld cast as Elaine Benes. In 2006, fresh off her Emmy win for The New Adventures of Old Christine, she became the first female former SNL cast member to return as a host, which she would follow with two more gigs.

Jimmy Fallon

After a successful six years at SNL from 1998 to 2004, Jimmy Fallon would return for three hosting gigs and countless cameos. Each time the late-night TV host comes back to Studio 8H tends to be a celebrated affair, especially because there is a good chance that his friend, Justin Timberlake, will show up to participate in a new edition of "The Barry Gibb Talk Show" or some other sketch.

John Mulaney

While he was never part of the SNL cast, John Mulaney would perform a few funny segments on "Weekend Update" during his five years on the writing staff. He would later become one of the biggest names in stand-up comedy and such a beloved host that he joined the Five-Timers Club within only four years.

Dan Aykroyd

Sometimes, for a cast veteran, the key to a memorable hosting gig is to wait an exceptionally long time to come back as an SNL host, much like Dan Aykroyd did. The legendary, Canadian-American comedy star, known for sketches like “The Coneheads” and “Super Bass-o-Matic ‘76” from his tenure as a Not Ready for Primetime Player, headlined an episode in 2003, more than two decades after leaving the show.

Sarah Silverman

Sarah Silverman is actually one of several SNL cast members who only lasted one season but still ended up becoming a huge success in the end. Two decades after she was let go from the series, the acclaimed comedian hosted a funny episode from Season 40.

Martin Short

It is hard to believe that a performer like Martin Short was only an SNL cast member for one season but he has, luckily, continued to demonstrate his dynamic comedic talents through memorable hosting gigs. His first hosting gig from 1986 was shared with his Three Amigos co-stars, Chevy Chase and Steve Martin – the latter of which he would co-host with again in 2022.

Adam Sandler

Surprisingly, despite making a couple of cameos over the years, Adam Sandler would not host SNL until 2019, which resulted in an instant favorite episode in which he sang two memorable songs. The former "SNL Bad Boy's" first tune (including a Chris Rock appearance) was during his monologue and discussed how he was fired after four seasons in 1995 and the other was a tribute to Chris Farley.

Kate McKinnon

After 10 wonderful years at SNL, the great Kate McKinnon would return a year and a half later to host the last episode of 2023, which proved to be a very successful episode, and not just because it featured cameos by Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and her Barbie director, Greta Gerwig. Also, in Season 49, she would also come back for one more appearance as alien abduction victim Colleen Rafferty to make host Ryan Gosling laugh uncontrollably once again.

Chevy Chase

Only two weeks after his final episode as an SNL cast member, Chevy Chase made a hilarious, self-mocking cameo in the cold open as himself, performing music for tips outside of 30 Rock. He would continue to return for more cameos and eventually became the first host to join the Five-Timers Club before the idea of it had been suggested by Tom Hanks.

Billy Crystal

In a unique twist on this topic, Billy Crystal was actually meant to appear on the very first episode of SNL in 1975 but was ultimately cut for time, as depicted in the 2024 movie Saturday Night. As his notoriety increased, the comedian was asked to host twice in 1984 before being hired later that year as a cast member, during which he lit up the screen with his impersonation of Fernando Lamas and other notable characters.

Tina Fey

Having served as both "Weekend Update" host and head writer near the end of her nine-year tenure, Tina Fey was a true SNL MVP but some of her most memorable moments on the show occurred after her 2006 exit. Prior to her Five-Timers Club induction, the 30 Rock creator and star made numerous appearances as Sarah Palin that earned rave reviews.

Dana Carvey

A key element to SNL's new golden era from 1986 to 1993 was Dana Carvey and his wonderful talent for impressions, which he would continue to lend to Studio 8H in the years since his exit. The Wayne's World star is one of the most frequent returning cast members, especially in Season 50 as President Joe Biden.

David Spade

Many of David Spade's funniest quotes originate from his six years on SNL in the early-to-mid-1990s. His blunt, sarcastic, and sometimes unapologetically brutal delivery of mockery at other celebrities' expense would serve him well in his hosting gigs – the first of which included a cold open featuring Brad Pitt as his therapist.

Kristen Wiig

The final episode of SNL's 37th Season was the final episode for a few notable cast members but it ended with a grand send-off purely dedicated to Kristen Wiig's esteemed seven years, which included some hilarious quotes. It was not long before the Oscar nominee was asked to bring back her famous characters as a host and her Season 49 episode saw her induction into the Five-Timers Club.

Chris Farley

After becoming one of SNL's most esteemed icons during his five-season run and proving to be a box office draw with movies like Tommy Boy, Chris Farley was at the height of his fame when he came back to host two years after leaving. However, his October 1997 episode is now remembered more somberly because, only two months later, he would pass away from a drug overdose at the age of 33.

Maya Rudolph

Maya Rudolph proved herself as an all-time great during her seven years on SNL in the 2000s. She would return for multiple hosting gigs and an innumerable amount of special guest appearances, most notably as her Emmy-winning portrayal of Kamala Harris.

Pete Davidson

For his clever "Weekend Update" commentaries, fascinating personal life, and title as the youngest SNL cast member on record, Pete Davidson was one of the series' most talked about performers when he left at the end of Season 47. He was initially meant to return as a host for the following season but, due to the Writers' Strike, he instead returned for the Season 49 premiere, which featured a viral pre-filmed bit poking fun at his post-SNL career inspired by Barbie's "I'm Just Ken."

Tracy Morgan

Impersonations of the likes of Al Sharpton and Oprah Winfrey and hilarious original characters like Brian Fellow and Astronaut Jones made Tracy Morgan a force to be reckoned with during his seven years on SNL. As a result, each of the 30 Rock cast member's returns to the Studio 8H stage as a host or guest have been warm celebrations of his best moments as a cast member.

Paul Shaffer

Starting off as a member of Studio 8H's house band, Paul Shaffer later made history as the first person to drop the F-bomb on SNL during his 1979-1980 stint on the cast. Of course, he bounced back from the incident without issue and would make cameos on the show and host an episode from 1987 after being David Letterman's bandleader greatly increased his notoriety.

Damon Wayans

One of the most infamous SNL cast firings is that of Damon Wayans, who changed the nature of a character on the fly in the middle of a broadcast in 1986. The comedian would find even greater success as a member of the In Living Color cast and, in 1995, was asked to come back as a host.

Phil Hartman

It is easy to understand why some argue that Phil Hartman is the greatest SNL cast member of all time and why, just two years after his exit, he was asked to host twice in 1996. We have no doubt we would have seen more of the Emmy winner gracing the Studio 8H stage again if not for his untimely murder in 1998 at the age of 49.

Chris Rock

The first "Bad Boy of SNL" to return as a host was Chris Rock in 1996, which was three years after his departure. At that point, the comedian had found decent subsequent success by making appearances on the show's biggest competitor at the time, In Living Color.

Jason Sudeikis

While he would make several post-exit guest appearances, Jason Sudeikis' first time hosting in 2021 was eight years after he left the show, which was actually a year later than he had intended. The gig was a big moment, given his Emmy-winning success on Ted Lasso at the time and his heartfelt opening monologue celebrating his time as a writer-turned-cast member.

Will Ferrell

Despite a hiccup or two in his early days on the cast, Will Ferrell became one of the most beloved SNL cast members of the 90s and early 2000s. His many appearances since, including five hosting gigs, have resulted in some of the show's most celebrated moments in recent years.

Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler's impeccable skills of impersonation and arsenal of uproarious characters made her seven years on SNL a one-of-a-kind era. Her many notable appearances since include co-hosting with her friend and one-time "Weekend Update" co-anchor Tina Fey in 2015 and making cameoing as Leslie Knope alongside her fellow former Parks and Recreation cast member, Aubrey Plaza, in 2023.

Darrell Hammond

One of the all-time longest-standing SNL cast members is Darrell Hammond with 14 seasons but his time at Studio 8H would not stop there after all. In addition to making special appearances – most notably in "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketches as Sean Connery – the actor would succeed Don Pardo as the show's announcer when Pardo passed away in 2014.

Molly Shannon

Three-time Emmy nominee Molly Shannon is the driving force behind one of the most iconic SNL characters to earn their own movie, Mary Katherine Gallagher. The misfit Catholic high school student is just one character she has brought back for her numerous appearances on the show since leaving in 2001, including two hosting gigs.

Bill Murray

After Chevy Chase left in 1976, stepping in to join the Not Ready for Primetime Players was Bill Murray, who hilariously acknowledged his struggle to make an impression on SNL early on in a famous sketch. Of course, the Oscar nominee would quickly achieve wild notoriety in the 1980s, which made his subsequent five hosting gigs and additional cameos much-celebrated occasions.

Kate McKinnon killed it on Saturday Night Live for years playing many characters and doing impressions of celebrities. Her impression of Ellen DeGeneres remains hilarious, and her stint playing Hillary Clinton will go down in the pantheon of SNL political impersonations. Many will also never forget her impression of Justin Bieber, which is one of her best SNL sketches and a role she reprised many times. Apparently, the Bieber character was a touchstone for McKinnon during her SNL tenure too, and it helped her get ready for the show week after week.

In a recent interview with the titular host of The Kelly Clarkson Show, McKinnon chatted about her time as a featured player on SNL, her life after she left the show in 2022, and how her schedule has changed. While the NBC program required her to work long, late nights, she is actually not a night owl, and has enjoyed going to bed early since she has moved on to different projects.

However, while she was subject to the SNL late nights, it was Justin Bieber’s music that got her hyped up. She explained:

Her love for Justin Bieber’s music came out through her impression, which featured a lot of teenage swagger and tattoos. It probably helped her get into character as well, giving her more knowledge of her subject. When it came to other SNL staff seeing her dance to Justin Bieber in the 30 Rock hallways, McKinnon never really knew. She said:

When you are starting a live show at 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, you probably will do anything to keep yourself awake. It’s not just the live show that makes cast members stay up late either, the staff also has long nights throughout the week as they prepare. sometimes they're even writing all night and into the next day.

That schedule is no joke, and the coffee is probably flowing 24/7. However, when the caffeine isn’t enough, “Baby” and “Never Say Never” may just be the only antidote to tiredness. Bieber has some great hits, and I totally see why McKinnon would choose his music to get her in the showtime spirit.

Bieber’s music must’ve worked, because McKinnon never seemed drowsy when she hit the SNL stage. Her energy was electric, seemingly rubbing off on her fellow cast members. You’d never even notice that she was more of a morning person and maybe would rather be in bed on a Saturday night. Her ability to rise to the occasion is why she is one of the best SNL cast members and impressionists ever.

McKinnon has since moved on to other projects, but her presence is still missed on the weekly broadcast. Hopefully, she brings back some of her iconic characters and impressions, like Bieber, as a treat for the 50th season. Fingers crossed!

You can see Saturday Night Live as it airs on the 2024 TV schedule at 11:30 p.m. ET on Saturdays. The show is bringing out all the stops when it comes to SNL hosts and musical guests for Season 50, so make sure to check it out. Fans can also revisit McKinnon’s tenure on the show by watching previous episodes with a Peacock subscription.

Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson have a lot in common: they're two of the biggest stars to come out of Saturday Night Live in years and they memorably portrayed characters from the Barbie movie (well, kind of, McKinnon was actually in it and Davidson played a Ken of sorts in that "I'm Just Ken" SNL parody). Now, they're both getting those big Super Bowl commercial bucks this year, popping up together in, of all things, a Mayo ad. 

In the kooky clip for Hellmann's Mayonnaise — which will air during the Super Bowl LVIII battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, February 11, per the 2024 TV schedule — Kate McKinnon realizes that her cat can talk, or at the very least say "mayo" instead of the usual "meow." The surprising skill rockets the pet to fame, including photoshoots, daytime TV spots and a rousing TED Talk-esque lecture. 

The so-called "Mayo Cat" becomes so notable, in fact, that she does what all the other mega-famous single ladies do: she gets charmed by Pete Davidson. Alas, the relationship isn't a long-term one, but McKinnon praises her furry friend for lasting "longer than most":

When Davidson was recently asked by ET whether he was bothered by the silly scenario and its poking fun at his very public breakups, the comedian said: 

McKinnon and Davidson overlapped for several years during their respective Saturday Night Live tenures, with the former joining the iconic sketch-comedy show as a featured player in 2012 before moving into the main cast from 2013 to 2022, and the latter starring for eight seasons from 2014 to 2022. Both SNL veterans made their return to Studio 8H as Season 49 hosts.

Though the Bupkis star has had his fair share of high-profile Hollywood relationships— from his time with reality superstar Kim Kardashian to pop belter Ariana Grande to his current main squeeze, Outer Banks actress Madelyn Cline — he revealed to ET that he's actually a "very private person":

That alleged private side certainly hasn't stopped the comic from commenting publicly on his past relationships, whether he's confirming his engagement on The Tonight Show or discussing his break-ups on "Weekend Update." 

And speaking of high-profile romances, Super Bowl Sunday will no doubt serve as the setting to another one of Hollywood's most talked-about couplings: that between Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and pop icon Taylor Swift, both of whom actually made a surprise appearance during Davidson's SNL hosting gig back in October. 

It's unclear whether T-Swift will be in a luxury box cheering on her sporty boyfriend as he competes in football's biggest game, or whether their relationship will withstand the kind of scrutiny that Davidson knows all too well. But if Tay and Trav don't end up making it, don't fret: she can always date Pete. Maybe they can teach one of her cats to say "mayo"?

Super Bowl LVIII is in just a matter of weeks, and the buzz is really starting to kick into high gear. While there are plenty of fans excited to witness the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, others may be a bit more concerned with the commercials that will air during that block of time. As has been the case over the past several years, a number of the TV spots have already dropped online in their entirety. One star who will be lighting up the festivities with their presence is Kate McKinnon, who’s starring in a “Mayo Cat” advert. The segment is definitely chuckle worthy, but what I’m really loving is the cameo from Pete Davidson. 

Leave it to someone as quirky as Kate McKinnon to headline such a random – but funny – commercial. The Saturday Night Live icon teamed up with Hellmann's to promote the brand’s famous mayonnaise. This spot begins with McKinnon fretting over what to do with her leftovers, before her adorable cat says “meow.” The comedian misconstrues the response as “mayo,” but is still inspired to use the condiment. With that, McKinnon eventually props up her feline as top-tier spokesperson (or animal?) for the company. The eventual fame the kitten receives is what leads to the cameo from the other previously mentioned SNL alum. Take a look:

I mentioned this already but, seriously, that’s one adorable cat – and this is coming from someone who’s more of a dog person. The concept of this ad is very fun and falls in line with the kind of fare viewers usually see during the big game. Quite frankly, it’s just great to see Kate McKinnon have some fun on the small screen after her glorious turn as a Barbie cast member. Aside from that though, we really need to talk about the playful way that the King of Staten Island star was inserted into this 60-second promo.

As you saw in the TV spot above, Pete Davidson was shown to be dating the cat at the center of the situation. That was clearly a nod to Davidson’s long line of girlfriends, who he’s dated for varying stretches of time. Kate Beckinsale, Ariana Grande and Emily Ratajkowski are just a few of the major starlets that he’s been romantically linked to. At this point, much of the public seems well aware of the comic’s active love life, and he himself is very self-aware about it. He even poked fun at it in his “I’m Just Ken” parody, which debuted when he returned to SNL as a host last year.  I appreciate the fact that he can willingly poke fun at himself.

When seeing both Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon together, it’s hard not to think about the fact that neither of them are on NBC’s storied sketch comedy series anymore. News broke in May 2022 that Davidson was leaving the show after eight seasons and, just on the heels of that, it was confirmed that McKinnon would exit as well after a 10-season run. The two are greatly missed, though they’re thankfully still working quite consistently. After Barbie, McKinnon is moving on to the Minecraft movie as well as the science fiction film In the Blink of an Eye. And, last year, Davidson marked the debut of his Peacock dramedy, Bupkis, and he now has upcoming movies The Home and Wizards! on the docket. 

It’s very much a novelty to have these two stars appear in the same production these days – even if they don’t actually share a scene in the commercial. Still, I’ll take it and will continue to hope that they’ll reteam for a movie or TV show one of these days. Until that happens, I’ll simply take delight in Mayo Cat.

You can catch this commercial and more during Super Bowl LVIII, when it’s broadcast on Sunday, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Fans of Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson can also revisit their work on Saturday Night Live by streaming past seasons with a Peacock subscription.

While there was a long stretch of time were most movies based on video games failed to hit with audiences, this particular subset of cinema has been experiencing greater fortune in recent years. Detective Pikachu, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mortal Kombat, Uncharted, Gran Turismo and The Super Mario Bros. Movie were all critically and/or commercially successful to one degree or another (that last one was a big contributor to 2023 being the best year for video game movies and TV shows ever), and now Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time, is getting its chance to shine on the big screen.

It was announced in April 2022 that a film adaptation of the 3D survival sandbox game was finally moving forward after being in development since 2014. It will be directed by Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess, but the screenwriter hasn’t been identified yet. No story details have been revealed yet either for the upcoming Minecraft movie, which is shooting in New Zealand, but we do know many of the actors who will lend their talents to this feature exploring the blocky, three-dimensional world, including the likes of Jason Momoa and Jack Black. So let’s go over who’s been unveiled for the Minecraft cast so far.

Jason Momoa

Jason Momoa was the first actor to be revealed for Minecraft, entering final negotiations to join the upcoming video movie around the same time it finally started gaining steam at Warner Bros. Pictures. This keeps Momoa’s strong foothold over at the studio going, having previously played Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe and Duncan Idaho in Dune, and there are even rumblings of him playing Lobo in the new DC Universe continuity. Momoa’s Minecraft character hasn’t been named yet, but in addition to starring in the movie, he’s one of its producers.

Jack Black

Jack Black has been on one hell of a run lately with video game movies lately. He played the avatar Professor Shelly Oberon in the last two Jumanji movies, voiced Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and is portraying Claptrap as a member of the Borderlands cast, with that latter movie slated on the 2024 release schedule. Now we can also expect him to appear in Minecraft as a character named Steve, with Black seemingly confirming his casting shortly after his involvement was reported. 

Danielle Brooks

Some of you might be familiar with Danielle Brook’s TV work on shows like Orange is the New Black and Peacemaker, while others might’ve been introduced to her on the big screen when she starred as Sofia in The Color Purple, a role she’s previously played on Broadway. Either way, now she’s getting to stretch her performing talents into the video game realm. Brooks will play someone named Dawn in the Minecraft film adaptation.

Sebastian Eugene Hansen

Sebastian Eugene Hansen is the youngest member of the Minecraft cast, but he’s already done quite well for himself in his short time professionally acting. He’s played the young Scott Landon in the miniseries Lisey’s Story (which can be streamed with an Apple TV+ subscription), and he also starred opposite Michael B. Jordan and Brie Larson in Just Mercy. Hansen will Henry in Minecraft, and although. we don’t know what to expect from him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being either the main protagonist, or at least something along the lines of the audience stand-in character.

Emma Myers

Emma Myers began her acting career as a child in 2010, but she really blew up in 2022 when she starred in Wednesday, the popular supernatural comedy horror show Netflix subscribers can stream, as Enid Sinclair, the werwolf roommate of Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams. Following Wednesday’s successful first season, she performed opposite Jennifer Garner in the Netflix movie Family Switch, and now she’s finally getting to make her blockbuster debut with Minecraft. Just like with Momoa, we don’t know the name of Myers’ character yet.

Jennifer Coolidge

Jennifer Coolidge has been around the acting block for decades now, with some of her biggest projects including the American Pie film series, the Legally Blonde movies, Best in Show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Two Broke Girls. There’s no question, though, that her profile got a significant boost from her role as Tanya McQuoid in the first two seasons of HBO’s The White Lotus, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Minecraft is her next scheduled movie, but we don’t have any details about her character either.

Kate McKinnon

Barbie ended up being the most commercially-successful movie of 2023 and also one of the year’s most critically-acclaimed pieces of cinematic entertainment, and Kate McKinnon participated in this pop culture phenomenon as Weird Barbie, the doll who directed Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie to travel to the real world. The Saturday Night Live alum, who also recently played Carole Baskin in Peacock's Joe vs. Carole miniseries, will stick around the Warner Bros. Space to appear in Minecraft, but we’ll have to wait to learn how she fits into the story.

Jemaine Clemen

Originally best known for comprising one half of Flight of the Concords with Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement has built an impressive filmography for himself that includes Despicable Me, Men in Black 3, What We Do in the Shadows, Moana and Avatar: The Way of Water, the latter of which saw him playing Dr. Ian Gavin. I'd be remiss if I also didn't mention his recurring role as Oliver Bird in the TV series Legion. In addition to reprising Ian in Avatar 3 and co-creating Apple TV+’s Time Bandits TV adaptation, we can also expect to see him playing a mystery role in Minecraft.

Minecraft is slated to be released in theaters on April 4, 2025, so keep checking back here to learn about the other actors who will join the above talent, as well as specific details about their roles. Meanwhile, if you’re interested in checking out Detective Pikachu and Mortal Kombat, two other video game movies hailing from Warner Bros. Pictures, those can be streamed with a Max subscription.

