Kate McKinnon

Kate McKinnon Berthold, born January 6, 1984, is an American comedian, actress, and author. She is best known for her ten-year tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022. Recognizable for her original character work and celebrity impressions, McKinnon earned ten Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work on the show, winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2016 and 2017.

McKinnon was raised in Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York. She is the daughter of parent educator Laura Campbell and architect Michael Thomas Berthold, who died when she was 18 years old. As a child, she learned to play the piano, cello, and guitar, and began developing comedic accents in elementary school. She graduated from North Shore High School in 2002 and earned a degree in theatre from Columbia University in 2006. During her college years, she co-founded the musical improv group Tea Party, participated in student comedy pranks with Prangstgrüp, and starred in several Varsity shows.

McKinnon began her professional television career in 2007 as an original cast member on Logo TV's The Big Gay Sketch Show, appearing across all three seasons through 2010. Starting in 2008, she performed live sketch comedy regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. She also expanded into voice acting for animated television series such as The Venture Bros., Robotomy, and Ugly Americans. In 2009, she received the Logo NewNowNext Award for Best Rising Comic.

Joining Saturday Night Live as a featured player in April 2012, McKinnon was promoted to repertory status in 2013. During her time on the show, she gained widespread recognition for her original characters, such as Olya Povlatsky, Sheila Sovage, and Colleen Rafferty, as well as her impressions of prominent public icons and political figures, including Hillary Clinton, Kellyanne Conway, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jeff Sessions, and Ellen DeGeneres. In addition to her acting wins, she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the comedic song "(Do It On My) Twin Bed." She departed the series at the conclusion of its 47th season in 2022.

Alongside her sketch comedy work, McKinnon built a career in feature films and voice acting. Her live-action film credits include Sisters, Office Christmas Party, the 2016 reboot Ghostbusters, Rough Night, The Spy Who Dumped Me, Yesterday, Bombshell, The Bubble, Barbie, The Roses, and In the Blink of an Eye. She has provided voice work for animated films including Finding Dory, The Angry Birds Movie, Ferdinand, and DC League of Super-Pets, as well as lead roles in television series such as Nature Cat and The Magic School Bus Rides Again. In 2022, she portrayed Carole Baskin in the Peacock miniseries Joe vs. Carole.

McKinnon has collaborated on creative projects outside of traditional screen acting. She co-created and starred in the digital series Notary Publix and the Audible audio series Heads Will Roll alongside her sister, Emily Lynne. She is also a middle grade author, writing the Millicent Quibb book series. Additionally, McKinnon co-hosted the 31st Independent Spirit Awards in 2016 and hosted the National Book Awards in November 2024.