Actress, writer, producer, and all-around comedy titan Cecily Strong has built up quite the resume over the last few years. The Illinois native stars alongside Keegan-Michael Key, Dove Cameron, Kristin Chenoweth, and Alan Cumming in the AppleTV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon! created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. When she’s not backpacking through a sing-songy town, she’s performing in the revival of the highly regarded one-woman show made famous by Lily Tomlin called The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. In 2015, she had the honor of hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a task that takes a lot of guts and of course, skill, which Strong has in droves. She got personal and vulnerable with her memoir, This Will All Be Over Soon, which is described by Simon & Schuster as, “a raw, unflinching memoir about loss, love, laughter, and hope.”

All of these wonderful opportunities stem from her brilliant work on the long-running sketch series Saturday Night Live, which she joined in 2012. Though the Emmy-nominated performer grew up watching SNL, she didn’t even consider doing comedy until a professor at the California Institute of Arts suggested she take a class at The Groundlings. She even admitted during an interview with Backstage that the suggestion made her think, “Should I be slightly offended?” as she saw herself as a more serious actor. After all, her first community theater show was Grapes of Wrath for Oak Park’s Village Players Theatre when she was eight.

But her wide-ranging skill set has enabled her to bring to life an arsenal of bizarre and yet all-too-real characters in both Weekend Update segments and sketches, such as high school student talk show host Kyra, Michael Che’s drug-addicted neighbor Cathy Anne, and a porn star-turned-saleswoman alongside the equally deadpan Vanessa Bayer. Strong has become known for her delightfully hyperbolic impersonation of Jeanine Pirro and has impersonated everyone from Alanis Morrissette, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Sofia Vergara, to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Melania Trump.

On December 17, Strong said a tearful goodbye to the cast and crew of the place she called home for 11 incredible seasons. Even though her run at SNL is one of the longest to date, her exit still felt too soon, which is just a testament to her talents. Strong was a cast member that you could rely on to not only deliver but to go above and beyond.

Let’s look back at some of Cecily Strong’s best moments from Saturday Night Live.

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Girlfriends Talk Show with Scarlett Johansson

Ah, high school, the four-year awkward stage. Well, not for Cecily Strong’s Kyra, who hosts “Girlfriends Talk Show” with her not-so-popular best friend, Morgan (Aidy Bryant). In this particular sketch, Kyra welcomes last year’s prom queen, Camden (Scarlett Johannson), to give her top prom tips and dismiss everything that Morgan says as, “ratched.” Strong puts her own spin on the stereotypical teen girl character and routinely buds up with her guest against an always out-of-the-loop Morgan, who Strong shuts up with her upbeat catchphrase, “awesome!” The running gag in every sketch is Kyra’s revelations about her mysterious boyfriend. She explains to Camden and Morgan through her big smile that he isn’t going to prom with her because, “he’s worried he’ll feel out of place since he graduated from the class of 1979,” adding, “I’m supposed to linger by the punch bowl at 9:15, then try to drink the whole thing using only my hands. If I do it, he’s gonna buy me a season pass to Six Flags. My boyfriend’s crazy.” This is a popular recurring sketch that Strong and Bryant have done with past hosts including Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Anne Hathaway, and Charlize Theron.

Weekend Update: Jeanine Pirro on Her Fox News Suspension

Cecily Strong becomes Fox News host and judge Jeanine Pirro in a series of increasingly messy Weekend Update segments that, without fail, culminate in anchor Colin Jost getting... wet. One of the trademarks of Strong’s impression is the sheer volume of her voice. She indulges the audience and explains the very specific incident that caused this to happen. “Twenty years ago I yelled at a waiter because my Cobb salad had a cranberry in it. And now I’m locked at this volume for the rest of my life!” Jost cannot help but ask her if she has been drinking, to which she boldly replies that she is actually currently drinking, and pulls out a hidden glass from under the desk. Strong inevitably finds a way for her drink to land all over Jost, by either spitting it on him or just throwing it in his face. She outdoes herself with every appearance, whether it be by breaking out into song, soaking in a tub of boxed wine, or falling out of her chair. Strong recently sat down with Seth Meyers and the two looked back at her memorable Weekend Update appearances.

Girlfriends Game Night

When Bill Hader returned to host SNL, he and Strong starred as an unconventional couple in “Girlfriends Game Night.” As the title of the sketch suggests, a group of friends, (played by Aidy Bryant, Heidi Gardner, and Melissa Villaseñor), invite their pal (Strong) over to play board games. What they didn’t expect was for Strong to bring her incredibly old and motor-scooter-bound husband, Horace (Hader), a man of very few words. Things take a sharp turn down an awkward street when Horace’s Cialis kicks in, which Strong’s character wants to capitalize on, much to the horror of her friends. What follows is a delightful comedy of errors, as Hader zooms around on his scooter with a furious Strong on his lap, crashing into the table and other cast members. The sketch is so absurd that Strong and Hader can’t help but break character several times.