In its several decades on air, Saturday Night Live has made icons out of many of its cast members. For some — including some of SNL’s one-season wonders — you might argue that the sketch comedy series is the peak of their careers, until you remember the acclaimed and widely beloved movies and TV shows they would go on to star in. Take a look at our picks for the finest work some of our favorite SNL stars have put out beyond their time at Studio 8H.

Eddie Murphy (Coming To America)

48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop made him a movie star, but Coming to America might be the absolute best Eddie Murphy movie, especially as the first to show just how far the comic’s extraordinary talents extend. He gives his most heartfelt performance as an African prince searching for love in New York City, but that is far from his only role in this dazzling romantic-com from 1988.

Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)

Along with her writing partner, Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig joined the club of Oscar-nominated SNL stars for penning this 2011 instant classic comedy. She also transcends what made her a Studio 8H all-star by leading the Bridesmaids cast with her most down-to-earth performance yet as a baker suffering an existential crisis after her best friend (played by Maya Rudolph) gets engaged.

Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems)

Some argue that an SNL star who should have been nominated for an Oscar is Adam Sandler for his performance in one of the best A24 movies, Uncut Gems. If self-destructive jeweler Howard Rattner had been played by anyone else but the guy behind “The Hanukkah Song” and movies like Happy Gilmore, it might have been tough to root for the protagonist of Josh and Benny Safdie’s anxiety-fueled, 2019 crime drama.

Kate McKinnon (Barbie)

After previously working with Margot Robbie in Bombshell and making the A-lister laugh uncontrollably in an SNL sketch, Kate McKinnon reunited with the Australian actor in the Barbie cast in 2023. The Emmy-winner is perfect as “Weird Barbie” — now a real doll in Mattel’s catalog — in co-writer and director Greta Gerwig’s cleverly satirical and surprisingly moving blockbuster based on the legendary toy.

Will Ferrell (Stranger Than Fiction)

We love Will Ferrell in funny movies like Elf and Talladega Nights, but never has he given a performance as tender, reserved, and relatable as his Golden Globe-nominated role in Stranger Than Fiction. That is only one reason director Marc Forster’s inventive 2006 dramedy is his best movie in our eyes.

Molly Shannon (Wet Hot American Summer)

The Wet Hot American Summer cast is full of actors who went on to become superstars, but one of the biggest names among that ensemble at the time was SNL great Molly Shannon. She stars in the 2001 cult-favorite summer comedy classic as camp counselor Gail, who seeks consolation for her second divorce from surprisingly mature adolescent campers.

Bill Murray (Lost In Translation)

To this day, many believe that Bill Murray should have won the Academy Award for his performance in one of the best movies of the 2000s, Lost in Translation. Also one of the best movies produced by Focus Features, he stars in writer and director Sofia Coppola’s Oscar-winning sophomore effort as a disillusioned actor who strikes up a unique bond with a young woman (played by Scarlett Johansson) who is also struggling to navigate her life after meeting in Japan. 

Tina Fey (Mean Girls)

From her time on SNL as a cast member and head writer to her development of beloved comedies like 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Tina Fey has had one of the most impressive careers in comedy, let alone show business in general. However, her one credit that has best stood the test of time is her sharply satirical high school movie, Mean Girls, which she adapted from Rosalind Wiseman’s book and also stars in as Ms. Norbury.

Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers)

Dan Aykroyd may have a Best Picture Oscar winner under his belt (Driving Miss Daisy, for which he also received an acting nomination) and also wrote and starred in one of the beloved Ghostbusters. However, the movie that he will always be best known for is 1980’s The Blues Brothers, which is arguably the all-time best movie based on SNL characters (Ayrkoyd and John Belushi’s brotherly musicians, Jake and Elwood Blues) and one of the most important movies set in Chicago as well.

Gilda Radner (Haunted Honeymoon)

Highlights of Gilda Radner’s post-SNL career included sharing the screen with her husband, Gene Wilder, such as 1986’s Haunted Honeymoon, in which they play a couple staying in a spooky house to cure the groom’s anxieties. Unfortunately, the fun horror-comedy movie would also be her final film before she passed away in 1989.

Chevy Chase (Community)

After making a huge impact in so little time on SNL (not even two full seasons), Chevy Chase had a memorable film career (especially with National Lampoon’s Vacation movies), but it was his return to the small screen in the late 2000s that really had us especially impressed. He starred in the Community cast as Pierce Hawthorne — one of many Greendale Community College students experiencing often strange circumstances and meta pop-culture references in creator Dan Harmon’s inventive sitcom.

Chris Farley (Tommy Boy)

Perhaps the most influential ‘90s SNL actor was the late Chris Farley, whose one-in-a-million, energetic comedic talent made him a legend. He also made an impeccable team with fellow SNL actor David Spade in the hilarious road trip comedy, and one of the funniest and most iconic movies of the ‘90s, Tommy Boy.

Jimmy Fallon (Almost Famous)

Jimmy Fallon has had a stellar career, from his memorable SNL stint to hosting The Tonight Show, but most of his movies did not quite have the same impact — save his Oscar-winning feature-length debut in 2000. Fallon starred in writer and director Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous cast as the touring manager for Stillwater, Dennis Hope.

Amy Poehler (Inside Out)

Amy Poehler is the kind of performer who brings a sense of joy to everything she does, from her SNL days to the Parks and Recreation cast as Leslie Knope. Thus, it only makes sense that she would star as the personification of “Joy” in one of Pixar’s best movies: 2015’s Inside Out.

Will Forte (Nebraska)

We all know and love the masterfully goofy Will Forte from the “MacGruber” sketches and as the star and creator of a show canceled too soon called The Last Man on Earth, but 2013’s Nebraska showed a rare side of the actor we cherished seeing. He gives a somber, yet beautifully endearing, performance in director Alexander Payne’s Oscar-nominated drama as a man accompanying his estranged father (played by Bruce Dern) on a trip to collect a supposed million-dollar prize.

Maya Rudolph (The Way Way Back)

Maya Rudolph’s career outside SNL has been nothing short of impressive, but we were most impressed by her work in 2013’s The Way Way Back. From the Oscar-winning writing duo behind The Descendants (Nat Faxon and Jim Rash), this winning dramedy features Rudolph as Caitlin, a manager at a water park where teen protagonist Duncan (Liam James) works to escape a miserable summer at his mother’s boyfriend’s house.

Bill Hader (Barry)

Bill Hader never failed to surprise audiences with his impeccable impersonations and excellent commitment to character on SNL, but he surprised us in other ways with his first major small-screen follow-up. He played the title role of HBO’s Barry cast (in addition to co-creating the very dark comedy series), who is a hitman trying to reinvent himself as an actor.

Cecily Strong (Schmigadoon!)

One of the greatest surprises of John Mulaney’s SNL musical sketches was Cecily Strong’s smashing singing voice. It would also come in handy when she and Keegan-Michael Key led AppleTV+’s Schmigadoon! cast as a couple trapped in a world that looks and sounds like a lavish musical production.

Chris Rock (Nurse Betty)

In 2000, Chris Rock teamed up with Morgan Freeman as hitmen searching for a delusional widow (played by Renée Zellweger) convinced she is engaged to a soap opera character in director Neil LaBute’s sharp, quirky dramedy, Nurse Betty. We will, however, give an honorable mention for one of the best sitcoms starring an SNL vet, Everybody Hates Chris, which the comedian created and narrated.

Jane Curtin (3rd Rock From The Sun)

Years after playing an alien in, arguably, her single funniest SNL sketch (“The Coneheads”), Jane Curtin played one of the few human series regulars on a series also about otherworldly visitors trying to blend in. The former “Weekend Update” anchor starred on NBC’s hit sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun as Dr. Mary Albright, a colleague, and later fiancée, of Dick Solomon (John Lithgow) at Pendleton State University.

Andy Samberg (Palm Springs)

There is only so much that we are actually willing to reveal about our pick for Andy Samberg’s best effort outside of SNL, Palm Springs, for anyone who has not seen it yet. What we will say is that the 2020 rom-com — and one of the best movies on Hulu — stars the Lonely Island member and Golden Globe-winning Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor and Cristin Milioti as wedding guests who become embroiled in a very strange predicament.

Mike Myers (Shrek)

We love almost all of the characters Mike Myers has created or portrayed, from Wayne Campbell to Austin Powers, but picking his true all-time best work outside of Studio 8H is easy. Myers put on his best Scottish accent to voice the title role of 2001’s Shrek — the first movie to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, for its sharp send-up of fairytale tropes and heartwarming unlikely romance.

Pete Davidson (The King Of Staten Island)

There have been some great Pete Davidson movies and TV shows over the years, but the former SNL star’s best work might also be one of his most personal. The Bupkis cast member based The King of Staten Island (which he co-wrote with director Judd Apatow) on his own life as the son of a firefighter who tragically passed on 9/11. 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ time on SNL often goes forgotten, but you cannot say the same about the career she had after the show, which includes Emmy wins for shows like Veep and joining the MCU. However, she really blew up when she joined the Seinfeld cast as Elaine Benes, who was the focus of many classic and hilarious moments on the legendary sitcom.

Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

Jason Sudeikis is the kind of SNL performer who could make the Devil himself seem likable, which is why he was the perfect choice for the charming lead of the Ted Lasso cast for Apple TV+. Indeed, his Emmy-winning performance as the titular American football coach hired to manage an English football (a.k.a. soccer) team is key to its jubilant success.

Norm Macdonald (Dirty Work)

In 1998, the same year that the late Norm Macdonald was infamously fired from SNL, the actor came out with one of his best movies, Dirty Work. Also written by Macdonald and directed by Bob Saget, the comedy about a man who literally becomes a specialist in the business of revenge has gained a cult following despite getting bad reviews in the 90s.

Kenan Thompson (D2: The Mighty Ducks)

Before he became one of the longest-running SNL cast members, Kenan Thompson was part of Nickelodeon’s more kid-friendly sketch comedy, All That. However, before then, the Emmy winner made his acting debut in one of the greatest hockey movies, D2: the Mighty Ducks as the inventor of the Knuckle Puck, Russ.

Ana Gasteyer (Happiest Season)

As the creator of beloved sketches like “NPR’s Delicious Dish” and the astonishing ability to hide when sketches don’t go as planned, Ana Gasteyer’s SNL days do not get talked about enough. In 2020, she appeared alongside the Happiest Season cast in a brief, but memorable, role in the acclaimed LGBTQ+ romance dramedy.

Fred Armisen (Portlandia)

While he was still on SNL, Fred Armisen was the driving force of a whole different kind of sketch comedy series called Portlandia. In partnership with non-SNL sketch comedy actor Carrie Brownstein, the pair poked fun at life in Portland in a Monty Python-esque style of quirky and bizarre bits.

Tim Meadows (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping)

Despite his impressively long tenure, Tim Meadows is one of the most criminally underrated SNL actors and his big-screen presence is no different. Case in point: even one of his most prominent movie roles is from a vastly underrated, mockumentary-style comedy, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, from 2106 as Harry, manager to conner4real (Andy Samberg).

Tracy Morgan (30 Rock)

How fitting that one of Tracy Morgan’s greatest successes after being a sketch comedy show performer was playing a sketch comedy show performer. The comic stole every scene in creator and star Tina Fey’s brilliantly surreal broadcasting satire, 30 Rock, as over-the-top actor, Tracy Jordan.

Aidy Bryant (Shrill)

Even before she left SNL (a bit later than she anticipated as a result of Covid-19), Aidy Bryant had already ventured on with a series of her own called Shrill. The actor received an Emmy nomination for her performance on the Hulu original comedy (which she also co-created) as an overweight journalist aspiring to change who she is inside without changing who she is outside.

Even if Saturday Night Live is what these actors are remembered best for, that does not mean it will always be the best thing they are remembered for.

While Saturday Night Live is constantly changing with the times, one segment that’s remained a constant throughout the decades is Weekend Update. The bit anchored by a cast member or two goes over the headlines of the week, and also features a cast of characters visiting the desk. From Bill Hader’s viral character Stefon and Gilda Radner’s legendary Roseanne Roseannadanna, the list of Weekend Update guests is extensive and incredible, here are 32 of the most iconic characters to appear on the SNL segment.

Stefon (Bill Hader) 

Do you need to know what “New York’s hottest club” is? Well, Bill Hader’s Stefon has you covered. Famously, this beloved character was written by Hader and John Mulaney, after he received a weird email, and the latter would add outrageous lines at the last minute to try and make the actor crack up. It almost always worked, leading to Stefon covering his hands with his face in that signature pose. Overall, the voice, the look, and all those absolutely wild club descriptions are what led to Stefon becoming one of the most iconic SNL characters. 

The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party (Cecily Strong) 

While I think it’s safe to say none of us would actually want to run into Cecily Strong’s The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party, when she showed up on Weekend Update to bug Seth Meyers, it sure was funny. Her sporadic thinking and sassy tone mixed with the fact that most people have probably been lured into a conversation like this makes her such a fabulous Update guest. 

The Iceberg On The Sinking Of The Titanic (Bowen Yang) 

For the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, Bowen Yang played the iceberg that sank it. However, the iceberg was not there to talk about the tragic event, he was there to promote his new album Music. Eventually, he defended himself though, because, as he put it, the boat “came to where I live, and you hit me.” It’s an ultra-sassy and completely iconic sketch that has easily become a modern SNL classic.

Pete Davidson 

SNL helped launch Pete Davidson’s career in TV and movies, and some of his best bits came when he showed up as himself on Weekend Update. He’d come on to talk about his own life, politics, and more, and every time he’d kill it with his signature sense of humor. 

Marcello Hernández

Before Marcello Hernández’s killer sketches with Bad Bunny made many realize he should be a full-time player, it was his Weekend Update bits that had me convinced he was going to be an SNL star. In his first season on the sketch show (Season 48) he made a few appearances at the desk as himself. His infectious energy and comedic physicality are hysterical.

The Trump Brothers (Mikey Day and Alex Moffat)  

During Donald Trump’s presidency, Alex Moffat played Eric Trump and Mikey Day played Donald Trump Jr., and they would come onto Weekend Update to discuss their father’s political career. Day’s brother takes over, and speaks in a fairly diplomatic way, while Moffat plays the other brother, who never says the right thing. And that’s all funny, but what makes this bit iconic is Eric trying to mimic his brother and his silly comments about his dad and the state of the world. 

Peyton Manning Explaining Emily In Paris

While he wasn’t an A-list host during this episode (although he did nail it when he hosted), Peyton Manning was brought on to Weekend Update as a guest to talk about football in 2022. However, he’d been binge-watching the new season of Emily in Paris, and he needed to talk about it. Using NFL lingo to describe the “plays” that were going on during the Netflix show, he's the last person you ever expected to describe this series, explained it, and the lessons he learned while watching, in the funniest way. To this day, if Emily in Paris is brought up, you better believe that Peyton Manning’s recap is also at the top of mind.

Drunk Uncle (Bobby Moynihan)

It’s highly likely we all know someone who is like Drunk Uncle, which is probably why he’s so funny. Typically, around the holidays, Bobby Moynihan would play this inebriated family member, and he’d come to lament to Seth Meyers about technological advancements, kids these days, and his general frustrations with how the world has changed. 

Sarah Sherman 

Every time Sarah Sherman rolls up to the Update desk, you know you're in for a treat, because she’s about to roast Colin Jost! Sherman and the ensemble of Season 47 were one of SNL’s best casts, and that’s in part because of how committed they are to their bits. And let me tell you, this is on full display when you see the hilarious camaraderie between Sherman and Jost as she absolutely demolishes him. 

Cathy Anne (Cecily Strong)

Any time there was major breaking news (that was typically political) the lady who was always yelling out Michael Che’s window, Cathy Anne, would come up to talk about it. Using a silly Southern accent and wild hand gestures, Cecily Strong’s character would share her hot takes, and some absolutely unhinged stories. 

The Devil (Jason Sudeikis) 

These days we know Jason Sudeikis as the titular character on one of Apple TV+’s best shows, Ted Lasso. However, before that, he was playing tons of fun characters on SNL, including this Weekend Update staple, The Devil. He’d come on to talk about the controversial news of the week, and how it’s impacting his work as the leader of the underworld. 

Trend Forecasters (Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang) 

If you need to know what is “in” and “out,” Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang’s Trend Forecasters are here to help. The two self-proclaimed trendy characters would come on Update to aggressively go over the trends of the season, and passionately tell the audience what is “in,” before looking deep into the camera and dramatically explaining what is “out.” 

Garth and Kat (Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig) 

Even though Garth and Kat were never prepared, they were always hysterical, and that’s why Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig’s musical bit worked so well. For years, they’d show up at the desk to sing some holiday songs, however, the catch was, that they were never written in advance. What resulted was hilariously chaotic improvised tunes that only these two incredible comedians could have come up with. 

Jacob Silj (Will Ferrell)

Jacob Silj is the state department attache who suffers from voice immodulation. This means whenever Will Ferrell’s character came on to update the world about the state of politics he couldn’t control the pitch or volume of his voice. 

Nicolas Cage and Nicolas Cage (Andy Samberg and Nicolas Cage)

“Get in the Cage with Nicolas Cage” had been an ongoing bit Andy Samberg did for a long time, and then, in 2012, the legendary actor joined him for it. However, the twist is, the real Nicolas Cage is playing a clone of himself, and Samberg’s version is the “real” version. However, throughout the sketch, the real actor, who is well aware he’s a meme legend, roasts both himself and the comedian's impression of him. 

Jebidiah Atkinson (Taran Killam) 

Taran Killam’s 1860s newspaper critic Jebidiah Atkinson would appear from time to time to chat about his passionate takes on both historic moments, like the Gettysburg Address, and more modern pop culture topics, like holiday movies. His opinions were brutal and hysterical, and every moment was always topped off with him aggressively yelling “Next!” and throwing his note card into the wind.  

Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song

“Put on your yarmulke, it’s time for Hanukkah!” Adam Sandler sang in 1994 to celebrate the Jewish holiday. During the tune, the comedian names various celebrities who are Jewish, half Jewish, a quarter Jewish and not Jewish to an extremely catchy melody.  It was a hit then, and it’s a hit now. Even after all these years, Sandler sings his legendary song live, and it’s always present during SNL’s holiday specials. Talk about iconic.

Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy (Vanessa Bayer)

It was always fun when Seth Meyers would welcome his podiatrist’s son, Jacob, to teach the audience about Judaism. Vanessa Bayer played the nervous boy who would bring his little folder to the desk, nervously read it, and then crack some cheesy, yet brilliant, jokes.  

Tim Calhoun (Will Forte) 

Will Forte’s soft-spoken Tim Calhoun would appear on Weekend Update every once in a while to explain why everyone should vote for him for president. However, the thing is, he’s not that good at talking, he would occasionally use song lyrics to convey a point, and he tended to lose his place in his notecards while speaking directly into the microphone using a very funny ASMR-like voice. 

Guy Who Just Bought A Boat And Guy Who Just Joined Soho House (Alex Moffat and Ryan Gosling)

While Ryan Gosling has been serving Ken-ergy ever since Barbie, he was also unintentionally showing off big Ken energy long before he got the role. This happened when he joined Alex Moffat on Weekend Update to play Guy Who Just Bought A Boat’s friend, Guy Who Just Joined Soho House. Greta Gerwig even admitted that she saw his potential to play Ken through his performances on SNL on the SmartLess podcast, specifically referencing this great Weekend Update bit where these two sleazy dudes talk about their bougie lives.  

Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda Radner)

One of Gilda Radner’s greatest SNL sketches was her bit as Update’s health correspondent Roseanne Roseannadanna, especially when she came on to talk about smoking. Yelling to the camera, Radner would give audience members advice and tell stories as her outspoken correspondent. Her character is so legendary Emma Stone even recreated the OG Update personality for SNL’s 40th reunion. 

Bennett Brauer (Chris Farley)

Chris Farley’s character Bennett Brauer rolled up to the desk to tell Kevin Nealon his latest commentary. Using lots of air quotes, he spent the majority of his segment commenting on himself, until he quite literally flew away. In true Farley fashion, it was a physical comedy masterclass.

Opera Man (Adam Sandler)

If you want to have your news sung to you, Adam Sandler’s Opera Man has you covered. With a thick accent, a white handkerchief and some very useful captions, the performer relayed the current events, ending every phrase with “oh” so they all rhymed. 

A Grumpy Old Man (Dana Carvey) 

He’s “old” and he’s “not happy” about the world being “improved.” Dana Carvey’s Grumpy Old Man bit has big “back in my day we had to walk uphill both ways” energy, and he brought that aggressive vibe to the Update Desk in the funniest ways. 

Baby Yoda (Kyle Mooney)

Whenever there was Star Wars news to talk about, Kyle Mooney’s Baby Yoda would visit the Update desk to chat about his fame and success. The over-the-top prosthetics the comedian wore were truly impressive and juxtaposed with Baby Yoda’s hype beast mentality, the bit is hysterical. 

Dr. Wenowdis (Kate McKinnon)

Any time Weekend Update needed a medical expert, especially in 2020 or 2021, Kate McKinnon’s Dr. Wenowdis would show up to tell us if “Wenowdis” or “this, we do not nowdis.” While the bit itself is very funny as the comedian talked about various medical situations, what makes it iconic is when both McKinnon and Colin Jost would break and start laughing over it all. 

Bailey Gismert (Heidi Gardner)

Heidi Gardner’s Bailey Gismert is Update’s teen movie critic, and she’s the star of her YouTube channel “Bailey at the Movies.” She’s kind of a nervous wreck, but what teen wouldn’t be if they ended up on Weekend Update? And while she’s there to talk about movies, it almost always ends with her trying to flirt with Michael Che. 

Leslie Jones

Over the course of Leslie Jones' run on Saturday Night Live she appeared on Weekend Update to share her thoughts on topics like “her perfect man,” “vacation,” “being hacked,” “summer beach bodies,” and so much more. She was also the segment’s “relationship expert,” and her commentary on love, dating and relationships was always entertaining. 

Emily Litella (Gilda Radner)

During the first season of SNL, Gilda Radner’s Emily Litella would appear on Update to give her editorial replies. However, she typically misunderstood what she was responding to, which would lead to her creating a response centered around the wrong topic, like violins instead of violence, for example. 

Rebecca LaRue (Kristen Wiig)

If you need a flirting expert, Rebecca LaRue probably isn’t your gal, despite her title, but boy is she funny. During the viral SNL sketch, Kristen Wiig used her physical comedy skills to make the audience crack up as she waved her arms in the air, winked constantly, and tried desperately to flirt with Seth Meyers.

Tommy Flanagan (Jon Lovitz) 

Jon Lovitz’s Tommy Flanagan, the president of Pathological Liars, would come on Weekend Update to talk about the news and how lies play into them. The thing is, he’s also lying the whole entire time.  

Mr. Subliminal (Kevin Nealon) 

Before he started anchoring Weekend Update, Kevin Nealon played Mr. Subliminal. As he shared his take on news, at the end of each sentence, he’d share his hot takes by sliding in one-word quips. 

As you can see, there are so many iconic characters played by legendary comedians, actors and even athletes. Weekend Update has been a constant on Saturday Night Live since the beginning, and it along with the cast of characters who sit at the desk, help make the sketch comedy show what it is. 

Major spoilers for Barbie are ahead!

When I walked out of Barbie, I almost immediately thought: “I have to see this movie again.” I was so moved by Greta Gerwig’s third well-reviewed film and couldn’t get over the performances from Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera. However, I also knew I missed tons of details. The film is visually stunning and also has meaning and humor packed into every frame. So, when I went back to see the movie again, I put on my thinking cap, and I took note of my seven favorite sublime details. 

While Barbie’s Style Starts To Mirror The Humans, Their Style Evolves To Reflect Hers

One of the major details that emerged for me during this rewatch pertains to the wardrobe. All the bright neon and fringe-tactic Barbie fashion wowed me the first time. This time around, though, I noticed how the outfits in the film actually helped visualize the internal journey the characters go on. 

This is primarily seen in the titular character's transformation. As she accepts her human-ness, her outfits also start to mirror the style of the regular world. Rather than sporting super dressy ensembles, she begins wearing casual clothes. Instead of big glam, she opts for more neutral makeup. And most importantly, in lieu of wearing heels every day, she sports sensible wedges and Birkenstocks. 

For the inverse of this situation, we can look at Sasha’s style. At the beginning of the movie, Ariana Greenblatt's character wears all black, and she is not accepting of the Barbie mentality (at all). However, as the movie goes on, the teen's looks start to get pinker as she starts to care for the dolls, their land and most importantly, her mom’s belief in the beloved brand.

Overall, this stylistic evolution helps reiterate the transformative journeys the film's characters go on, and I’m obsessed with it. 

Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Ken Is An Underrated Comedy King 

Everyone in the Barbie cast plays their part to perfection, yet the underrated comedy king of this movie is hands down Kingsley Ben-Adir. He plays the Ken who is always a half-step behind Ryan Gosling’s Ken and is constantly reacting to and trying to help his bestie. 

A prime example of Ben-Adir’s comedic genius is when Margot Robbie's character finds out her dream house has been turned into a "mojo dojo casa house." As Gosling's Ken explained how patriarchy has taken over, he grabbed numerous manly items and handed them to Ben-Adir’s iteration of the doll. His hands became fuller, as he held a golf club, boxing gloves, a soccer ball, some brewsky beers amid his BFF's little monologue -- and I couldn’t stop laughing.

While he didn't have many lines, his physical comedy (like his frightened facial expressions during the Battle of the Kens) had me cackling on my second screening. 

We Need To Take A Minute To Appreciate Ken’s Vocabulary 

Ken’s unique vocabulary is easily one of the funniest elements of this fantasy romp. While the internet is properly obsessed with “mojo dojo casa houses,” there are lots of other silly words that Ryan Gosling’s character and this male cohorts spout out throughout the flick. Here are a few of my favorites:

•  Truck-car 
•  Lady fashions 
•  President Prime Minister Man 
•  Kendom Land 
•  Long-term, long-distance, low-commitment, casual girlfriend (they never say it the same way twice) 
•  Fauxjo mojo mink 

The silly synonyms Ken uses to over-describe his land and his possessions crack me up, and Ryan Gosling’s seriously committed delivery of his lines only made them better. Now, it’s just a matter of time before these words seep into my daily vocabulary.

Emma Mackey and Ncuti Gatwa Are Besties In Barbie Land 

Greta Gerwig must have done this for the Sex Education fans. Throughout the movie, you can adorably see the characters played by Emma Mackey and Ncuti Gatwa, two principal Sex Education cast members, hanging out together. And near the end, when Gatwa’s Ken says he just wants to be friends with Barbie again, he’s referencing Mackey’s Barbie. That declaration made me smile and hope Gerwig crafted that pairing because she’s also a fan of the coming-of-age comedy. 

And of course, if you’re interested in checking out the two actors' breakout roles, you can stream Sex Education with a Netflix subscription. 

Weird Barbie’s Tools And Handmade Outfits Are Iconic 

While Weird Barbie’s looks are obviously the way they are because a kid played with her too hard, her wardrobe and tools are also comprised of objects only children could likely imagine -- and those were brilliant creative decisions. When Margot Robbie's version of the doll went to see Kate McKinnon's weird variant for the first time, I noticed she spotted the space-time continuum crack through a cootie catcher. From there, I began to make other observations about the humorous outcast and her style.

Later, toward the end, when we see Kate McKinnon’s character in her battle outfit, she has tin foil knee and elbow pads. She also has a key ring of small doll legs at her hip and thread grenades strapped across her chest. Overall, these lovely little details reiterate the notion that the dolls of Barbie Land are impacted by the kids who are playing with them. As a whole, this style example, in particular, exemplifies the wild ways in which kids use their imaginations while playing with toys. That's an element of this movie that's very admirable.

We’re Told Who The Barbie Creator Is Before It’s Officially Revealed 

When Barbie meets Ruth in her kitchen at the Mattel offices, she doesn’t know that she just interacted with the creator of the iconic dolls. While it can be inferred by the audience that that’s who she met, it’s not officially revealed until the end of the film. However, if you look closely at the table Ruth is working at, you'll see she’s cutting what looks like doll’s clothes out of pink gingham fabric. 

Margot Robbie’s character is wearing a couple of pink gingham ensembles early in the movie, so this feels like a nice little nod to the greater role Rhea Perlman’s character plays at the end of Barbie. 

When Allan Attacks The Construction Men, He Yells His Motto 

Despite the fact that he can’t jump a fence, Michael Cera’s Allan knows how to throw a punch or two. And if the situation weren't hilarious enough, he yelled his motto before initiating the fight:

The first time I watched the movie, this line flew right over my head, as I was too thrown off by Allan’s action-star moment. However, during my second watch, I caught it and couldn’t stop laughing over the fact that this scene was where the writers decided to place the one-of-a-kind boy doll’s iconic motto. Michael Cera really crushed this sequence, especially when it came to his delivery of this humorous and brief line. 

A Few Other Fun Little Details From Barbie

• When Aaron Dinkins is on the phone with the FBI, the split screen goes all the way up and down the screen, it’s not just in the cubicle. 
• If you look out the windows of the Mattel boardroom, you can see that the skyscraper across from them is marked Warner Bros. Discovery.
• Will Ferrell and the corporate men run to the beat of “Speed Drive” during the chase. 
• When the Kens take over and get new Western outfits, Allan's outfit simply gets a new "Horses" patch.

Overall, there are so many fun details to make note of in Barbie, and Greta Gerwig really seemed to pack the movie full of fun moments, easter eggs and designs that make it so that one notices something different with each viewing. With that, it may be fair to say that people may be prompted to revisit this stellar flick for some time.

If you're looking to rewatch Barbie, then you're in luck, becuase it’s currently playing in theaters along with lots of other major titles that are on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases. 

SPOILER warning: Details about the ending of Barbie lie ahead.

Kate McKinnon is one of the highlights of the new Barbie movie. She plays “Weird Barbie” which symbolizes a mangled doll that was played with too hard. The SNL alum brings incredibly eccentric energy to the role, acting as a hilarious reminder of some of our well loved favorite toys, as well as a wise source of knowledge. McKinnon is hilarious in the film, and now the Barbie cast is revealing which of her lines was improvised. 

Stars Issa Rae, Michael Cera, and McKinnon all sat down with CinemaBlend’s very own Hannah Saulic for an interview in promotion of Barbie (ahead of the SAG-AFTRA strike). During the conversation, the cast chatted about some of the best moments from the summer blockbuster. When asked about how Rae and McKinnon’s characters paired up towards the end the Barbie movie, and the hilarious line about Weird Barbie wanting to lead BarbieLand’s Department of Sanitation, the Insecure star revealed that the line was actually improvised by the comedian. She said:

For context, the scene in question has President Barbie (played by Issa Rae) asking Weird Barbie what cabinet position she would like after helping all the Barbies take BarbieLand back from the Kens’ patriarchy. The line is hilarious, and perfectly in tune with McKinnon’s character. While Weird Barbie may be a shoe-in for a cabinet position, is there room for Michael Cera’s Alan? Rae thought so, saying:

Any world with these characters in charge would be a fun one. Clearly there’s a lot of love for Weird Barbie and Alan coming from the rest of the Barbie’s, and their contributions to the movie are immense. While these characters may begin as misfits that don’t perfectly fit into the utopian world of Barbies and Kens, both characters are integral to helping take down the “Kendom” and are wonderfully quirky additions to the cast. Everyone is hilarious, but the pink-painted world wouldn’t be complete without these two.

It’s no surprise Kate McKinnon was able to get an unscripted line in Barbie. The script was carefully constructed by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, her creative and life partner. However, when you’re inviting a pro like the Ghostbusters star to the party, you're sure to get some great off-the-cuff jokes. Gerwig also made room for other cast contributions, like Ryan Gosling’s wardrobe suggestions. It sounds like Barbie was a group effort, letting everyone’s talents shine. 

You can catch Kate McKinnon, and the rest of the all-star cast in Barbie, which is available in theaters nationwide. The Margot Robbie-led comedy is a box office sensation, so check it out and see for yourself why it’s become such a cultural phenomenon. For more information on other films hitting cinemas this summer, make sure to consult our 2023 movie release schedule. 

While Saturday Night Live has been around for almost half a century, and it's fun to have a constantly rotating cast, it's never easy to say goodbye to fan favorites. The last few years have been especially rough because multiple cast members left after Season 47, including Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Aidy Bryant, and more. It's been a year now since these departures, so Ego Nwodim opened up about the “grand exodus” that happened, and what it was like losing so many of her castmates around the same time.

While speaking with THR about her time on SNL, Ego Nwodim, who joined the long-running NBC variety series in 2018, got candid about what it was like losing a handful of her castmates last year. She explained that it was "scary" having so many mainstays leave at once, saying: 

SNL's Season 47 finale was emotional, as we all said goodbye to so many rockstars, however, it sounds like Ego Nwodim found the silver lining as well. With a cast as large as SNL’s, it’s hard to give every member screen time, and typically the vets star in more of the sketches, as newer comedians work their way up. Nwodim elaborated on this idea, noting that there's more room to "breathe" now, and she's been able to "capitalize" on what she's learned over the years, explaining: 

Season 48 of SNL opened the door for cast members to step up and allowed quite a few new comedians in. It was also great to see SNL stars, like Nwodim, step up to the plate and really get the chance to shine. 

In September, ahead of Season 48’s premiere, creator Lorne Michaels discussed the eight exits and why it was actually a good thing for SNL. Much like Ego Nwodim’s thinking, Michaels said that a lot of people weren’t getting “enough playing time” because of the large cast. Due to the pandemic, some of the cast that was planning on leaving didn’t, so they stuck around for a bit longer than expected, making for a bigger group. It was also a reason why so many left at once. 

Even though SNL lost some cast members, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the last time fans see them. Pete Davidson nearly hosted SNL towards the end of Season 48, but due to the writers’ strike, his episode was canceled. It’s possible he could host during Season 49, but it likely depends on the strike and Davidson’s schedule. Hopefully, other alums like Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant also come back and host too. 

While we miss these cast members dearly, it's been fun to see comedians like Ego Nwodim get their chance in the spotlight, and absolutely kill it on SNL, which you can go back and witness with a Peacock subscription. 

Saturday Night Live is in the middle of a transition, as several key players have left the show, with new cast members having been added since. Between Seasons 47 and 48, the late-night institution has seen eight cast members move on for varied reasons. Now, after a summer of notable departures, SNL creator Lorne Michaels has opened up about those exits and why they're collectively a good thing.

As fan-favorites like Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon said farewell during the Season 47 finale, SNL experienced more notable exits, including those of Melissa Villaseñor and Alex Moffat. Recently, five-year series vet Chris Redd marked his departure with a sweet message to the fans. While this may all be overwhelming for viewers, Lorne Michaels isn't quite as worried, as he previously about Saturday Night Live cast changes were coming. The EP revealed to NYT that losing cast members actually helps the show's survival:

It appears that Lorne Michaels knew that certain cast members were ready to go before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The ordeal seemed to prevent these exits from happening sooner. Given its a television institution and has to keep things fresh, SNL has to keep revamping the cast every few years to keep the machine going. And no need to worry about the stars who've left, as the likes of Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, and Chris Redd have translated their time with the show into fruitful projects outside of the show.

Having key players leave would be hard for any show, but SNL is used to shifting landscapes. Those openings allowed Lorne Michaels to add four new featured players to an already confirmed SNL Season 48 cast. With that, the series creator spoke about what the new members will add to the long-running series:

Being a featured player can be the gateway to comedy stardom as evidenced by viewers connecting with alums like Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant. And if the fresh players are allowed to grow, they can obtain the same level of success. As Lorne Michaels pointed out though, it’s up to the audience reception when it comes to their progression. We'll see how they pan out and whether they can help the show's progression.

Along with the fresh faces -- including Devon Walker and Molly Kearney -- joining the 2022-23 season, beloved staples like Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang are still on the show. Fans are also in store for stellar hosts and musical guests for Season 48, including Megan the Stallion and Brendan Gleeson. The latest season of Saturday Night Live will kick off on October 1 with Top Gun: Maverick’s Miles Teller as host and Kendrick Lamar as musical guest. It will premiere on NBC at 11:30 pm EST as part of the 2022 TV schedule. In the meantime, you can stream past episodes of the show using a Peacock Premium subscription.

The winds of change have been blowing mighty hard at Saturday Night Live over the past several months. Since the NBC staple closed out its 47th season in May, it’s experienced a slew of major cast member exits. The mass exodus began in earnest when it was reported that Pete Davidson was leaving and others like Kate McKinnon soon followed suit. Additional cast departures were revealed earlier this month and, now, it’s been revealed that SNL vet Chris Redd is also leaving the series. And with that, he shared a sweet message.

I’m not sure just how many people saw Chris Redd’s departure coming, especially since he was only on the show for five seasons. However, all good things must come to an end, I suppose. In a statement shared with Deadline, Redd fondly reflected on his time at SNL and expressed his thanks to those who made the opportunity possible: 

Chris Redd may not have been with the show as long as stars like Kate McKinnon or Kenan Thompson, but he did manage to make a significant impact. During his tenure, the star became known for his celebrity impressions of notable public figures like Kanye West and U.S. Senator Cory Booker. But one of his greatest performances was arguably his turn as New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Check out the sketch below to see Redd’s swag-infused take on the politician:

The comic’s A+ impersonations will certainly be missed as will those from the other stars who’ve recently left the show. Aside from Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon, it was also reported months ago that veteran cast members Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney were also leaving. And just a few weeks ago, three more SNL stars – Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat and Aristotle Athari – were confirmed to be making their exits as well.

Saturday Night Live creator and EP Lorne Michaels has addressed the various cast changes that have taken place. Michaels spoke to the press after the show’s latest Emmy win for Variety Sketch Series and referred to Season 48 as a “transition year.” He also confirmed that at least four new cast members would be joining the show. A few days ago, those four newcomers were revealed to be Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker and Molly Kearney, who makes history as the show’s first non-binary performer.

It’s like the old saying goes, “Out with the old, and in with the new.” While these changes may seem jarring on the surface, keep in mind that this isn’t the first time SNL has experienced such a big transition. It’s still going to be weird not seeing Chris Redd and the others at 30 Rock, though perhaps his love for the cast and crew might draw him back for a guest spot or two.

Saturday Night Live Season 48 premieres on October 1 as part of the 2022 TV schedule. As you await the new episodes, you can check out Chris Redd’s best performances by streaming past episodes with a Peacock Premium subscription.

Earlier this week, Rob Schneider said he thinks SNL is "over," explaining the moment he thought it happened. He cited the sketch where Kate McKinnon is sitting at a piano singing “Hallelujah” as Hillary Clinton after the presidential candidate lost the 2016 election to Donald Trump. Alec Baldwin, who impersonated the former president on SNL throughout the last six years responded to those comments. 

McKinnon has spoken about the "Hallelujah" sketch before, noting it made her feel connected to the audience. The sketch in question has 12.9 million views on YouTube, so it's certainly made an impact on viewers. Along with his comments about McKinnon, Schneider commented on Baldwin’s impression, saying he had “nothing but a fuming, seething anger toward” his Trump. The 30 Rock actor then responded to those comments on his Instagram, saying: 

After Trump won the election in 2016, Baldwin’s impression became a mainstay on SNL throughout his years as president. As his term went on, Baldwin showed up a bit less, however, he said if he was asked to come back to play Trump he probably would.  The actor appeared again as Trump during the 2020 election cycle, the “First Debate Cold Open” featured Baldwin’s Trump and Jim Carrey as Joe Biden. 

Baldwin explained his thoughts about Schneider's opinions on SNL being over and what he thinks about a former cast member of the show saying such things. 

The actor then complimented Schneider's humor before continuing to speak about his opinions on political commentators and pundits. 

Alec Baldwin has not appeared on SNL since 2020. Now, one of the show’s new cast members James Austin Johnson has taken over the impression, and fans have had strong reactions to it. 

The newcomer will be in SNL’s upcoming 48th season along with Bowen Yang, Kenan Thompson and other fan favorites. However, many are leaving. At the end of Season 47, the departure of Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson was announced, along with other long-time cast members. Recently, it was also announced that  Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat and Aristotle Athari are exiting and would no longer be on the show. 

The Fall TV schedule shows that there isn't a premiere date for the veteran sketch comedy series yet, but with all these exits and all this brouhaha, it should be interesting to see how the new season shakes out. 

At the end of Saturday Night Live’s 47th season, long-timers Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson announced they would not be returning for the show’s 48th season, with Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney also bowing out. Now, with the new season debuting on NBC relatively soon, reports have surfaced point to SNL now losing three additional stars.

In a report from Deadline, Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat and Aristotle Athari will be departing the show ahead of Season 48, leaving another fairly sizable void in their wake. Here is a bit about each actor and what they did during their time on the legacy late-night sketch show. 

Melissa Villaseñor 

Joining the ensemble as a featured player in 2016 and becoming a repertory player in 2018, Villaseñor was the second Latina to be cast on the show, and was the first to be promoted to the main cast. She is known for her impressions and appearances on Weekend Update as herself, my personal favorite is when she sang songs about the Academy Award best picture nominees. She also had a hit sketch toward the end of Season 47 with Selena Gomez called “A Peek at Pico.” 

Outside of SNL, she has voiced characters in the currently streamable Disney movies Toy Story 4 and Ralph Breaks the Internet, as well as the animated comedies Family Guy and American Dad. To top it off with some fun facts: She was previously a semifinalist on America’s Got Talent, and was named in Forbes' 30 Under 30. 

Alex Moffat  

Alex Moffat was certainly no stranger to sketch appearances, but the comedian is probably best known for his bits on Weekend Update. For example, the regular presence of Guy Who Just Bought A Boat, which saw him chatting with Colin Jost and Michael Che about Thanksgiving and Halloween dating tips, among other things, while giving advice to Jost and Pete Davidson when they actually bought a ferry. He was also one-half of the show's Trump siblings, with Moffat childishly portraying Eric Trump alongside Mikey Day's Donald Trump Jr. throughout Donald Trump's presdiency and beyond. 