Weekend Update: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Science

Strong’s Marjorie Taylor Greene is here to talk about science, or as her shirt reads, “sience.” She makes quite the introduction as she pulls a gun out from under her and asks a startled Jost, “Is this mine or yours?” She proceeds to explain the importance of science and says how she always trusts it, unless it involves topics like climate change, coronavirus, the metric system, or Santa’s skin color, (which she reminds Jost is most definitely white). She’s interrupted several times by her own out-of-the-ordinary sneeze, which she explains to a laughing Jost, “See, when I was a little girl, I sneezed once, and nobody said ‘bless you’ so a demon got in.”

Weekend Update: Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party

Strong plays the highly-opinionated party-goer who corners you in a convoluted conversation you desperately wish you could escape. In this holiday-themed edition, Strong’s long-winded character (and her first character on Weekend Update) grips her clutch and attempts to educate Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers about the issues that really matter. The only problem is that nothing she says makes any sense. She accuses Meyers of “worshipping Hallmark” and tells him to “wake up and smell the music,” because, “there are homeless people out there who can’t even pay their mortgages.” In between her non-sequiturs, she tries to get someone named Ingrid’s attention, only to admit to Meyers that she actually cannot stand her. Also, the phone in her clutch is definitely not hers.

Double Date

Kristen Wiig and Cecily Strong play two best friends on a double date.... with 6th graders Tyler and Drew (played by Tim Robinson and Bobby Moynihan). The two actresses giggle and flirt their way through what they believe is a strong chance at love. While they sip their alcohol, their shy dates cling to their bendy straws and order buttery noodles and chicken fingers. The two women try their best to relate to them but talk about too many things that reveal their age, like referencing Family Matters and talking about divorce. Robinson shares his passion for dinosaurs, leaving the two women awe-struck. Wiig wonders if they are experts in anything, to which Strong laughs, “Uh, vodka!”

QVC Auditions

In this sketch, Cecily Strong plays Joyce Childers, an ambitious woman determined to land a guest-hosting gig at QVC. The only problem is that Joyce’s equally passionate neighbor Christie Berkie (Kristen Wiig) is also self-taping an audition for QVC. The two try their best to contain their excitement and nervous jitters in their auditions, all while reprimanding their husbands for getting in their way. At one point, the pressure gets too high for Joyce, who decides it’s best to take a breather outside and ends up trying to sabotage Christie during her audition. Joyce accuses Christie of “stealing dreams,” and throws dirt on her window. Wiig and Strong do their best to stay in character, but let some smiles creep out in the process.

Weekend Update: Claire from HR

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the endless news stories about sexual harassment in the workplace? So is Cecily Strong’s character, Claire from HR, who joins Colin Jost at the Weekend Update desk to go through appropriate workplace etiquette. Claire is out of breath and understandably exhausted (she hasn’t been home in three days) as her job has gotten pretty crazy over the last few weeks. She quizzes Jost on proper workplace behavior using props and an updated series of questions, which include, “When talking to a coworker in the office, where should you keep your penis?” The sad reality that she’ll always have to give these quizzes prompts her to aggressively pump Purell into her mouth, as it gives her the “buzz” she needs to keep going.

Weekend Update: Cathy Anne on Al Franken

In another recurring Weekend Update segment, Strong plays Michael Che’s loud, inarticulate, and unfiltered neighbor Cathy Anne, who likes to give her take on the latest news scandals. In this clip, Cathy Anne tackles Al Franken (who she repeatedly refers to as Al Franco) and his decision to resign following his sexual abuse allegations. While wearing her trademark pink zip-up and tirelessly trying to light a cigarette, the haggard Cathy Anne explains to Che her feelings on the current political climate, saying, “I’m not sure what to think, okay? It’s a confusing time to be a woman. And a drug addict. And a very heavy drinker.”

Gemma & Ricky

Aw, look. It’s Gemma. She’s British. If you couldn’t tell by her thick accent, don’t worry, she will tell you repeatedly. Strong’s recurring Gemma is soft-spoken and on the stranger side. She doesn’t say much, aside from the fact that she’s British, that her name is Gemma, and that she can sing. Just give her a beat and she will prove it to you. She is always tied to a new eccentric chap, who in this case is Benedict Cumberbatch’s rock and roll mentalist character Ricky Diamonds. Strong isn’t afraid to bask in the awkwardness, which she contributes to nicely with her original song.

Blue Christmas

Cue the waterworks for this one. Austin Butler’s hosting debut on December 17 was also Strong’s final episode. At the end of the Christmas show, the Elvis star channeled the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and sang Strong a new version of “Blue Christmas,” which reflected her time on the show. This thoughtful tribute was a beautiful way to recognize Strong’s impact on the show, which is certain to be blue without her.