Moffat is currently filming the series Bad Monkey, and appeared in the Netflix movie Holidate, while also lending his voice to Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Aristotle Athari 

It's after only one season that Aristotle Athari will be leaving SNL. He joined the cast in 2021 with James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman, who will both be returning for Season 48. He is best known for his character Angelo, the funky soft-spoken nightclub singer who would appear in his black turtle neck, red scarf and platinum hair to quietly sing his music that no one ever seemed to understand. Hosts including Rami Malek and Billie Eilish showed up to sing with him during sketches. He also played the Stand-Up Robot on Weekend Update from time to time. Before SNL, Athari appeared in 15 episodes of Silicon Valley and created many video shorts that he also directed. 

Lots of in SNL’s current cast members have been there for a long time. Moffat and Villaseñor were there for 8 years, which SNL alum David Spade has said is wild amount of time to be on the show. Other long-time cast members, like Kenan Thompson, who broke a record by being in 1,500 sketches, will be coming back for Season 48. Fan favorite and Emmy-nominated, Bowen Yang will also be returning to Studio 8H. As of now, no other casting announcements have been released. 

For more information on SNL’s imminent return, check out the Fall TV premiere schedule. 

Saturday Night Live has often featured political satire. For years now the NBC sketch comedy series has poked fun at the politicians of the time. Typically, happening at the top of the show, these sketches garner lots of attention and the impersonations of political figures often become viral moments. In a recent interview SNL alum Rob Schneider spoke about the moment he thought the show was “over" and his feelings relate to a political moment on the show.   

From Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump (and now James Austin Johnson’s Trump) to Jim Carey’s Joe Biden and Melissa McCarthy's Sean Spicer, there is someone impersonating relevant political figures of the moment. The most recent SNL cast member to become an alum, Kate McKinnon, has impersonated Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Hillary Clinton, to name a few. This Clinton impression is what sparked Schneider's comments. 

What Schneider was getting at when speaking on The Glenn Beck Podcast was McKinnon’s Clinton impression, specifically the sketch aired as the cold open right after the 2016 election. 

This sketch of Kate McKinnon as Clinton, which has 12.9 million views on YouTube, is one that McKinnon said made her feel connected to the audience, but apparently, Schneider is not really a fan. In the video, McKinnon is sitting alone at the piano dressed as Clinton. She sings “Hallelujah” and at the end says “I’m not giving up and neither should you. And live from New York it’s Saturday night.” 

Schneider, who was on SNL from 1990-1994, has been voicing his opinions against how SNL portrays political figures for a while now. Back in 2018, he told the New York Daily News that he did not appreciate Alec Baldwin’s impression of Donald Trump by comparing Baldwin’s performance to SNL alum Dana Carvey’s impression of George H. W. Bush.  

In the interview, Rob Schneider also talked about how SNL and late-night talk shows are a “comedic indoctrination process.” He said they all sound the same and that there are no “independent voices” in late night anymore. 

SNL is scheduled to come back with its political satire, no matter what Rob Schneider thinks. While McKinnon won't be returning to the show, long-time cast members Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong and Colin Jost along with fan favorites Bown Yang and James Austin Johnson, will be back for the 48th season, which can be found in the 2022 fall TV schedule. 

Saturday Night Live lost Kate McKinnon and more stars earlier this summer, a development that saddened many viewers who loved her chameleon nature and hilarious characters. It’s only been a few months since she departed the late-night institution, but McKinnon is already reminiscing about her time on the show. And in a recent interview, she got candid about the sketches that made her feel most "connected" to the audience.

The Joe vs. Carole star spilled about her favorite SNL moments while being interviewed on Vulture's comedy podcast, Good One. Though McKinnon enjoyed her time on the sketch comedy show and got to play a cavalcade of characters, she revealed doing weekly sketches has its limitations. She specifically felt the format didn’t allow those characters to grow, though she acknowledged that there were times in which she felt a firm link to the people for who she was performing. When discussing said moments, she named one major moment from 2016 that many viewers surely remember: 

The Hilary Clinton cold open was one of the actress' most memorable performances, as it hit just the right note after the 2016 Presidential election. Of course, the audience already loved the SNL alum’s impression of the Democratic nominee, but one can't deny that there was a sweetness to her solemn take on "Hallelujah." That's certainly a major moment, but the second that she brought up is arguably just as big if not bigger. The SNL alum went on to reminisce about the first time she played the outrageous Colleen Rafferty:

Kate McKinnon's impeccable comedic timing and willingness to become the humorously traumatized alien abductee made every one of her appearances funnier than the last. SNL's alien abduction sketches, which have interesting backstory, could be tough to pull off, if one had lesser performers. But McKinnon more than pulled it off, and it's quite impressive that she was able to make the audience buy into the idea of a such an eclectic character like Collen Rafferty. Given how synonymous she is with the character, it was only fitting that McKinnon reprised the role for her final episode of the show.

Despite any limitations, the star does seem to hold sketches in high regard. Skits allow the audience to observe something as “show and tell,” according to the comedic actress. Having those moments was a delight for her, as she and the audience shared both human behavior and humor during the moment. All in all, the Bubble star called doing weekly sketch comedy the “greatest experience.” 

Kate McKinnon has since explained that she left SNL due to her body being "tired" from the constant grind. Since leaving the late-night institution, McKinnon has already moved on to what's next. She can be heard in DC League of Super-Pets as the supervillain guinea pig Lulu. She already has roles lined up with the Barbie movie and a screen adaptation of the children’s book The Lunch Witch. The fan-favorite star is bound to line up other major projects down the line, which should allow her to further connect with audiences the same way she did on the NBC series.

Fans can revisit Kate McKinnon's best SNL sketches by streaming them with a Peacock Premium subscription.

When it comes to animated films, it’s never a big surprise that a ton of stars tend to join those casts, and now, DC’s League of Super Pets has added to that with their list of stars, from action heroes such as Dwayne Johnson to comedians like Kevin Hart. But with so many characters and so many amazing cast members, you might be wondering where you’ve seen - or heard - them before. 

If you’re like me and trying to see exactly where these famous faces were from, check out where you might have seen the DC’s League of Super Pets voice cast before. 

Dwayne Johnson (Krypto The Super-Dog) 

Starting off with the main hero in DC’s League of Super Pets, we have Krypto, a character I’m pretty familiar with from the Krypto the Super-Dog TV show from a long time ago - but now, he’s in a movie and is voiced by the fabulous Dwayne Johnson. If you don’t know that name, surely you have been living under a rock (pun intended). While he started off his career in the WWE, Johnson continues to prove how talented he is as a movie star. 

He played Maui in Moana, and has appeared in films such as the comedy, The Game Plan, the Jumanji series, Central Intelligence, Rampage, the Fast and Furious series, Skyscraper, Jungle Cruise, and more. He also had a pretty big year in 2021 with the release of Red Notice on Netflix.

Johnson has also had some experience with television as well, producing (and appearing) in the NBC series, Young Rock, as well leading the series, Ballers. 

Kevin Hart (Ace The Hound)

Next up on this list, we have everyone’s favorite hilarious comedian, Kevin Hart, who plays Ace in DC’s League of Super Pets. Hart has been in many movies and produced some hilarious comedy specials, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve seen him before. 

Some of his biggest roles thus far have included Night School, Think Like A Man, Ride Along, The Man From Toronto, About Last Night, and the drama, Fatherhood, alongside many others. This is also the fourth time that Hart and Johnson have collaborated together on a film, with the first being Central Intelligence, and the next two being the Jumanji series. Since these two are always ripping on each other, it’ll be fun to watch the press tour for DC’s League of Super Pets. 

Kate McKinnon (Lulu The Guinea Pig)

Moving on, we now have Kate McKinnon, who voices Lulu the Guinea Pig in DC’s League of Super Pets. If that name sounds familiar to you, it’s because McKinnon was a huge star on NBC’s Saturday Night Live before she left in 2022, but besides her big role on the sketch series, this actress has done plenty. 

Some of her biggest roles this far was being a part of the Bombshell cast, starring in 2016’s Ghostbusters, and the films The Spy Who Dumped Me and Yesteryear, among others. She also had a starring role in the Peacock original series, Joe vs. Carole, playing Carole Baskin. 

John Krasinski (Superman)

Next up on this list we have John Krasinski, who voiced Superman in DC’s League of Super Pets. As someone who has followed Krasinski for a long time, I can’t think of anyone better to voice the superhero in this film. One of his most famous roles was portraying Jim Halpert as part of The Office cast, and becoming the second half to one of the cutest relationships on television, but Krasinski has done plenty of other fun roles. 

Krasinski directed both A Quiet Place movies, while starring in the first one, and has appeared in other films such as Away We Go, It’s Complicated, Big Miracle, and more, and had voice roles in the Pixar film Monsters University, as well as the Hayao Miyazaki film, The Wind Rises. 

The actor has also dived back into television, starring as Jack Ryan in the titular series on Amazon Prime, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. In 2022, he appeared as Reed Richards in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. 

Vanessa Bayer (PB The Potbelly Pig)

Moving on, we take a look at Vanessa Bayer, who voiced PB the Potbelly Pig in DC’s League of Super Pets. Bayer is another Saturday Night Live alumni and is funny as all heck, but she has also been in plenty of other movies and TV shows as well. 

Some of her biggest movies have been Trainwreck, Office Christmas Party, Ibiza, Barb and Star Go To Vista del Mar, and more. She also has the lead role in the Showtime comedy, I Love That For You, and has guest starred on many other TV shows as well. 

Natasha Lyonne (Merton The Turtle)

Natasha Lyonne voices Merton the Turtle in DC’s League of Super Pets, and has had quite the career in both movies and TV. For the last couple of years, she’s starred in Russian Doll on Netflix, but prior to that, she was a big part of the Orange is the New Black cast, where she played Nicky. However, Lyonne has done much more in the film and television industry than just her roles on TV. 

Some of her biggest roles have been in the American Pie cast, Ad Astra, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Scary Movie 2, But I’m A Cheerleader, Sleeping With Other People, and many others. 

Diego Luna (Chip The Squirrel)

Moving on, we now take a look at Diego Luna, who voices Chip the Squirrel in DC’s League of Super Pets. Luna has been an even bigger star in Hollywood lately, mainly thanks to his huge role in the popular Star Wars film, Rouge One: A Star Wars Story, where he played Cassian Andor - a role he is set to reprise in the upcoming Disney+ series, Andor, following the character before the film. 

However, Luna has done plenty of other projects you might recognize. He had a big role on the Netflix series, Narcos: Mexico, where he played Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. He also has appeared in a variety of movie roles, including several Spanish films, Berlin, I Love You, A Rainy Day In New York, Wander Darkly, If Beale Street Could Talk, and more. 

Marc Maron (Lex Luthor)

Marc Maron voices the legendary villain, Lex Luthor, in DC’s League of Super Pets, and he has done plenty in the movie and TV business. Maron is mainly known for his comedy, and has had several guest appearances on late night talk shows, such as the Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, but he’s done plenty on his own. He hosted his own talk show, The Marc Maron Show, and co-hosted both Morning Sedition and Breakroom Live. 

Maron has also acted plenty before, doing movies such as Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Stardust, Joker, Respect, and more. He’s also appeared in many TV shows, including having his own series, Maron, and appearing in shows such as Easy, The Simpsons, and Roadies among others. He also had a co-starring role in the cancelled-too-soon Netflix series, GLOW. 

Keanu Reeves (Batman)

I don’t think I could have pictured a better casting for the role of Batman in DC’s League of Super Pets than Keanu Reeves himself, and it’s so cool to see him voicing this awesome role. Reeves has been in Hollywood for decades, and is one our our most enduring action stars. 

Reeves’ biggest roles have definitely been the Bill & Ted film series, his starring part in The Matrix Series, as well as his titular role in the John Wick movie saga, which is getting a fourth movie in 2023. However, Reeves has plenty of other major films, such as Constantine, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Street Kings, The Lake House, Already Gone, and more. He even had a voice role in Pixar’s Toy Story 4 as Duke Caboom.

Thomas Middleditch (Keith a.k.a. Ice Guinea Pig) 

Moving on, we now take a look at Thomas Middleditch, who voices Keith, known as the Ice Guinea Pig in DC’s League of Super Pets. Middleditch is primarily known for his role on the hit HBO series, Silicon Valley, but has done plenty of other roles that you might recognize him from. 

He has done voice roles in shows such as Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero, and the Hulu original series, Solar Opposites, and had a main role in the TV series, B Positive. He also had a voice role in the movie Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, and has done live-action roles in movies such as Someone Marry Barry, The Bronze, Once Upon A Time in Venice, Tag, Zombieland: Double Tap, and more. 

Ben Schwartz  (Mark a.k.a. Fire Guinea Pig) 

Next up, we have Ben Schwartz, who voices Mark, known as the Fire Guinea Pig in DC’s League of Super Pets. Schwartz was primarily known for his role in the Parks and Recreation cast, but has since gone on to do plenty of other fun parts. 

Some of his biggest film roles have included voicing the titular character in the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, and appearing in Peep World, This Is Where I Leave You, Flora & Ulysses, Falling Down, The Walk, and more. Schwartz has also had a prominent TV career besides Parks and Recreation, having roles in TV shows like Netflix’s Space Force, the comedy series The Afterparty on Apple TV+, House of Lies, Ducktales, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and many more. 

Additional Voices

Lastly, there are plenty of other additional voices in DC’s League of Super Pets that we should take the time to mention. 

These include Olivia Wilde as Lois Lane, Yvette Nicole Brown as Patty, Jameela Jamil as Wonder Woman, Jemaine Clement as Aquaman, Daveed Diggs as Cyborg, Alfred Molina as Jor-El, Lena Headey as Lara, Keith David as Dog-El, Busy Philipps as Foofy Dog, Maya Erskine as Mercy Graves, and Dan Folger in the additional roles of Carl, Pilot, and Radio. 

Goodness, with so many names on here, you might think we were going to an awards show of some kind, but this is just the talent that DC’s League of Super Pets has, and it’ll be a super time wondering where these actors go next after suiting up in their fluffy suits.  

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart have proven to be quite the comedic duo on the big screen. If their two Jumanji movies and Central Intelligence didn’t sell you on their teamwork, their hilarious tortilla-slapping hijinks leading up to their latest project together definitely will. The pair have reunited for the animated DC League of Super-Pets, where Johnson voices Superman’s dog Krypto, and Hart lends his voice as Batman’s dog Ace. Critics have seen this superhero comedy, so let’s see if this is one we should be running to theaters for.

Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson are joined in the PG-rated super-pet comedy by a cast of icons that includes Kate McKinnon, Natasha Lyonne, Keanu Reeves and many more. Let’s see what the reviews have to say about the film ahead of its July 29 theatrical release, starting, of course, with our own CinemaBlend review of DC League of Super-Pets. Dirk Libbey rates the movie 3.5 stars out of 5, saying longtime fans will appreciate the humor regarding the classic characters, but it works just as well as an introduction to the DC Universe for younger fans. He says:

Valerie Complex of Deadline finds a nice balance of comedy and drama, with the characters tugging at the heartstrings with their stories of life and love. Kevin Hart gives an appropriately subdued performance that complements Dwayne Johnson’s laid back style, but Kate McKinnon is the true star as villainous guinea pig Lulu. In the words of this critic:

Siddhant Adlakha of IGN, however, doesn’t necessarily agree, arguing that the cast doesn’t do its characters justice. Dwayne Johnson tends to be very monotone, and John Krasinski lacks kindness and charm as Superman, the critics says, rating the film an “Okay” 6 out of 10. While the references poking fun at DC lore are often worth a chuckle, other comedic moments grow stale pretty quickly, this review says:

Richard Trenholm of CNET says DC League of Super-Pets is colorful and silly for the kids but still self-aware enough for grown-ups to laugh along. Like other critics, this review acknowledges no new ground really being broken in the genre:

Ian Spelling of AV Club grades the movie a B+, and while this review is very complimentary of the film, the critic provides some considerations for parents of younger or more sensitive children:

If DC League of Super-Pets sounds like a movie your crew would enjoy, you can catch it in theaters starting on Friday, July 29. Amongst Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming projects is another DC film, as the former pro wrestler is set to star in Black Adam in October. Stay up to date on all of the upcoming DC movies, and if you want to watch all the DC movies in order, we can help you out with that too! 

Despite the fact that DC Comics has some of the most popular superhero characters ever created, the brand has hit its share of bumps on the road in regards to modern cinematic success. In live action, Batman is still a winner, though recasting the character seems to be only happening more frequently, and Superman’s big screen future is very much in limbo. So perhaps with that being the case it makes sense to not only shift the focus to an animated film, but to also move the Justice League into supporting roles – which is what we get in Jared Stern's DC League of Super-Pets.

To be sure, Superman and Batman are still characters in the newest DC superhero movie. They’re even voiced by high profile names, with John Krasinski taking on the role of the Man of Steel and Keanu Reeves becoming the Dark Knight, but the movie is all about Dwayne Johnson not as Black Adam, but as Krypto The Super Dog.

DC League of Super-Pets opens with a traditional superhero vs supervillain battle. Lex Luthor (Marc Maron) has obtained a meteorite of orange kryptonite, hoping it will give him superpowers so he can fight the Justice League, but the League arrives to stop him, of course. And it turns out the kryptonite doesn’t work on humans anyway. It does, however, work on animals – something that Lulu (Kate McKinnon), a follicly-challenged guinea pig and former LexCorp test animal, does know. She takes after her former owner and become a villain, and she gets her hands on the kryptonite to give herself powers. While doing so, she also gives new abilities to dog Ace (Kevin Hart), pot bellied pig PB (Vanessa Bayer), turtle Merton (Natasha Lyonne) and squirrel Chip (Diego Luna).

Lulu’s first order of business in her master plan is to take out Superman, and in the process she feeds Krypto a piece of kryptonite hidden in cheese (“They always hide it in the cheese”), robbing him of his own superpowers. To fight back, Krypto needs to teach the oddball group of shelter animals how to become heroes if they’re ever going to stop Lulu and save Superman.

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart are still a winning combination, even as the voices of a pair of dogs.

We’ve seen the chemistry that Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart have in live-action films like the recent additions to the Jumanji franchise, and fans will be glad to know that the two can play off each other just as well in animation. The roles fit them perfectly, with the larger than life in real life Johnson playing the canine version of Superman, and Kevin Hart as the scrappy shelter dog who can cut him down to size with a perfectly timed snide comment.

The supporting cast does a good job as far as they’re given the opportunity to be. They’re largely here to tell variations on the same jokes. The turtle with superspeed but bad eyesight, or the squirrel that’s so scared of everything, including his own power. The movie never entirely forgets this a team of heroes, but there are characters arcs that are clearly more substantial and more significant.

Kate McKinnon is gloriously over the top as the League of Super-Pets villain. 

The real champion of the cast is Kate McKinnon. It’s often argued that the villains are the best roles in comic book movies and that is all the more true in this animated, family friendly, superhero movie. The cartoon set up allows Lulu the hairless guinea pig to go full “diabolical, monologuing, supervillain” in a way that nobody would accept in a modern live-action film. She hams up every scene more than the pot-bellied pig.

DC League of Super-Pets certainly doesn’t take itself too seriously. A great deal of the humor is at the expense of the classic heroes like Superman and Batman, so those that know the characters well – like the adults in the audience – will find plenty to laugh at when Keanu Reeves’ Batman gets super angsty. And the more old school a fan you are, the better. What inspiration Super-Pets does take from the live action world comes from the earlier generation of films, with John Williams classic Superman theme used as both inspiration and punchline at various points.

But certainly knowledge of decades of movies and comic books are not required here. Because the main characters are talking animals, Super-Pets works just as well as an introduction to the DC Universe for the younger viewers that haven’t seen it all before.

League Of Super-Pets has a little something for all ages.  

Viewers of all ages may get a somewhat deeper story than they’re necessarily expecting from DC League of Super-Pets. Both Krypto and Lulu go through similar character arcs, as they start the movie defining their own identity by their connection to a significant other in their lives. Both find themselves at a crossroads when they realize the relationship has changed. Here, the difference between hero and villain comes in how they respond to that change. Viewers of all ages, and especially dog lovers, should steel themselves for the backstory of Kevin Hart’s Ace, as it’s heartbreaking.

In the end, DC League of Super-Pets certainly doesn’t break any new ground when it comes to family films, but it’s a movie that will entertain most fans with a few laughs. It’s hard to look at any movie with a superhero element and not wonder if there will be a franchise in the future. If this is the first entry in the Super-Pets cinematic universe, that certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing at the theater. 

It’s been just two months since Saturday Night Live ended its season with multiple surprise cast departures, and it’s still hard to get over that mini-exodus without new episodes around for comfort. One such departing star was Kate McKinnon, whose exit was actually rumored for a while beforehand (and even ahead of past seasons). Now, the comedian has opened up ever so much about leaving the series.

Kate McKinnon appeared on Live! With Kelly & Ryan, where she discussed her general reasoning behind leaving the long-running variety sketch series. While McKinnon dubbed her wildly successful stint on SNL as “the best decade,” she said it was time for her to move on. In her words:

It’s not surprising that Kate McKinnon would feel that way despite her love of being on the series. Not only was she working on SNL (and reaching big milestones) during that decade, but she was also working on other projects at the same time, whether it’d be adding to her feature filmography or filming high-profile series like Peacock's Joe v. Carol. However, she still has all the love for the NBC series, even if she won't be around to bring that energy to the stage. 

McKinnon mentioned that while she has yet to formulate other plans for her now-open Saturday nights, she already knows that she won’t be watching SNL, at least for a while. Instead, McKinnon has a reality series in mind that would definitely keep her mind off of all things sketch-related. 

Watching SNL for the first time after exiting the series would definitely be a hard and emotional choice, so I don’t blame McKinnon for wanting to check out something else until the point where she doesn't still feel as connected to it. It just shows how much the series (and its cast and crew) meant to her, and although the decision was a hard one to reach and put into action, she knows that she made the right call for her own needs. Hopefully, she’ll come back for a guest spot or hosting gig in the near future!

As for what McKinnon has in store post-SNL, she’s keeping pretty busy with the upcoming animated film DC League of Super Pets and the much-anticipated Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling out next year. Now that she’ll be more open for roles, fingers crossed we’ll see her in more projects soon. Maybe not any competing sketch shows set for post-primetime weekend hours, though.

Kate McKinnon exited Saturday Night Live along with Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney at the end of Season 47. Their departures definitely left a vacancy at Studio 8H, with cast member Bowen Yang commenting on the emotional finale and saying that the four “defined what that show is in the last decade.” Although the series is known for its rotating cast, it will certainly take some getting used to without McKinnon and co. in Season 48.

As of now, there isn’t a set premiere date for Season 48 of Saturday Night Live or if any new cast members will be joining. It’s hard to tell if anyone else will be saying goodbye ahead of the new season, but if anyone else leaves, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.

All seasons of Saturday Night Live are currently streaming on Peacock now with a subscription!

The exits of Saturday Night Live staples Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney were likely met with mixed reactions from fans. Some might have been shocked, while others may have been able to predict that the longtime series stars were ready to move on. Either way, it's likely that they were somewhat saddened to hear that the stars would be leaving. While some of the actors themselves have spoken about their departures, not many of their castmates have weighed in, though Colin Jost is now opening up about how he feels.

The Weekend Update co-anchor had been the subject of exit rumors himself, despite constant denials as seen on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. His co-anchor, Michael Che, even had to clear up rumors about his possible departure from the late-night sketch show. When speaking about the recent round of departures with ET, Jost explained that his contact with his former co-stars won't end, but it sounds like he'll still have to get used to not seeing them around:

Having good colleagues can make a work environment more pleasurable and quite frankly fun, so the star's position is understandable. While the absences are likely tough, surely he'll still hang out with them. After all, a number of current and former SNL cast alums live in New York, so they’re bound to have some meetups. When it comes to Staten Island native Pete Davidson, the Weekend Update host will most definitely remain in contact, given the two men are renovating a ferry together.

Despite the late-night show’s competitive nature, the cast seems to be one big family, so seeing some members leave can almost be like watching siblings going off to college or moving into their own place. With that said, the loss of major stars usually leads to the promotion of featured players and the addition of fresh faces. Colin Jost was asked about this and didn’t express much concern about the potential alterations to the cast for Season 48:

As of this writing, there have been no official announcements made regarding who will replace the SNL veterans. Usually, the late-night sketch comedy show doesn’t confirm any cast changes until closer to the premiere date, so it's possible that the public won't receive any updates for another month or so.

The Season 47 departures were bittersweet as Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney had all been breakout stars for the late-night series. But in recent years, they had appeared less frequently, as each one expanded their resumes with outside film and television projects, among other media-related opportunities. That didn’t make their exits less emotional, though, as Mooney shared a sweet goodbye post to his SNL family.  While it's sad to see them go, it's comforting that all have other projects in the works and, like Colin Jost, their colleagues are sure to hold special places in their hearts for them.

Only time will tell how things pan out casting-wise for Saturday Night Live Season 48. Colin Jost is expected to return for the upcoming season, which follows the year that he broke SNL alum Seth Meyers’ Weekend Update record. While the premiere date has not been announced yet, you'll eventually be able to find it on CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule.

When it comes to proper representation within the LGBTQ+ world, it can be hard to find those characters that truly stand out and are accurate portrayals. What’s even better is when you find an actor behind the character who is also a part of that community and shines in that role. That’s what we aim to talk about today.

There are so many actors we could point to in both movies and TV, from Owen Thiele in Adults, to some amazing films of the last few years, such as All of Us Are Strangers, Bombshell, and more. Let’s talk about some incredible performances of LGBTQ+ characters from the LGBTQ+ community in honor of Pride Month.

All Of Us Strangers – Andrew Scott As Adam

All Of Us Are Strangers released in late 2023 to rave reviews and while I personally don’t think it got nearly as much hype as it should have, the one thing I will comment on is Andrew Scott. While the LGBTQ+ actor has taken on roles such as this before, there’s just something so raw and real about his portrayal of Adam.

The story follows a lonely screenwriter who begins a romance with his mysterious neighbor while also experiencing a strange instance where he is able to see his parents again – the movie itself certainly feels like there’s a small layer of fantasy, but the themes itself make this film that much better, including the lovely portrayal from Scott, who has talked about beinga part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Love, Simon - Keiynan Lonsdale As Bram Greenfeld

Released in 2018, Love, Simon is a story about a closeted gay young adult who struggles to balance his life amongst the blackmailer that is threatening to out him at school – while also trying to identify the anonymous classmate that he has fallen in love with. The film became so popular that a Hulu spinoff, titled Love, Victor, premiered not that long after, but was canceled after Season 3

In Love, Simon, Keiynan Lonsdale portrays Bram Greenfeld, one of Simon’s classmates and an openly gay student, and Keiynan himself came out in 2017. The film made strides for having a gay protagonist, becoming one of the first mainstream film to showcase a gay teen romance.

Adults – Owen Theile As Anton

Hailing from FX on Hulu, Adults is a series about a group of twenty-somethings literally just trying to survive daily life in New York City and going through the motions of becoming a functioning adult. One character in it that I absolutely love is Anton, who is played by the fabulous Owen Theile.

While Thiele has appeared in various shows beforehand, 2025 has really shown just how talented he is with both lead roles in Adults and Overcompensating (but I kind of like Adults just a smidge more). Anton is a hilarious character, and Owen Thiele rocks it. Thiele is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and has even called for action to demand equal rights by donating to several charities (via Instagram).

Rustin – Colman Domingo As Bayard Rustin 

Rustin itself was more of an under-the-radar critical darling of 2023, as it was one of CinemaBlend’s best movies of 2023, but you want to know what wasn’t? Colman Domingo’s performance as Bayard Rustin. It follows the story of the real-life civil rights activist who worked with MLK Jr. to organize the iconic 1963 March on Washington for equal rights in America.

Colman Domingo shines in his portrayal of Bayard Rustin, and his performance was so critically acclaimed that he earned an Academy Award nomination. Colman Domingo has become a much bigger name the last few years with many of the roles he had portrayed, and he even spoke in an interview with Advocate in 2021 that he hopes he’s breaking new ground for young Black gay men in Hollywood:

Bombshell - Kate McKinnon As Jess Carr

Moving into the drama genre, we take a look at Kate McKinnon in Bombshell. You might recognize her name from her amazing performances on the classic late night television show Saturday Night Live, which she left in 2022, or maybe even from comedy movies such as the 2016 Ghostbusters or Office Christmas Party. But Kate McKinnon has an amazing range as an actress, and she showed that off when playing Jess Carr as part of the Bombshell cast.

While her character was fictional (set within a film that was based on true events), her role as the Fox News employee Jess Carr was impactful, and showed what it might be like for a closeted lesbian who works in a primarily conservative news space.

Yellowjackets – Liv Hewson as Vanessa Palmer

While Liv Hewson has been around in the TV world for a while, I absolutely love them as teenage Vanessa Palmer in the hit Showtime series, Yellowjackets. Vanessa is a character that had both stakes in the flashbacks of the world as well as modern-day, and her story of resilience is one that I truly love.

Hewson in real life identifies as non-binary, and uses they/them pronouns, according to Teen Vogue. The actor says that they have “never been happier” since they received gender-affirming surgery:

The Normal Heart - Jim Parsons As Tommy Boatwright

Since starring as Shelden Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons continues to take on new and exciting roles in both film and television. Everyone knows who he is and how often he has spoken about his sexuality. That’s why his portrayal of Tommy Boatwright in The Normal Heart felt even more compelling than any other role he has done, at least in my opinion.

The Normal Heart, based on the Larry Kramer 1985 play of the same name, depicts the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City during the early eighties, and Parsons plays a gay activist fighting to address the issue. Parsons is a talented actor, so it’s no surprise that he absolutely rocked this role. The film gives interesting insights into what happened back in the eighties and the struggles that activists had to face every single day.

Everything Everywhere All At Once – Stephanie Hsu As Joy Wang

I think out of all the movies that released in 2022, Everything Everywhere All At Once was the one that touched fans’ hearts the most, even if some of it was just straight-up weird. However, the film tells a beautiful story of love, family, and acceptance of one's faults, mainly led by two fantastic performances from both Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu.

Hsu portrayed Joy Wang, the daughter of Evelyn Quan Wang and one of the primary characters of the movie. Joy has a girlfriend in the movie, but Hsu also identifies as queer in real-life, according to The Eagle Online.

Harlem – Jerrie Johnson as Tye Reynolds

Harlem is a great TV show, one I would recommend to anyone, and a great character in it is Tye Reynolds, whose stories in the show are always some of the best. Reynolds is a hilarious character, but the actor behind the screen is even better.

Jerrie Johnson is a part of the LGBTQ+ community and got engaged to their girlfriend, and their wedding dresses were even featured in the New York Times (via Instagram) in April 2025!

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Tituss Burgess As Titus Andromedon 

Few have truly made me laugh out loud as Titus Andromedon on the classic Netflix series, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. This show, which primarily followed a young woman learning to adapt to normal every-day life after spending more than a decade locked below ground by a reverend, has always brought the laughs and provided some hilarious inside jokes, usually because of Titus Andromedon. He’s sassy, talented, and the best gay friend that we all need in our lives that will be blunt with you no matter what.

Tituss Burgess has been active in television for some time, including guest spots on 30 Rock, performing in musicals like Annie, and more, but nothing has quite come close to the hilarious nature of Titus Andromedon and the impact he made on television as a whole. Truly, there is no one like him.

I Saw The TV Glow – Justice Smith As Owen

I Saw The TV Glow released in 2024 by A24, and while it certainly wasn’t a huge hit at the box office, it’s slowly picking up steam on the internet, mainly due to Justice Smith’s amazing role of Owen. The film tells the story of two friends whose lives begin to spiral when their favorite show is cancelled – because honestly, same.

Jokes aside, Smith’s performance of Owen is gutting and cuts straight to the core, without spoiling anything, and if you want an excellent psychological horror-drama, this is the film for you. Justice Smith came out in 2020 as a queer person, and ever since then he’s advocated for the support of Black queer and trans lives.

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire - Adele Haenel As Heloise

Released in 2019, Portrait of a Lady on Fire follows Adele Haenel portrayed Heloise, a young 19th-century lesbian who fiercely opposes the arranged marriage set up for her, but later has a romance with a woman who was commissioned to paint her wedding portrait.

Adele Haenel publicly came out back in 2014 when she won a Cesar Award, and has since been very open about who she is. The film portrays what it’s like to have that kind of romance that changes you for the rest of your life, and that it doesn’t matter what gender that you are – love is love, and when you meet that one person that can change you, it sticks with you until the end.

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies – Amandla Stenberg As Sophie

Hands down, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies is one of the best horror movies from A24, and tells a hilariously horrific story of a group of young adults who are staying in a mansion and play a murder-game that actually turns real, and soon it’s a whodunit as they try and stay alive. Amandla Stenberg plays Sophie, the main character, and while her queerness isn’t the main plotline of the film, it certainly plays an important role.

In 2016, Amandla Stenberg came out as bisexual, but she also said that “pansexual” was a good term to describe her as well, according to Elle. The actress has appeared in a variety of roles since then, but personally, I don’t think any of them have come as close as the craziness that is Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.

Looking - Jonathan Groff As Patrick Murray

Jonathon Groff has an impressive resume for plenty of people to admire. From voicing Kristoff as part of the Frozen and Frozen II cast to portraying the king in Hamilton, he’s been around the block plenty of times, showing off his amazing acting and singing skills. But one show that you may or may not remember him from was in the HBO series Looking, where he portrayed Patrick Murray.

The series follows the story of three gay men living in San Francisco, and their lives and friendships. The series went on for two seasons, which were followed by a feature-length film in 2016. Looking may have only lasted for a short amount of time, but its impact on television is felt all the same. In an interview with the New York Times, Groff talked about the significance of the show. When asked how he'd feel if he were able to watch the show as a teenager, he said:

Bottoms – Ayo Edebiri As Josie 

Bottoms was the queer comedy of 2023 in my eyes. The movie tells the story of two teenagers in high school who start a female-only fight club in order to have sex with cheerleaders. Yes, this sounds exactly like a 2000s teen comedy and yes, it’s just as funny as you can expect it to be, especially with two leads like Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri as part of the Bottoms cast.

While Ayo Edibiri’s best roles include plenty of other shows and movies, like The Bear or Big Mouth, I freaking love her in Bottoms as Josie because she perfectly exemplifies what it’s like to be a young LGBTQ+ person in high school who is just trying to survive and be somehow cool. Even Ayo Edebiri said in an interview with Refinery 29 in September 2023 that it’s “radical” she gets to be a young Black queer person and do the crazy stuff she’s done in a movie in Hollywood nowadays.

Glee - Chris Colfer As Kurt Hummel

Glee, when it released, was an iconic show, becoming a huge hit for Fox. The series was all about misfits coming together in a high school glee club in order to find companionship when it felt there was no one there for them, and one of those characters that stuck around from the very first season was Kurt Hummel, a closeted gay student (at first) at William McKinley High School.

Chris Colfer played the character, and over time, Kurt became more sure of himself not only as a gay man but as a voice for his community, and showing that just because someone might not like your sparkle, that doesn’t mean you need to dim it for anyone else. His voice was always unique and made for some amazing covers. The Glee cast was so talented in so many ways, but Colfer stood out amongst the rest.

The Last Of Us – Bella Ramsey As Ellie

As someone who grew up playing The Last of Us, Ellie was a bit of a gay icon for me. She was a lead character (in a HUGE video game) that was openly lesbian and as someone who was struggling with her own bisexuality at the time, it was freaking fantastic to see the representation on screen. That’s why when I discovered that the young person also playing Ellie, Bella Ramsey, was non-binary in real-life, I knew it would be a perfect fit.

I just knew they would understand how Ellie was portrayed, and my favorite video game character suddenly turned into my favorite TV character. Ramsey is known for their portrayal of Lyanna Mormont as well as in the Game of Thrones cast, but her role in The Last of Us Season 2 has been a game-changer.

Hearts Beat Loud - Kiersey Clemons As Sam Fisher

Kiersey Clemons has had some awesome roles in the past, from her breakout role as a teen lesbian in the 2015 comedy-drama Dope to her role in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, or even her more recent role in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. However, one of her best roles from the films I have seen has to be Hearts Beat Loud, the musical comedy, where she stars as Sam Fisher.

Hearts Beat Loud is all about Sam Fisher and her father, played by Nick Offerman, who is a record store owner and tries to convince her to start a band with him after a song they recorded went viral. The story not only has some great music but captures what it’s like as a young gay teenager to try and develop a true relationship with their family when some of them don’t quite understand what you’re going through. It’s definitely one of the underrated picks on this list and deserves so much more praise.

Jennifer’s Body - Megan Fox As Jennifer

In Jennifer’s Body, the titular character, characterized as bisexual, is possessed by a demon, who goes on a rampage in school to fill its need for human flesh, whether that be boys or girls.

Megan Fox herself is bisexual, telling Esquire back in 2011 about her thoughts about her sexuality.

After seeing her star in several films for her beauty and talent as an actress, it’s empowering to hear Megan Fox speak so openly about who she is, and even more interesting to rewatch her portrayal of Jennifer years later. It’s awesome to see sexuality portrayed in something like a horror movie, but I’m here for it regardless.

Happiest Season - Kristen Stewart As Abby Holland

2020 was a year of few big film releases, with so many dates changing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many viewers turned to streaming for their entertainment and Happiest Season was one of them, telling the story of a woman who is struggling to come out to her conservative family when she brings her girlfriend home for the holidays.

Kristen Stewart takes on the lead role as Abby Holland in the Happiest Season cast, the girlfriend of Harper, who comes home with her during the holidays. Kristen Stewart herself has come out as queer, and discussed in an interview with InStyle, how her journey of coming out helped her portray the character in the film. When asked if it was her own experiences that drew her to the role, she discussed the challenges of dating and fame during her early twenties, and being asked about her sexuality, stating:

When an actor goes through something so personal, it’s not a surprise that the character comes off so organically real, and that was the case with Happiest Season. Not only is it a great Christmas film, but it’s certainly a great portrayal of what coming out to a conservative family can be like.

Clean Slate – Laverne Cox as Desiree

While Laverne Cox has been in the business for a while, there are so many amazing roles we could point to that I knew I wanted to focus on a new one of hers. While everyone knows her as Sophia from Orange is the New Black, I wanted to focus on Desiree, a trans woman from Clean Slate who wishes to rebuild her relationship with her father.

Cox has identified as transgender for many years and is actively a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The show, which is on Amazon Prime, actively dives into modern-day complexities within the American family of learning to adjust to life changes and how people live their lives while also dealing with the topic of rights within the LGBTQ+ community – all while telling jokes that make you chuckle throughout it. Cox is a star, as always.

Schitt's Creek - Dan Levy As David Rose

Of course I had to put Schitt’s Creek on here. Schitt's Creek ended up becoming extremely popular in 2020, even going on to sweep the comedic awards at the 2020 Primetime Emmys for its final season. One of the stars of the show - as well as one of the creators - was Dan Levy, who played David Rose, the pansexual son of Moira and Johnny. And in my opinion, David Rose was one of the funniest characters that Schitt's Creek had, and I am going to miss him terribly now that the show is over.

Dan Levy, who is gay, did an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2022 about David's pansexuality, and how it affected Schitt's Creek as a whole.

All representation starts somewhere, and I believe that David Rose was the perfect step in the right direction. Besides, who else would have been able to pull off that character other than Dan Levy? And if you had another option, I'm very uninterested in that opinion.

I can’t wait to see who from this list appears in our 2025 movie schedule or what they might be doing next in the 2025 TV schedule. I’m champing at the bit for any new projects they might have coming – but maybe I could just rewatch some of these and enjoy the ride all over again.

Saturday Night Live said goodbye to a number of its cast members last week at the end of its 47th season. The emotional season finale — hosted by Natasha Lyonne with musical guest Japanese Breakfast — featured the last regular appearances of Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney, who all contributed to some of the season’s best sketches. The announcement of their impending exits came just before the season’s final episode, and now a week later, Mooney posted an official goodbye to the NBC sketch comedy.

Kyle Mooney made his first appearance on SNL as a featured player in 2013 and was promoted to a repertory player two years later in Season 41. The YouTuber and Upright Citizens Brigade member shared an Instagram photo of himself standing on the empty stage at 30 Rockefeller Center, thanking NBC and sharing one of his favorite memories. Check out his post:

Along with the short-and-sweet message to close out his nine-year stint with Saturday Night Live, Kyle Mooney shared a video of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, recalling a “great memory” with his friends. Mooney was one of the writers on a memorable animated sketch on the show, “Middle-Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles.” 

The star of Netflix’s Saturday Morning All Star Hits! hasn’t given an official reason for leaving SNL, but fellow alumnus David Spade spoke to the incredible tenures that all of the departing cast members served. Spade said working on the show is “such a fucking beating,” and can take a toll mentally and physically on its cast. It’s undoubtedly worth the sacrifice for many of its young stars, but still a pretty wild feat for those who stay with it for the better part of a decade.

There are reasons other than the workload that lead the actors to exit the show, obviously, including the opportunity to work on other projects. Pete Davidson has a number of upcoming movies, including Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, which is a “must see” dark comedy due out in August; Meet Cute, co-starring Kaley Cuoco; and The Home, which caused the actor to miss some of the latter portion of this season of SNL. 

Meanwhile, rumors of Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon’s departures have been spreading for a while. Bryant addressed her future on SNL in March, saying she would see how she felt at the end of the current season, but she had already started branching out on other projects, including the Hulu series Shrill and voicing Emmy on Netflix’s animated comedy Human Resources. McKinnon has also made a name for herself outside the show, starring in the critically panned Joe vs. Carole series, available to Peacock Premium subscribers. She also appeared in the Netflix comedy The Bubble and voiced Fiona Frizzle in the Netflix reboot The Magic School Bus Rides Again. 

We’re excited to see what Kyle Mooney and his former colleagues do next, but until then you can relive episodes of past seasons of Saturday Night Live with a Hulu subscription or on Peacock. Also be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what premieres are coming soon.

Throughout Saturday Night Live’s 47-season run so far, the series has seen plenty of cast members come and go. The Season 47 finale included the departures of several beloved stars: Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney. Now SNL star Bowen Yang is speaking out about the emotional exits of his now-former cast mates.

While promoting new film Fire Island, Bowen Yang discussed what finale day was like with ET. Yang described how emotional it was to say goodbye to them as SNL stars:

The Season 47 finale was as emotional as an episode of SNL can get. The episode involved heartfelt goodbyes and perfect final sketches for the four departing members, and it sounds like it was emotional behind-the-scenes as well.

Yang went on to praise McKinnon, Davidson, Bryant, and Mooney, noting that although he hasn’t been on the show as long as them, he knows exactly what they’re leaving behind:

Fans didn’t have much time to prepare for the surprising exits, as the announcements came just before the finale aired, with Pete Davidson’s exit as the first confirmed. Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant’s exits have been rumored for some time now, but now that it’s actually happened, it’s hard to imagine the show without them. Davidson already has other projects lined up that will keep him plenty busy post-SNL. 

Meanwhile, with the departures, there was another one in particular that fans thought was going to happen but didn’t. Michael Che, who has been behind the desk on “Weekend Update” alongside Colin Jost since 2014, recently opened up about his future on the popular variety series. Che admitted that he thinks he’s staying, but he never knows until after a season is over. The duo definitely have a great dynamics in the segment, and it would be a bummer if that pair is split up. But as for now, it sounds like Che is staying on, so let’s just hope it stays that way.

The exits were bound to happen at some point, especially with the group having other projects, but hopefully the Season 47 finale won't be the last that fans see of them for the foreseeable future. Plenty of SNL vets have returned to host and make cameo appearances. But it may be a bit early to think about that, so for now, I’m crossing my fingers that they keep SNL ties in whatever way. 

Will you miss Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney on Saturday Night Live? It will certainly be interesting to see how the show moves on without them, so be sure to watch Season 48 of SNL this fall, which will likely include a new crop of stars. Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else to catch!

Kate McKinnon established a reputation as one of the greatest SNL players of all time during her 10-season run on the show. She took her final bow on the Saturday Night Live stage during the Season 47 finale, along with other longtime players Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kyle Mooney.

From impressions of Justin Bieber and Jodie Foster to uncanny portrayals of political figures like Hillary Clinton and Dr. Anthony Fauci, McKinnon definitely knows how to embody her characters. In addition to her impressions, she’s also known for a number of original characters and scene-stealing moments. 

To celebrate this SNL legend’s time on the sketch-comedy show, while we wait to see what the Kate McKinnon does next, here’s our list of best SNL sketches.

15. “Teacher Fell Down” (Season 44)

Starting at number 15 on the list, we have Kate McKinnon’s performance as an extremely dramatic driver’s ed teacher who’s fallen on the ground.

This one highlight’s McKinnon’s ability to take control of sketches. Cast members Pete Davidson and Aidy Byrant, and host Jonah Hill, can barely hold back laughter watching McKinnon’s horizontal performance.

Watch “Teacher Fell Down” on YouTube.

14. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg On Not Retiring” (Season 42)

Though McKinnon portrayed the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg several times on Saturday Night Live, my favorite instance is RBG’s appearance on Weekend Update to discuss why she WON’T be retiring. 

RBG chugs Emergen-C powder, eats an apple a day, and hides Horcruxes around DC in an effort to hang on to her seat on the Supreme Court. McKinnon embodied RBG’s determination, so this sketch ranks as one of her best.

Watch “Ruth Bader Ginsberg on Not Retiring” on YouTube.

13. “Elizabeth Warren Town Hall Cold Open” (Season 45)

SNL fans who watched during the 2020 election cycle are probably familiar with McKinnon’s ongoing impression of Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren.

Aside from the uncanny impression in this cold open from Season 45, McKinnon gives a tongue-in-cheek performance that lays out the ways Warren is superior to her fellow candidates. 

Senator Warren even came on SNL to spend some time with McKinnon-Warren.

 Watch “Elizabeth Warren Town Hall Cold Open” on YouTube.

12. “Jurassic Park Auditions” (Season 43)

There are many incredible performances in this sketch about the many actors and celebrities who may have auditioned for Jurassic Park in the '90s. 

McKinnon’s impressions of Ellen Degeneres, Lisa Kudrow, and Jodie Foster are definitely highlights of this sketch, but the entire segment is hilarious.

Watch “Jurassic Park Auditions” on YouTube.

11. “NATO Cafeteria Cold Open” (Season 45)

Another of Kate McKinnon’s most famous impressions is of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. McKinnon plays up the quirks of this political figure, focusing on her love for Obama and her desire to be included with the “cool kids.”

In this cold open, Merkel is invited to sit with other world leaders in the NATO cafeteria in order to prevent Trump from joining them at their table. Kate’s performance turns the politician into a lovable character, which works perfectly in this sketch. 

Watch “NATO Cafeteria Cold Open” on YouTube.

10. “Whiskers R We”

This sketch stars McKinnon and fellow SNL legend Kristin Wiig as Barbara DeDrew and Furonica, two “gal pals” who work at a rescue cat shelter. 

The women introduce the cats to the audience in an attempt to get the kitties adopted, but some of the cats come with a few red flags — Carl the cat clawed at Furonica’s sofa and then voted for Jill Stein, and Butternut is a master of psychological manipulation who specializes in gaslighting. 

McKinnon and Wiig play perfectly off each other in this goofy sketch, which is why it lands at number 10 on our list. 

Watch “Whiskers R We” on YouTube.

9. Ellen (Season 39)

Undeniably, McKinnon’s portrayal of Ellen Degeneres is one of her most famous. She’s played the comedian/talk show host several times (like in the “Jurassic Park” sketch), but my personal favorite is McKinnon’s first appearance as Ellen back in Season 39.

McKinnon has Ellen’s mannerisms down, from her voice to her unconventional sitting poses and dance moves. This impression is definitely one of her best, so the sketch earns a spot on our list.

Watch “Ellen” on YouTube.

8. Kellywise (Season 43)

Kate McKinnon pulled two of her finest impressions out for this Pennywise-themed sketch where Kellyanne Conway tries to convince Anderson Cooper to join her down in the sewer.

Kellyanne ultimately transforms into Hillary Clinton to trick Anderson Cooper, and ends up biting his arm clear off. Fans of IT and fans of McKinnon alike will enjoy her performance in this creepy sketch.

Watch “Kellywise” on YouTube.

7. “Themyscira” (Season 43)

Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant star in this sketch about lesbians who travel to the fictional island of Themyscira (the nation of the Amazons in the Wonder Woman franchise). 

The comedy duo teamed up with host and Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot to investigate the lesbian vibes they get from the all-female colony on Themyscira. None of the women on the island are gay, but Kate and Aidy’s characters aren’t too convinced there isn’t a little something going on. The pair have great chemistry in this sketch, but the real reason this one makes the cut is McKinnon and Gadot’s kiss.

Watch “Themyscira” on YouTube.

6. “Study Buddy” (Season 46)

In another classic example of a Kate McKinnon/Aidy Bryant sketch, McKinnon stars as a young boy who needs a little help from his buddy to get through his first romantic encounter. 

McKinnon’s character is coached through the interaction over the phone and successfully earns his first kiss. Bryant and McKinnon have many sketches together where they work as a comedic duo, but “Study Buddy” is probably the one that best exemplifies their partnership.

Watch “Study Buddy” on YouTube.

5. “Rudy Giuliani On Trump's Election Lawsuits” (Season 46) 

No feelings are spared when McKinnon does her impression of the former Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani. 

Her impression cut especially deep during the lawsuits after the 2020 election, when McKinnon came on Weekend Update as Guiliani and listed the reasons for the lawsuits in different states, like “take-backsies” and “opposite day.” 

Her spot-on impression and commentary on the absurdity of the election lawsuits make this Weekend Update appearance one of McKinnon’s finest moments on SNL. 

4. “Cinema Classics: The Birds” (Season 46)

Donning a transatlantic accent, Kate McKinnon appeared in this sketch about Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 movie, The Birds, as Tippi Hedren.

The birds take it a step further in this “deleted scene,” using turtles as battering rams and even birding a man to death.

John Mulaney co-stars in this classic sketch. These birds weren’t raised right!

3. “Long Island Medium” (Season 38)

Here comes Kate McKinnon’s best impression of all time: The Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo. 

McKinnon’s performance is spot on both in appearance and mannerisms, and supporting performances by the Long Island residents make this one an all-time great. Caputo’s long acrylic nails are the cherry on top of this classic sketch.

2. “Dr. Wenowdis On Trump’s Televised Health Exam” (Season 46)

In a shocking moment, Kate McKinnon broke character and got real about her own mental health during this Weekend Update segment featuring Dr. Wenowdis. 

The doctor explains things “wenow” and things we don’t, until Update anchor Colin Jost asks, “Kate, are you okay?” to which she responds, “I’m obviously not.”

Jost and McKinnon do eventually pull it together to bring the segment to a meaningful conclusion, but not before squeezing in a few more “wenowdis” jokes. It’s Kate’s most genuine moment on SNL, and therefore comes in at Number 2 on our list.

1. “Close Encounter” (Season 41)

No surprise here: Kate McKinnon’s best sketch of all time is “Close Encounter,” a recurring sketch that makes almost all of the celebrity hosts break character.

McKinnon steals the show as Colleen Rafferty, one of three humans to be abducted by aliens. While her fellow abductees come back with celestial stories about glowing lights and blankets of love, Miss Rafferty’s experience was a little different.

While the sketch has been reworked for multiple episodes, the original is by far the funniest thanks to host Ryan Gosling’s inability to keep a straight face.

Though her time at Saturday Night Live has come to an end, Kate McKinnon has created a legacy of sketches and characters that made us (and her fellow SNL costars) laugh. She certainly leaves big shoes to fill.

Episodes of Saturday Night Live starring Kate McKinnon are available to stream on Hulu and are included with Peacock subscriptions.

When it comes to some of the most famous Saturday Night Live alumni, there are several names that often pop up, such as the talented Eddie Murphy, or Adam Sandler, or even Bill Hader. But one who has most recently become an alumnus of the famous primetime sketch comedy show is someone who has been a part of it for ten years, and that is Kate McKinnon. 

From her hilarious impressions to her iconic sketches, Kate McKinnon had become a staple of Saturday Night Live, but now, after a decade of hilarity, she has retired from the cast, alongside three other cast members. But, just because she is leaving Saturday Night Live doesn’t mean that she’ll be gone from Hollywood for long. No, McKinnon is around for the long haul, and she has plenty of awesome projects coming up. 

DC League Of Super Pets (July 29, 2022)

Kate McKinnon has been known for her impressions and impressive voice roles, so it’s no surprise that one of her first roles post-Saturday Night Live is going to be starring as Lulu, a big villain in DC’s League of Super Pets, according to Deadline. 

This film already has tons of stars that are connected to it, such as the main two being Kevin Hart and Dwyane Johnson - a combination that has spawned some hilarious moments even when they're not in a movie together. 

But, there are several other big stars that are joining McKinnon in this movie that you might recognize, such as Keanu Reeves (known for his roles in The Matrix and John Wick series), John Krasinski (who recently had a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Natasha Lyonne (who had Season 2 of Russian Doll recently release in April 2022) and many, many more. 

It’s always exciting to see many of your favorite stars come together for a movie such as this one, but I’m eager to see what Kate McKinnon brings to the table in terms of voicing a villain, of all things. With her incredible impressions, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her rock this role, which will be coming to theaters on July 29, 2022. 

Barbie (July 21, 2023)

Get ready, because it’s going to be a blonde Bombshell reunion when Kate McKinnon reunites with Margot Robbie in the movie Barbie (based on the iconic doll of the same name), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This film has been making news for how many stars are going to be in it, and most recently, we’ve gotten a sneak peek into how the star, Margot Robbie, is going to look as the iconic live-action version of the figurine - which is, honestly, perfect. And who is going to be playing her Ken? Why, none other than Ryan Gosling himself. 

But, it’s currently unknown who exactly McKinnon will be playing. It’s been announced that there will be other versions of both Barbie and Ken in Barbie, according to Collider, but McKinnon was not listed as one of them, instead throwing that claim to fame to Simu Liu (who's popularity recently blew up due to his starring role in the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings cast), Issa Rae (Insecure), and more. 

With this in mind, McKinnon doesn’t need to play another version of Barbie, if we’re being honest. There are so many characters in the Barbie Universe that I could see her playing anyone, and I’m sure that whatever they have in mind for her will be perfect. With a cast as star-studded as this, I have a feeling that this movie will be done to perfection. Barbie is set to come out on July 21, 2023.

The Lunch Witch (TBA)

Last but not least, let’s take a look at The Lunch Witch. This role for Kate McKinnon was announced by Deadline back in 2016, and she would star in the titular role for this film, which is based on the novel of the same name. 

The book follows a witch who is forced to become a school lunch lady since no one believes in magic anymore, and while she enjoys scaring the kids, a little girl ends up changing her world for the better. The story is a very sweet children's tale, but the thing is - we have not heard a peep about this movie since it was announced back in 2016. 

I know that 2016 doesn’t even sound that far away, but this news came out in December of that year, which is almost six years from now. And since there hasn’t additional news that has come out, I’d say to take this with a grain of salt. Even so, I could see McKinnon rocking this role, too, and if The Lunch Witch actually comes to fruition, I will gladly be in the theater to see it - or watch it from my couch if it comes to streaming. 

Recent Kate McKinnon Projects

Over the last few years, Kate McKinnon has been very active within the movie and TV industry. While everyone may know her for her famous part in Saturday Night Live, McKinnon has been steadily showing just how much of a force she is to be reckoned with within Hollywood, starring in several films. 

One of her biggest roles was playing Dr. Jillian Holtzman as part of the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot film, alongside fellow Saturday Night Live alumnus Kristen Wiig. Afterwards, she continued to expand her filmography, appearing in several movies that you might recognize her from, such as the comedy Office Christmas Party, the funny animated comedy, Ferdinand, the spy comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me, and more. 

Most recently, one of her big roles stepped more into drama territory, where she played Jess Carr in the Bombshell cast, alongside actresses such as Margot Robbie and Charlize Theron. And, in 2022, she had a starring role in The Bubble cast on Netflix, another fun Judd Apatow movie, so McKinnon has been keeping herself busy. 

She’s also been doing plenty on TV, where she took on the role of Ms. Fizzle in the reboot of The Magic School Bus, called The Magic School Bus Rides Again, and most recently, she played Carole Baskin in the Peacock original series, Joe vs. Carole - that’s right, the scripted show that is also based off of the true story told in Tiger King.

While we will always remember Kate McKinnon for the hilarious things she would do on Saturday Night Live to make us laugh, there’s no denying that she had so much talent and will only continue to grow as an amazing comedian and actress over the next few years. And I, for one, will be there every step of the way.  

Movie studios are always looking for ways to hedge their financial bets and to guarantee, as much as possible, that any film project will be a success. Anything with name recognition is fair game, which is why so many movies are sequels to previous hits or films based on comic books, video games, or even board games. Knowing this, it probably shouldn't have come as a shock that somebody decided to make a Barbie movie.

Yet, what the Barbie movie has become is somewhat shocking. Barbie was directed by Oscar-nominee Greta Gerwig, based on a script co-written by her and her longtime writing partner Noah Baumbach. From the moment that became known expectations of Barbie as a “popcorn movie” shifted to something else entirely. 

What we got was still a fun summer blockbuster, but one that had a lot more going on. It clearly resonated with fans as Barbie went on to become the second film of 2023 to make $1 billion at the global box office. It's become just as big a hit now that it has arrived on Digital platforms and Blu-ray. While the filmmakers behind the camera deserve a lot of credit, one cannot overlook the incredible cast.

Margot Robbie 

You can’t have a Barbie movie without Barbie, and while the film previously had Amy Schumer and then Anne Hathaway attached in the title role at various points, Margot Robbie was the Barbie that got the movie made. Robbie was probably best known today for her role as Harley Quinn in three DC movies, including 2021's The Suicide Squad. She’s also a two-time Oscar nominee for her supporting role in the Fox News drama Bombshell and her lead role in the dark comedy biopic I, Tonya.

Ryan Gosling 

Barbie needs her Ken, and while Hollywood has no shortage of actors who could pass for a live-action Ken doll, Ryan Gosling took on the role of Barbie’s boyfriend. Unlike the character's namesake doll, the Barbie movie was as much about Ken as it was Barbie, with Gosling's character functionally playing the villain, if a hapless one. It was an incredible performance that actually has people talking about an Oscar nomination for Gosling. 

Will Ferrell 

While Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling have played comedy and drama in equal measure, a few of the other casting announcements from Barbie had a decidedly comedic slant. None among them exemplified this more so than Will Ferrell. Will Ferrell played the CEO of the toy company Mattel, the company that owns Barbie. While Ferrell's character was as silly as the actor usually is, he's also one of the few people who knows what's going on when Ken and Barbie cross over to the real world from Barbie World. 

Simu Liu 

It wasn’t all that long ago that Simu Liu was a moderately famous person in a well-received comedy, but now he’s a Marvel hero and a global superstar. Simu Liu went from Kim’s Convenience to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to Barbie, where played another Ken, a sort of foil for Gosling's character, as both competed for the affection of Robbie's Barbie, even if they didn't really understand why. 

America Ferrera 

Fans of the NBC comedy Superstore or the cult hit ABC series Ugly Betty will require no introduction to America Ferrera. On the big screen, she was a member of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, as well as the voice of Astrid in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise from DreamWorks Animation. In Barbie, she plays one of the key human characters, who inadvertently causes the problems for Barbie that lead her into the human world.

Kate McKinnon 

Kate McKinnon is set to join her Bombshell co-star Margot Robbie, as she will also be part of the Barbie movie. McKinnon is, of course, best known for her long run on Saturday Night Live. On the big screen, she appeared in the Ghostbusters reboot, but has also done a significant amount of voice work in animated films and TV, from Pixar’s Finding Dory to Netflix’s The Magic School Bus. As "Weird Barbie" McKinnon suffered the fate that so many children's toys often do, though that turned her into a sort of sage.

Michael Cera 

Michael Cera jumped onto a lot of people’s radar back in 2007 thanks to his roles in both Superbad and Juno. From there, he has appeared in cult hits like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and actual box office hits like The LEGO Batman Movie. He’s probably best known for his role as George-Michael Bluth in Arrested Development. In Barbie Cera played Alan, the only male resident of Barbie Land who was not Ken. He's designed to be second fiddle, but he steals every scene he's in.

Helen Mirren

One potential surprise in the Barbie cast came from a character who was heard, but never seen. Hellen Mirren narrated the first Barbie trailer, but that wasn't a one-off deal. She actually narrated the entire film, and also had some of the best jokes in the movie, including a hilarious Barbie F-bomb that was cut from the script.

Emma Mackey 

Emma Mackey is something of a newcomer with only a handful of credits to her name to date, but in a short time, she has become a pretty big star. She’s one of three cast members from Netflix’s Sex Education to join Barbie, and she was recently part of the star-studded cast of Kenneth Branagh's Death on the Nile. Mackey portrayed yet another Barbie.

Ncuti Gatwa 

One of Emma Mackay’s co-stars on Sex Education who will be part of Barbie is Ncuti Gatwa, and while Barbie will no doubt mark the young actor’s biggest role on the big screen to date when it is released, it’s clear Gatwa has a bright future. He's been cast as the new Doctor in BBC’s Doctor Who, taking over the role from Jodie Whittaker. Gatwa will be the first person of color to lead the series, and the second Black actor to play The Doctor following Jo Martin's recurring run as the Fugitive Doctor. Gatwa played yet another Ken from Barbie Land.

Connor Swindells

Connor Swindells finishes out the Sex Education cast trifecta. We don’t know anything more about his role in Barbie than we do his other two cast-mates, so whether or not any of them will even cross paths is a mystery. If nothing else, it’s a testament to the casting of the Netflix series. Swindells appears in Barbie as Aaron Dinkins, a Mattel employee who has the unfortunate task of informing the company that Barbie has gone rogue.

Alexandra Shipp 

Marvel fans know Alexandra Shipp for playing the younger version of Storm in the last couple of X-Men movies produced under Fox pre-Disney. More recently, she played Susan, the love interest of Andrew Garfield's Jonathan Larson, in Tick…Tick…Boom! for Netflix. She appeared in Barbie as yet another Barbie.

Issa Rae 

Issa Rae is a successful writer, producer, and actress, and her name has only become more recognizable since the success of HBO show Insecure. As big a name as she has become, however, 2023 is getting ready to be perhaps her biggest year to date. Not only did she appear as a Barbie in the Barbie movie, but she also voiced the Jessica Drew version of Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse the same summer. 

Kingsley Ben-Adir 

Kingsley Ben-Adir is an actor you’ll recognize if you’re a fan of Peaky Blinders or if you happened to catch the short-lived High Fidelity series on Hulu. His highest profile role was playing Malcolm X in the Oscar-nominated One Night in Miami, but Ben-Adir is probably a lot more recognizable now. At the same time that he played a Ken in the Barbie movie, he was also in Marvel’s Secret Invasion series on Disney+. 

Ariana Greenblatt 

Ariana Greenblatt is one of many young stars to get her start at the House of Mouse. She had a regular series role on the Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle. Since then, she’s made a somewhat unusual habit of playing the “young” version of several major franchise characters, like young Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War, young Velma in Scoob and young Nina in In the Heights. Greenblatt played Sasha, the daughter to America Ferrara's character, who once played with Barbie, but has since grown out of the dolls. 

Rhea Perlman 

Rhea Perlman will always be known first and foremost for her role as waitress Carla on the hit NBC sitcom Cheers. If you feel like you haven’t seen her in TV or movies as much recently, it’s possibly because you’ve heard her much more. Perlman has done a lot of voice-over work, including the voice of Cid in Disney+’s animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars spinoff The Bad Batch. Perlman had a small but vital role in Barbie as Ruth, and if you don't know more than that, we're not spoiling it.

John Cena

Of all the actors who play Ken in Barbie, John Cena is perhaps the most entertaining. He only appears in a couple of brief scenes, but the fact that he plays a merman version of Ken is hilarious in itself. It becomes that much funnier when we learn Cena was apparently just in the neighborhood, and filmed a cameo for fun.

Emerald Fennell 

Emerald Fennell is best known today for her work behind the camera, particularly as the Oscar-winning writer of Promising Young Woman, as much as she's known for her acting. Fennell has nearly two dozen acting credits to her name, including playing Nurse Patsy Mount in Call the Midwife and as Camila Parker Bowles on Netflix’s The Crown. She played Midge in Barbie, a discontinued member of the toy lineup.

Jamie Demetriou 

With more than 60 acting credits to his name in less than a decade, Jamie Demetriou has been a quite prolific performer, and his breadth of appearances is such that you have almost certainly seen him somewhere. He's had roles in everything from Disney’s Cruella to Paddington 2 to Hulu’s The Great. Most recently, he played the role of Walt on Apple TV+’s hit series The Afterparty. He appears in Barbie as one of the Mattel executives.

Ritu Arya 

Ritu Arya has had roles in the BBC’s Sherlock and Doctor Who, but she’s become a more familiar face to US audiences thanks to a pair of appearances on Netflix. She played Inspector Urvashi Das, the character chasing after Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds' characters, in Red Notice, and she’s also Lila Pitts on The Umbrella Academy. She joined the parade of Barbies in the movie.

Hari Nef

Hari Nef has more than two dozen acting credits to her name including appearances including Amazon's Transparent and Netflix's You. She had a role in the pilot of the L.A. Law reboot that we'll now never see. She appeared in Barbie as another of the Barbie characters.

Sharon Rooney

Sharon Rooney will look much more familiar to audiences in the UK, following turns in series like My Mad Fat Diary, Brief Encounters and Two Doors Down. U.S. audiences will know her best from the live-action remake of Disney's Dumbo, where she played the role of Miss Atlantis, the woman who sings the iconic song "Baby Mine." She appears in Barbie as Barbie. But not that Barbie, the other Barbie.

Scott Evans

Scott Evans spent two years on the soap opera One Life to Live on ABC. He's also played small roles in a number of TV shows and movies including appearances in Law & Order, Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, and White Collar. More recently, he played Oliver in Netflix's Grace & Frankie. He's part of the army of Kens found of Barbie Land.

Ana Cruz Kanye

Ana Cruz Kayne will be reuniting with Greta Gerwig when she appears in the Barbie movie. Kayne previously appeared in Little Women. She'll be appearing soon in Painkiller, a limited series starring Mathew Broderick focusing on the birth of the opioid crisis. She is yet another Barbie.

With a cast this extensive and utterly impressive, we knew Barbie was likely to be a lot of fun. However, there was no way to know what a massive hit the film would become. The story resonated was audiences in a bit way, on its way to incredible box office success. Now you can enjoy Barbie as much as you want at home as well.

During her 10-season tenure on Saturday Night Live, Kate McKinnon was responsible for some of the show’s best moments with impersonations of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Hillary Clinton, as well as characters like Olya Povlatsky and Sheila Sovage, but few, if any compare to Colleen Rafferty. Starting with the “Close Encounter” skit on a December 2015 episode of SNL, the hilariously unfortunate character made seven appearances, with incidents ranging from alien abductions to near-death experiences and so much in between.

And although the SNL fans said goodbye to McKinnon and Ms. Rafferty during the cold open of the Season 47 finale, we still have plenty of memories to look back on and laugh, even if that poor 27-year-old woman went to hell and back for laughs. 

Close Encounter - December 5, 2015

The first “Close Encounter” sketch had a simple premise where three friends — two played Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong, the other played by that week’s host (Ryan Gosling in this case) — are interviewed by two NSA Agents (Aidy Bryant and Bobby Moynihan) and are asked to describe being abducted by aliens. And while Strong and Gosling’s characters had beautiful and transcendent experiences, that was far from the case for McKinnon’s Colleen Rafferty, who was chain-smoking and fidgeting in her chair following the abduction.

Throughout the skit, McKinnon had this brilliant tone and comedic timing that she used to pick at each of her co-stars before making them crack and break character. It was this nuance Streeter Seidell and Mikey Day, the skit’s writers, brought up when Vulture asked the duo about why the skit made everyone crack up:

The two writers also pointed out in the profile that McKinnon was like an assassin during the sketch, trying to break each person one by one.

Near-Death Experience - May 7, 2016

Colleen Rafferty would make her second appearance in the May 7, 2016 skit “Near-Death Experience,” which had the same basic premise of the alien abduction sketch, but this time it was three friends talking about their unique perspectives of a car wreck. Like last time, Cecily Strong's character and the episode's host (Brie Larson instead of Ryan Gosling) both describe these beautiful moments that changed their lives for the better. But that was far from the case for Ms. Rafferty, who was taken through one hellacious tunnel to the afterlife by an angel named Keith.

Christmas Miracle - December 17, 2016

On the December 17, 2016 episode of Saturday Night Live, Colleen Rafferty and Sharon were back to tell another “Close Encounter” story, this time joined by Doug (Casey Affleck) as they talked about running into the real Santa Claus. And while her two friends had a “Christmas Miracle” to remember and went to the North Pole, Ms. Rafferty, who was sleeping in their spare room, was met by a nine-foot-tall goat man named “Krinklemouse.” But instead of having a fun adventure with elves and toys, she was forced to run with the creature’s team of dogs. And it only gets crazier from there…

Another Close Encounter - October 1, 2017

In October 2017, Colleen Rafferty and her two friends from the original “Close Encounter” skit returned for “Another Close Encounter” after all three became the first group of people at the center of two alien abductions. Once again, Cecily Strong and Ryan Gosling’s characters were treated well by the aliens, but Ms. Rafferty described hers as “shoppers swarming Walmart on Black Friday.” And not to be outdone by their first experience together, McKinnon swoops in like an assassin to make Gosling break character, causing the whole thing to go off the rails.

Paranormal Occurrence - November 10, 2018

The “Close Encounter” series shifted over to the otherworldly on a November 2018 episode of Saturday Night Live when Liev Schreiber (in his SNL debut) joined Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon’s characters to talk about a “Paranormal Occurrence.” And although her friends were greeted by two friendly spirits named Arthur and Abigail, respectively, Ms. Rafferty was met by Tobey, which she described as looking like something straight out of The Ring that crawled out of her TV and whisked her away to take care of some "unfinished business." But one of the biggest shockers from Colleen’s story was the revelation that she was only 27 years old…

A Journey Through Time - May 18, 2019

During the May 18, 2019 episode of Saturday Night Live, host Paul Rudd (before he was part of the five-timers club) joined Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon for another “Close Encounter,” but instead of alien abductions, “A Journey Through Time” dealt with time travel. Similar to before, Rudd and Strong’s characters went on an incredible journey to a city made of crystal where all the races of the world lived in harmony, but that wouldn’t be case for Colleen Rafferty. Instead of the the future with its serenity, Ms. Rafferty was thrown a million years into the past where she was greeted by a people who were about halfway through the evolutionary chart.

Final Encounter - May 21, 2022

The seventh and final “Close Encounter” took place on the May 21, 2022 episode of Saturday Night Live where host Natasha Lyonne joined Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon in what has to be the most absurd entry in the saga. Unlike the rest of the segments, “Final Counter” served as the Season 47 cold open, and started the episode off in grand style. The skit had the same timing as previous installments, but did end in a more spectacular fashion: Ms. Rafferty agreeing to join the aliens on their spacecraft, this time for good.

The day after the episode aired, Streeter Seidell took to Twitter with a touching tribute to Kate McKinnon, Colleen Rafferty, and everything the skit had done for him over the years, saying he was pretty sure “it’s the reason” he still works there.

Who knows if we’ll ever see Colleen Rafferty return from the heavens for another entry in the “Close Encounter” saga (hopefully not as a movie), but never say never. And while we wait for what’s next for the hilarious actress and comedian, there are plenty of great Kate McKinnon movies worth checking out.

Saturday Night Live Season 47 dropped its finale this past weekend, and the event was accompanied by multiple major cast exits. Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, and Kyle Mooney all said goodbye to Studio 8H during the last episode of the season, and it was emotional. The four exits weren't reported by the trades until this past Friday though, as it turns out, McKinnon (skillfully) dodged a question regarding her future on the popular sketch series just a few weeks ago.

Kate McKinnon discussed her successful career in comedy, including her Emmy-winning work on SNL while chatting with Variety for its 2021 Power of Women issue in April. When McKinnon was asked how much longer she’d be on the show, she found a respectful way to bypass the question:

That's certainly a smooth way to keep the conversation moving. It couldn't have been easy for the star to hold her tongue (if she had even decided by that time, of course). Kudos to her for sticking to her guns and not flinching.

Kate McKinnon brought beloved characters and impersonations (like Ruth Bader Ginsberg) to life during her tenure on SNL, which began in 2012. In fact, at this point, she's in sixth place when it comes to all-time sketch appearances, having topped Bill Hader earlier this year. Saturday’s finale opened with the fan-favorite alien abduction sketch, with McKinnon’s character experiencing her final close encounter and the comedian tearfully giving her final “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night” announcement. 

Rumors of her exit from Saturday Night Live were swirling for a while. One of the reasons for this is that her career obligations outside the sketch comedy show had been steadily increasing. Though the series seems to be more flexible with its stars committing themselves to other gigs, though it's understandable that they'd eventually want to branch out and leave the show completely.

SNL is definitely not going to be the same next season since it'll be without the likes of breakouts like Pete Davidson. Of course, the cast experiences changes frequently, but it’s rarely easy to see fan-favorites go. Though on the bright side, it can be comforting for fans to know that some of them have plenty of other projects on the way. And that is indeed the case for Kate McKinnon.

The public can still catch her in DC League of Super-Pets later this year and Greta Gerwig's Barbie in 2023. She also recently appeared in Netflix’s The Bubble and was a co-lead on Peacock’s Joe vs. Carole earlier this year. So there's plenty that you can still enjoy from the actress. I wish her the best moving forward (and will continue to watch how she approaches those interview questions).

Get your fix by checking out other movies Kate McKinnon has starred in. You can also revisit some of her greatest Saturday Night Live performances by streaming full episodes, available with a Peacock Premium subscription.

Saturday Night Live is on the verge of wrapping on its 47th season, and that finale will reportedly be the end of an era for multiple stars. Shortly after news broke that Pete Davidson was expected to depart the show after eight years, reports state that Kate McKinnon and other notable names are expected to leave SNL at the close of Season 47 as well. 

Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney are leaving Saturday Night Live at the end of the current season, according to Deadline, which further reports that fans can expect a large group goodbye at the end of the Season 47 finale, which airs on May 21. The episode will be hosted by Russian Doll’s Natasha Lyonne, with Japanese Breakfast as musical guest.

The departures of these three stars not only cost SNL some of its most recognizable and reliable cast members, but also some of the longest-running. While Kenan Thompson – who hit a major milestone back in March – holds the record as the cast member with the longest tenure so far, Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant both joined SNL in 2012. 

McKinnon – who is as funny when she breaks and laughs in the middle of a sketch as she is when delivering the punchlines – became a repertory player in 2013, with Bryant promoted in her second season. Both actresses have made names for themselves for their impersonations as well as regular contributions, with McKinnon playing everybody from Ruth Bader Gins​​burg to Hilary Clinton to even Justin Bieber. For her part, Bryant has impersonated real-life figures such as Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Ted Cruz. 

Their departures aren’t altogether surprising, as rumors have spread about them leaving for quite some time. Aidy Bryant commented on her future at Saturday Night Live back in March when she said that she would judge how she felt by the end of the 47th season. She also found some success on the small screen elsewhere than SNL, as the star of Shrill, which ran for three seasons. (You can check Shrill out with a Hulu subscription.) 

Kate McKinnon has landed movie roles over her years at SNL as well, and branched out into scripted TV for Peacock’s Joe vs. Carole, although the project was widely panned by critics. Rumors spread of her departure in Season 47 going back to November. 

Kyle Mooney hasn’t had quite as long of a tenure on SNL as Kate McKinnon or Aidy Bryant, but has still been part of the show longer than Pete Davidson after joining in 2013. He was promoted to repertory player at the beginning of Season 41. 

Assuming that these three along with Pete Davidson do indeed leave Saturday Night Live at the end of the Season 47 finale, then it won’t be an episode to miss. See the final episode of the 47th season on Saturday, May 21 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. For some viewing options once SNL is done for the season, be sure to check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule. 

Kate McKinnon has won herself a lot of fans over the last eleven seasons on Saturday Night Live with a variety of impressions, but a strong case could be made that none had more pop culture impact than her take on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The comedienne busted out her over-the-top take a bunch of times in the late ‘10s, but with the Justice having passed away in 2020, the impression has mostly gone dormant… at least until last night. 

SNL’s cold opening this week started with a conversation between Joe Biden, played by James Austin Johnson (who has also been crushing it as Trump) and the recently confirmed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, played by Ego Nwodim. After Biden left, Jackson was left alone in the White House to be visited by inspirational figures including McKinnon’s Ginsburg. You can check out the sketch below…

SNL impressions can typically be divided into two camps: those that are going for a really accurate, though slightly exaggerated version of the celebrity and those that are a bit more ridiculous and mostly trying to play up a feature of the target’s personality. McKinnon has always gone for more of the latter approach with her Ginsburg, which has featured workout videos and dancing after sick burns. Something about her energy has really connected with fans over the years, and not surprisingly, there was a lot of excitement at the impression’s return.

The sketch also works well because it’s so topical. We all would have enjoyed seeing McKinnon’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg again if it was just for the hell of it, but it wouldn’t have hit the same way as this one given how relevant the Supreme Court is right now. The shadow of the real RBG is hanging over a lot of what’s happening, and it was nice to see Saturday Night Live so directly address that.

The rest of this week’s episode featured an assortment of weirdness, some of which was a really good time. My favorite sketch was probably host Jake Gyllenhaal appearing on a gameshow, obviously hosted by Kenan Thompson, in which contestants were asked to explain why they liked certain things on Instagram. It went well for exactly none of them, including Gyllenhaal’s significant other sitting in the audience who had to listen to him explain the real reason he liked a photo of a hot woman and her dog. 

Saturday Night Live is currently in the midst of a run of new episodes with some exciting hosts. Jerrod Carmichael hosted last week, Gyllenhaal held down the fort this week, and next week, fans will get a chance to see Lizzo pull double duty as both host and musical guest. We’re also entering prime speculate about the future of cast members time; so expect to see a ton of speculation articles about whether your favorites are staying or going, including McKinnon who has been at the center of leaving rumors for awhile. 

Another new episode of Saturday Night Live means another high-profile star taking the reins as host. This week, the sketch comedy show welcomed the talented Zoë Kravitz, who’s currently receiving plenty of support and praise (from stars like Taylor Swift) for her role as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in The Batman. It’s an iconic role, and one that’s been reinvented numerous times over the years. With such history surrounding the character, it was only natural that SNL would salute the DC Comics antihero through Kravitz’s opening monologue, which saw Kate McKinnon don leather and a whip. 

Zoë Kravitz walked out on the stage at 30 Rock and happily mentioned her role in Matt Reeves’ new superhero film. After joking about how she prepped for the flick, she was quickly joined by Kate McKinnon, who was dressed as Michelle Pfeiffer’s version of Catwoman from 1992’s Batman Returns. With whip in hand, she declared Kravitz to be a part of a “proud lineage” of stars to take on the role. McKinnon then humorously recounted the origin story of her own Selina Kyle, which involved falling from a window and being licked by a number of cats once she hit the ground.

And if that weren’t enough, the comedian came prepared with another funny prop: the cat symbol! The Mad Max: Fury Road star believed the light to be depicting a “noble cat ready to jump off a ledge.” However, as the Ghostbusters alum pointed out, the symbol could also be showing a feline “doing its business in the litter box.” 

That’s not all though, as fellow cast member Ego Nwodim channeled the Catwoman of the ‘60s Batman TV show, where the character was played by the iconic Eartha Kitt (Halle Berry's favorite). Additionally, longtime cast member Aidy Bryant joined in by playing a “cat lady,” while Chris Redd appeared as comedian Katt Williams. You can watch the mash-up for yourself down below: 

All in all, the bit is well done, with all of the actors playing their roles well. Kate McKinnon is particularly effective and buys into the eccentric nature of her version of Selina Kyle. Personally, I would’ve liked to have seen her try to use the whip to humorous effect a little bit more. She may not have had the skills Michelle Pfeiffer once showed off, but it would’ve been funny to see her try. Also, I can't help but find it incredibly ironic that McKinnon is playing the Cat ahead of her debut as big cat sanctuary owner Carole Baskin.

As great as the comedian was, I’d still say that Zoë Kravitz’s performance has her beat, though. She played the role well and in the process, delivered a version of Catwoman that’s unique from previous iterations. Though I guess, we can also say, at the very least, that Kate McKinnon’s variation also stands out from the crowd, in its own way.

New episodes of Saturday Night Live air on Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, and you can stream past episodes with a Peacock Premium subscription.

Many of the events of March 2020 are things we’d just rather forget. Schools being closed, sports being cancelled, learning to work from home, hoarding toilet paper. As we all tried to navigate this new life in coronavirus quarantine, millions found one way to come together — through the shared experience of Netflix’s docuseries Tiger King. These big cat enthusiasts were larger than life, and their stories stranger than fiction. It was inevitable that Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin would be characters adapted for future projects, and with Peacock's Joe vs. Carole, that time has come. 

Critics were able to screen the series ahead of its release, and well, it’s tough out there in the wild. Despite starring the unquestionably talented John Cameron Mitchell and Kate McKinnon as the title characters, the critics seem to think this story was one best left back in 2020, and they are not pulling their punches. Let’s take a look at the reviews — roasts are probably a better word for them — and some of the more interesting opinions about Joe vs. Carole. 

Daniel Fienberg of THR says the cultural phenomenon “which captivated America between March 2020 and March 2020” is likely not worth a two-hour movie, much less an eight-hour series. 

Brian Lowry of CNN says Joe vs. Carole arrives anew to our screens after the story has "exhausted its nine lives." (Cat puns, yay!) In fact, this review points out that Carole Baskin’s real-life turn on reality TV proves how past its prime this series is.

Kristen Lopez of IndieWire says if Peacock is hoping for this to be its first breakout series, it “bet on the wrong cat,” pointing out that even Netflix couldn’t find more success with this story when it released Tiger King 2 late last year.

Brian Tallerico of The Playlist says the title Joe vs. Carole implies a fight, but somehow these larger-than-life characters have been made into “deadly boring” versions of themselves.

The performance of John Cameron Mitchell gets shout-outs from several of the critics, including Caroline Femke of Variety, who says he comes close to saving the project:

Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair also gives John Cameron Mitchell the credit he’s due for playing Joe Exotic, but he and other critics think Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin sometimes seems to be stuck in an over-extended Saturday Night Live sketch.

Rachael Sigee of inews says Peacock failed to recognize the Tiger King obsession for what it was — a moment in time — and says from the CGI tigers to the Halloween-costume versions of Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, you just can’t dramatize people already living as caricatures.

Other than a couple of good notes on the performances — namely John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic — most of the critics seem to think the Tiger King era has run its course, and there’s just not a lot of nostalgia for the early days of the COVID pandemic. However, if you think this series is for you, by all means, check it out! Joe vs. Carole is available for streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription, and be sure to also check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.

For many years, Bill Hader was one of the undisputed kings of Saturday Night Live. The talented comedian and impressionist achieved several milestones that now sit within the history of the sketch show, including having one of the highest total number of sketch appearances. After last weekend’s episode, however, it looks like the king has to move over: there’s a new queen in town, and her name is Kate McKinnon. 

SNL vet Kate McKinnon now sits in sixth place all-time when it comes to skit appearances, per Deadline. She now outranks Bill Hader, who previously held the spot and is now sitting pretty in seventh place. According to the trade, last weekend’s episode of the show, hosted by John Mulaney, feature McKinnon’s 806th sketch on the show, which gave her an edge over Hader’s tally of 805. Add in the fact that she’s been flitting in and out of 30 Rock to star in other movies this season, and it just makes her achievement all the more impressive. 

The sketch that secured the star's spot was another installment in John Mulaney’s series of musical parody skits, which skewer New York’s signature inconveniences. This time, it was the dreaded F local train, which may or not be stopping at your station ,and the questionable churros that may be sold on the platform. The Ghostbusters star assumed the role of “a puddle of unidentifiable origin” that slowly but surely ruins your shoes. 

Playing a gross puddle may not be what Kate McKinnon had in mind when she originally joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2012 (and yes, that is indeed a full decade ago, and time is an illusion), but that’s just an indication of her comedic genius. She started out on the show as a featured member, but her improv chops and spot-on impressions quickly convinced the producers to promote her to main cast member status after just one season. 

The actress has played a bevy of memorable characters, many of whom reside in the political sphere. Her impersonation of Hillary Clinton became even more legendary than SNL vet Amy Poehler’s, and she’s also cracked up audiences with likenesses of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Fox News pundit Laura Ingraham. She’s also lampooned celebrities like pop singer Justin Bieber, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, and actress Jane Lynch. Her impersonation abilities could arguably be what landed her a gig playing Carole Baskin on Peacock's Joe vs. Carole. 

It was rumored a while back that Kate McKinnon might be leaving SNL but, so far, those whispers have been unfounded. Lucky us - hopefully, we’ll get to enjoy her bizarre brand of hilarious comedy for another 806 skits. And as she continues, she'll further cement herself amongst the show's other greats like Bill Hader.

The current season of Saturday Night Live is now airing on NBC on - you guessed it - Saturdays at 11:30 pm EST. You can also catch up with previous seasons, including episodes from the 80s and 90s, with your Peacock subscription, or check out more movies that feature Kate McKinnon. 

Having joined the Saturday Night Live cast quite late into its 37th season in April 2012, Kate McKinnon had a pretty abrupt debut on the sketch comedy series. However, her final curtain call at Studio 8H (around the same time fellow movie and TV star Pete Davidson left the cast, too) was anything but abrupt, since the two-time Emmy winner had already become one of the show's most renowned and popular talents. She has an impressive number of notable big-screen credits to show for it.

The voice of Ms. Frizzle in Netflix's reboot of The Magic School Bus and one of the biggest stars in the platform's The Bubble cast rarely plays the lead in any of her films (so far, at least) but might as well have for how brilliantly she has managed to steal the show from her top-billed co-stars. Allow us to present why we believe our recommendations for the best Kate McKinnon movies truly deserve to be called “Kate McKinnon movies” in the following list, complete with tips of where to find them available on streaming, for digital rental, or purchase on physical media.

Barbie (2023)

A highly accomplished, fun-loving woman (played by Margot Robbie) and her boyfriend (played by Ryan Gosling) go on a life-changing journey outside of their idyllic, colorful, isolated world.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: Reuniting with her Bombshell co-star, Robbie, McKinnon joined the Barbie cast as "Weird Barbie" -- which is now a real doll fans can pre-order on Mattel's website -- in co-writer and director Greta Gerwig's massive hit, which is now available with a Max subscription.

Stream Barbie on Max.
Rent or buy Barbie on Amazon.
Buy Barbie on Blu-ray on Amazon.

DC League Of Super-Pets (2022)

When Superman (John Krasinski) is suddenly kidnapped, his super-powered dog, Krypto (Dwayne Johnson), teams up with Batman's (Keanu Reeves) hound, Ace (Kevin Hart), and other enhanced animals to rescue the Man of Steel.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: For her first role in a superhero movie, McKinnon starred in the DC League of Super-Pets voice cast as Lulu -- a hairless guinea pig and the central antagonist of this funny animated film for audiences who love both animals and comic books.

Stream DC League of Super-Pets on Max.
Buy/rent DC League of Super-Pets on Amazon.
Buy DC League Of Super-Pets on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Finding Dory (2016)

After helping her Clown Fish friend (voiced by Albert Brooks), find his son (voiced by Hayden Rolence), a Blue Tang (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) tries to overcome her short-term memory loss and search for her long-lost parents.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: McKinnon makes a cameo, alongside fellow SNL star Bill Hader, in the star-studded Finding Dory voice cast in this heartwarming sequel to one of Pixar's best movies, Finding Nemo.

Stream Finding Dory on Disney+.
Rent or buy Finding Dory on Amazon.
Buy Finding Dory on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Family (2018)

A self-loathing workaholic (played by Orange is the New Black cast member Taylor Schilling) is given a much-needed crash course in emotional bonding when she is suddenly tasked with looking after her teenage niece (played by Bryn Vale), who dreams of becoming a Juggalo.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: McKinnon appears in the small, but show-stealing, role as the next-door neighbor to Schilling's character in writer and director Laura Steinel's uproarious comedy, Family.

Stream Family on Tubi.
Stream Family on Freevee through Amazon.
Buy Family on DVD on Amazon.

Sisters (2015)

Reunited by their parents’ request to help clean their childhood home before it goes on the market, a divorced nurse (played by Amy Poehler) and her older, but far less responsible, sibling (played by Tina Fey) seek to recapture their youth by throwing a wild party that quickly proves to be a bit more wild than they intended.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: While she was still something of a Saturday Night Live icon in-the-making, McKinnon shared the screen with established SNL legends Fey and Poehler in one of the funniest party movies in recent memory, Sisters, as one of the more scene-stealing guests at their house rager.

Stream Sisters on Max.
Rent or buy Sisters on Amazon.
Buy Sisters on Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Rough Night (2017)

An engaged politician (played by Academy Award nominee Scarlett Johansson) reunites with her four best friends from college (played by McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Zoë Kravitz, and Ilana Glazer) to let loose for her bachelorette party getaway in Miami, until it suddenly takes a horrifying turn.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: McKinnon puts on an over-the-top Australian accent to steal the show from Johansson (a Marvel movies star and now wife of a fellow Saturday Night Live cast member) and the rest of the all-star cast of Rough Night -- another fun, female-driven comedy about recapturing one’s youth, but with a much darker twist.

Stream Rough Night on Hulu.
Rent or buy Rough Night on Amazon.
Buy Rough Night on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Office Christmas Party (2016)

A tech company’s struggling Chicago branch manager (played by T.J. Miller), his chief technology officer (played by Jason Bateman), and the head of Research and Development (played by Olivia Munn) try to save their jobs by hosting an extreme “non-denominational holiday mixer” in hopes of striking a business deal with a sought-after client (played by Courtney B. Vance).

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: McKinnon plays the, initially, least rowdy partier in, arguably, the finest of her party movies, Office Christmas Party -- another star-studded romp that technically counts as a raunchy holiday movie, but is also not particularly tied down by holiday themes, making it a good enough time to watch any time of year.

Buy/Rent Office Christmas Party on Amazon.
Buy Office Christmas Party on Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Masterminds (2016)

Hoping to win the heart of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig), a guard for an armored truck company (played by Zach Galifianakis) agrees to help pull off a huge bank robbery for her conniving lover (played by Owen Wilson), who ends up betraying him by hiring a bumbling hitman (played by Jason Sudeikis) to do away with him.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: McKinnon shared the screen with fellow SNL stars Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones when she played Jandice, the inhumanly and unsettlingly calm wife of Galifianakis’ character, in Masterminds -- an irreverently comedic dramatization of one of the most profitable heists in U.S. history from Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess.

Buy/Rent Masterminds on Amazon.
Buy Masterminds on Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Angry Birds Movie (2016)

A community of flightless birds -- including the cynical Red (Jason Sudeikis), the super fast Chuck (Josh Gad), and the literally explosive Bomb (Danny McBride) -- are forced to band together and fight back against an organization of disgusting green pigs who arrive and threaten to take over their secluded, serene island home.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: Another time that McKinnon shared the screen with Sudeikis in 2016 was when she leant her voice to play two different roles (Stella and Eva) in The Angry Birds Movie -- the epic, big screen adaptation of one of the most popular mobile gaming apps in history.

Stream The Angry Birds Movie on Netflix.
Rent/buy The Angry Birds Movie on Amazon.
Buy The Angry Birds Movie on Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Ferdinand (2017)

After he is mistaken for a wild beast and forcibly brought to a camp for bullfighting training in Spain, an imposing, yet friendly and gentle, bull (voiced by John Cena) enlists the help of his new friends to help him escape and reunite with his human family.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: One of McKinnon’s even funnier and more prominent voice acting roles was as a neurotic, elderly goat named Lupe, who befriends’ John Cena’s titular goat hero in Ferdinand -- a sweet, animated adaptation of writer Munro Leaf and illustrator Robert Lawson’s beloved children’s book, and one of the best movies by Blue Sky Studios in more recent years.

Stream Ferdinand on Disney+.
Buy/Rent Ferdinand on Amazon.
Buy Ferdinand on Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

After she goes through a painful break-up with her boyfriend (played by Justin Theroux), who ended things with a text message, a woman (played by Mila Kunis) discovers that her ex was actually a secret agent, which leads her and her best friend (McKinnon) to become embroiled in an international conspiracy and forces them to go on the run in Europe.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: One of McKinnon’s funniest and most prominent live-action movie roles was a character named Morgan Freeman, a free-spirit who is full of surprises, in The Spy Who Dumped Me -- a thrill-a-minute, laugh-a-minute hybrid of romantic comedies, buddy cop movies, and espionage thrillers directed by Booksmart co-writer Susanna Fogel.

Rent or buy The Spy Who Dumped Me on Amazon.
Buy The Spy Who Dumped Me on Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Yesterday (2019)

A young, hopelessly struggling musician from England (played by Himesh Patel) finally achieves the success he has always dreamed of, but by peculiar means: he has suddenly woken up in an alternate reality in which The Beatles never became famous and begins passing off their groundbreaking hits as his own creations.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: McKinnon gives, easily, the funniest performance in Yesterday -- writer Richard Curtis and director Danny Boyle's inventive, musical fantasy dramedy -- as Ed Sheeran’s extremely demanding, brutally honest, money-grubbing manager, Debra Hammer, who makes Patel’s character, Jack, into a star.

Rent or buy Yesterday on Amazon.
Buy Yesterday on Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Bombshell (2019)

After landing her dream job at Fox News, a young journalist (played by Margot Robbie) falls prey to Roger Ailes' (John Lithgow) sexual advances, inspiring her to join Megyn Kelly (nearly unrecognizable Charlize Theron) and Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) in a plot to expose the CEO's toxicity.

Why it’s one of Kate McKinnon’s best movies: McKinnon gives, easily, the funniest performance in the Bombshell cast as a composite character inspired by first-hand accounts of the scandalous events at the media outlet dramatized in director Jay Roach’s otherwise disturbing Oscar-winning dramedy.

Stream Bombshell on Amazon Prime.
Get Bombshell on Blu-Ray on Amazon.

If you still cannot get enough of Kate McKinnon after binging the bulk of her feature-length filmography, her best Saturday Night Live sketches are available to stream with a Peacock Premium subscription. Also, she finally found her way onto the SNL Season 49 hosting schedule. Keep an eye out for her upcoming sci-fi film, In the Blink of an Eye, from director Andrew Stanton.

Viewers are finally getting a first look at the long-anticipated Peacock series Joe Vs. Carole, starring John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Maldonado-Passage and Kate McKinnon as his rival, Carole Baskin. The trailer above promises an all-out war between the big-cat enthusiasts, as well as all the absurdity that initially attracted audiences to Netflix’s zeitgeist-snatching 2020 docuseries Tiger King. Just as it went in the docuseries, there will clearly be no shortage of guns and explosions either.

Saturday Night Live vet Kate McKinnon seems to be bringing a self-awareness to the role of Carole Baskin, especially in the smaller moments, such as the irony of Baskin’s being allergic to cats. But this won’t be just a dramatized retelling of Tiger King, as the Peacock series is based on Wondery's podcast Joe Exotic: Tiger King and will dive into the history of Baskin and Joe Exotic’s animalistic feud. The trailer promises to give audiences the other half of the story: 

Tiger King certainly was stranger than fiction, so I’m really intrigued to see what Kate McKinnon and John Cameron Mitchell’s performances will add to the story. The trailer shows Carole Baskin speaking with investigators about Joe Exotic’s history of abusing animals in an attempt to shut down his roadside zoo, and he doesn’t take kindly to Baskins’ attempt on his livelihood. It results in Exotic launching an offensive of his own, as shown in the trailer when he blows up a mattress, and Baskin comedically describes him shooting a blow-up doll that was dressed like her.

While this story couldn’t be told without its comedy, Joe Vs. Carole — which was previously titled Joe Exotic — looks like it’s going to take a dramatic turn, as Joe Exotic says, “Someone’s gotta kill that bitch,” and Carole Baskin and her husband Howard are shown buying their own firearms. The trailer even shows a man coming out of the woods and seemingly pointing a gun at the bike-riding Baskin. The real-life Joe Maldonado-Passage is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence for a failed murder-for-hire plot targeting Baskin, and many of his experiences since Tiger King's debut have been anything but comedic.

Along the way, Joe Vs. Carole looks to feature a number of moments familiar to Tiger King fans. Joe Exotic’s three-way wedding to John Finlay and Travis Maldonado, complete with hot pink button-downs, is shown, as well as him dressing up in a king’s robe with a scepter for the filming of the documentary.

The wardrobes are a thing of beauty, and could have been taken right from Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin’s closets — even Baskin was shocked to see first looks — with Joe Exotic’s infamous nothing-but-a-Speedo look, as well as him rocking a vest over his bare chest. Baskin is, of course, donning nothing but animal prints, and there’s a quick joke about what appears to be her Dancing With the Stars costume.

Joe Exotic and his crew captured the intrigue of viewers with Tiger King's documentary footage, and adding the humor of Kate McKinnon and John Cameron Mitchell into the mix has definitely piqued my interest. Here's hoping the fictionalized version can reach the same heights as the docuseries.

Joe Vs. Carole premieres Thursday, March 3, on Peacock, with all episodes debuting in one fell swoop. Check out some cool things you can get with a subscription to Peacock Premium.

The Saturday Night Live cast members have made it their business over the years to take politicians, media members, and celebrities to task by impersonating them on national television. Pretty much anyone in the public eye is fair game, and most people who end up getting lampooned on SNL take it well… or remain quiet about their possible displeasure. But after SNL veteran Kate McKinnon impersonated Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham during the cold open of the recent Will Forte episode, Ingraham decided to do her own impersonation of McKinnon doing Ingraham and now that's running around online.

First, watch Laura Ingraham test driving her impersonation of Kate McKinnon, affecting the exaggerated tone of the anchor’s voice as she pretends to be the comedian pretending to be the news anchor:

In the video, made available via Tweet, Ingraham actually does go for it in her impression of Kate McKinnon doing Laura Ingraham, but that statement is so meta, it’s probably being explored by the Scream co-writers to see if they somehow can make it work in the next horror sequel. In order to fully appreciate Ingraham’s impression of McKinnon, you have to see McKinnon’s cold open. So I’m including that, as well.

Like I said, Laura Ingraham is pretty spot on. What she’s saying in the impersonation doesn’t make much sense, mind you. She’s criticizing Kate McKinnon for not being even-handed in her political commentary, openly wondering why the comedian doesn’t go after President Joe Biden or Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Only, those two are targets of SNL’s satire on a regular basis. Ace Ventura himself, Jim Carrey, spent a chunk of time playing Biden during the run up to the most recent presidential election. And you only have to go back to 2019 to find a clip of Kate McKinnon PLAYING Pelosi. So yeah, SNL goes after all sides. 

In general, though, it’s maybe not the best idea to go after a comedian after they poke fun at you. Almost everyone watching Saturday Night Live understands that it’s exaggerated satire, and next week, some other famous face is going to be in their sights. Some famous names take their impressions better than others, but when you poke back, it just encourages the sketch comedy series to come at the angle even harder. Really, comedians have literally nothing else to do but sit around and dream up new ways to make fun of you. It’s their job. They’re much better at this than we are. 

Laura Ingraham probably didn’t start a “flame war” here. Kate McKinnon no doubt will find another person to impersonate -- whether it be Hillary Clinton, Justin Bieber, Dr. Anthony Fauci, or the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- on an upcoming episode of SNL. This moment will have passed soon.

In the meantime, we already kind of know what's coming up on SNL in terms of upcoming hosts and musical guests. Right now that list does not include the Fox News host. 

Fans who have been on the edge of their seats wondering when they’d finally get to see Kate McKinnon this season saw their wishes granted last night when Saturday Night Live opened with the popular performer dressed as Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fittingly, her first words of the season were “I’m back,” which was, of course, greeted with thunderous applause from the audience. 

Not surprisingly, Kate McKinnon’s reprise of Dr. Fauci has proven to be the breakout sketch from last night’s SNL episode. The cold open has already been viewed more than three hundred thousand times on YouTube and was discussed widely on Twitter. You can check out McKinnon working the room and delivering some commentary on Covid below…

Of course it’s great to see Kate McKinnon back to sketch comedy. That has to be the first takeaway. The popular SNL star missed the early part of the season, reportedly to film her new Tiger King project. SNL headman Lorne Michaels is reportedly a lot more tolerant of performers working on other stuff these days, but her absence has still been felt, as no one else on the show quite falls into her same comedic lane. 

It’s not as if other cast members haven’t stepped up though. The above sketch is a great showcase of just how deep and talented the SNL roster is right now, and it’s also a great example of a format SNL uses on occasion in which one performer is the centerpiece of a sketch and the action gets bounced out to others for short little impressions or comedic moments before returning to the centerpiece. It’s the upshot of having so many capable people around, which is probably why the show also used it in the fun sketch about Christmas cards on the fridge.

It’ll be interesting to see what the rest of the season looks like for Kate McKinnon. She is, in my opinion, a top 20 or 25 SNL performer of all-time. She’s an absolute powerhouse who can play both off the wall and conventional characters really well. I’d love to see her on Saturday Night Live for many more years to come, but she also has a thriving career outside the show and a wide variety of varied interests. She takes live action roles, voice work and even podcasts. At some point she may decide working in SNL is just too much, as has been rumored.

Regardless, I’m going to enjoy having her back for as long as she’s back. There’s plenty of time to worry about the future, and besides, the great thing about having a deep cast is you can easily transition if an all-time performer does leave. So, for now, it’s welcome back and thanks for anymore incredible sketches you give us. 

Fans have generally been pretty positive about the current season of Saturday Night Live, but one recurring question has consistently bubbled to the surface: where is Kate McKinnon? The comedienne is off filming her new Tiger King show and will return at some point. Exactly when that some point might be is unclear, and the extended absence has started to be a point of conversation among fans. In fact, it has also started to become a topic of conversation in interviews with former SNL stars.

Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer were recently doing promo for their upcoming comedy homage to Hallmark movies A Clusterfunke Christmas when they were asked about Kate McKinnon’s prolonged absence. Dratch said she keeps up with her SNL “family” but neither have any inside knowledge of what’s going on. That being said, Gasteyer talked about one key change that has happened more recently behind the scenes on the show, and I think it’s an important point when thinking about McKinnon’s future. Here’s what she told US Weekly...

For most of the show’s run under creator Lorne Michaels, if you were a cast member on the show, your first commitment was required to be to the show. That’s why so many people over the years have left after getting offers to film a movie that would overlap with production. That’s not the case anymore. It’s not publically known what the exact rules are about how long you can be absent for or how the agreements work, but Michaels is reportedly much more open now to Not Ready For Primetime Players leaving for limited stretches. 

Kenan Thompson, as an example, flew back and forth between New York and Los Angeles a lot of weeks last season to work on both SNL and his sitcom Kenan, which also included co-star Chris Redd. The process often required a stand-in during rehearsals. Others including Aidy Bryant have also found tremendous success outside the show while remaining a cast member. She was even recently nominated for an Emmy for her work on the delightful and honest Shrill.

We likely won’t know what’s going on with Kate McKinnon until the end of the Saturday Night Live season or even well into the summer. Sometimes cast members don’t even announce they’re leaving the show until right before the new season. In the near future, I would expect to see Kate McKinnon sooner rather than later, and I’d expect, when that happens, for there to be an explosion of support and excitement on Twitter. It’s basically a guarantee at this point that any episode she doesn’t appear in will result in a stream of tweets from fans wondering where she’s at. So, you’d have to expect a return to produce a much more heightened response.

As for whether she’ll leave or not after the season, I don’t know. A lot of people really love doing Saturday Night Live. There’s nothing quite like the excitement and pressure of live television, which McKinnon talked about in her decision to return this season with The Hollywood Reporter…

Kate McKinnon is an absolute joy to watch on Saturday Night Live. Her sense of humor and willingness to jump in and commit to any character makes her a perfect fit for the show. Whenever she leaves, it’ll be really sad to see her go. But the great thing about SNL is there’s always new talent waiting for their next opportunity. More have gotten their chance with her prolonged absence at the beginning of this season, and it’ll be fantastic to see her play off them when she returns.