If there's a Saturday Night Live cast member who is one of the most versatile, it's Kate McKinnon. Since joining SNL in 2012, McKinnon has impressed with her comedic chops in both original characters and celebrity impressions. Whether delightfully bizarre characters like elderly Old Hollywood actress Debette Goldry and cat shelter volunteer Barbara DeDrew, or spot-on impressions like Hillary Clinton and Ellen DeGeneres, McKinnon's committed performances and honed sense of comedic timing led to her reputation as a reliable performer. Not to mention earning nine Emmy nominations (and two wins, in 2016 and 2017) over the course of her 10 years on the show, making her SNL's longest-tenured female cast member.
Creating and crafting an original character that brings consistent laughs can be tricky enough, but successfully impersonating a real-life person had its own set of challenges. After all, if the impression doesn't land, the sketch risks becoming a flop. Thankfully, KcKinnon's impressions were typically precise and packed with humor that elevated whatever sketch they appeared in. Despite roles in films such as Bombshell, Office Christmas Party, and Ghostbusters (2016), her celebrity impression work on SNL was where she really shines.
Now, with McKinnon set to leave the SNL cast this season after the Season 47 finale, let's revisit some of Kate McKinnon's best impressions from her decade on SNL.
Kellyanne Conway
McKinnon's impression of the political consultant is as funny as it is clever. KcKinnon nails Conway's voice, cadence, and faraway gaze and the result is scarily accurate. But the best bits come when McKinnon digs deep and spoofs Kellyanne's lack of political knowledge as well as her desperation to be on TV. Whether in political cold opens or more outrageous sketches like Where in the World Is Kellyanne Conway? and Kellywise (parodying Pennywise from Stephen King's It), McKinnon is completely dedicated to the role. The parody is clever, and the laughs are earned.
Cecilia Gimenez
Despite Cecilia Gimenez not being a celebrity or political figure, KcKinnon turns in a hilarious portrayal of the 81-year-old Spanish woman who became infamous for "restoring" Elías García Martínez's Ecce Homo fresco in 2012. McKinnon plays Gimenez with an exaggerated Italian accent and wide, expressive eyes, characteristics that are particularly humorous when KcKinnon-as-Gimenez insists that there's nothing wrong with the now-botched painting. "I no ruin," she says, "I fix!" And who gave her permission to fix it? Well, none other than Jesus himself. As Gimenez recalls the outrageous story explaining her restoration attempt, McKinnon's commitment to the character and material bring it to hilarious life.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Another McKinnon gem is that of former supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She plays the octogenarian Ginsburg as spry, witty, and decidedly PG-13 to hilarious results. "I'm like a weird mole," she says. "I'm tiny, but I could be dangerous." Instead of matching Ginsburg's physicality, she instead copies her tone of voice which makes her delivery of lines like, "the Grim Reaper came for me once, but I punched his lights out" even funnier. Her lively attitude and penchant for spontaneous dancing solidified her as another character that earns its humor from clever writing and McKinnon's commitment to the role. "You just got Ginsburned!"
4. Anthony Fauci
McKinnon's impression of NIAID Director Anthony Fauci pretty much solidified that she could play anybody. She humorously plays up the 81-year-old's New York accent as well as exaggerates his uncertainty about the duration (and end) of the pandemic. McKinnon frequently imbues the character with clever details that reflect what the audience might be thinking, especially relating to confusion over the CDC's constantly changing pandemic guidelines and Fauci's time in the spotlight. "I want to go back to an anonymous hunk!" KcKinnon's Fauci admits. As Fauci, McKinnon continues to show that she is up for anything, making the impression a winner.
Shakira
McKinnon's Shakira only appeared in 3 sketches, but the impression is a memorable one. With her mimicry of Shakira's distinctive voice and thick Colombian accent, McKinnon brings hilarity to her parody of the pop singer. Her Shakira is one with humorously rapid, hard-to-understand speech and the sheer exaggeration of it (especially Shakira's thumb-dancing and mannerisms) is what gives it its laughs and charm. From a Celebrity Family Feud sketch to a Now That's What I Call Christmas! parody, her Shakira is all at once ridiculous, hilarious, and strangely accurate.
Angela Merkel
As the former Chancellor of Germany, McKinnon takes her performance from a mere impression to an almost original character. Her Merkel is both nervous and poorly coping with the results of the 2016 presidential election, managing to make it through each day with her "German attempt[s] at sarcasm" and close-mouthed screams. It's funny material and McKinnon completely sells it. Whether detailing her admiration for Barack Obama or her life in Germany, McKinnon's Merkel impression is one of her most laugh-out-loud funny.
Rudy Giuliani
With wonderfully exaggerated mannerisms and facial expressions, McKinnon portrays Giuliani as a terrible (and hilarious) liar. Her Giuliani remains certain of fraud in the 2020 presidential election and vows to rectify it with strategies such as invoking "Opposite Day" and "suing all the states." The jokes are as outrageous as they are funny, solidifying Giuliani as a nutty caricature that McKinnon completely cold with her fierce commitment to the writing and character.
Ellen DeGeneres
McKinnon's parody of Ellen is one that is clearly done with respect and admiration because it's spot-on. McKinnon manages to hilariously capture the subtle parts of Ellen's accent, enunciation, and speech patterns that make the impression both familiar and humorously exaggerated. Her constant declaration of "I'm Ellen," is an especially funny detail because it's a catchphrase that the real Ellen never says. Combined with McKinnon lovingly imitating Ellen's sunny personality, fidgeting in her chair, and constant dancing, Ellen remains one of the most accurate — and outrageously hilarious — impressions in her repertoire.
Hillary Clinton
Perhaps one of McKinnon's best impressions, if not the best, is her Hillary Clinton. From appearances in political debates, Love Actually parodies, or bar sketches with the real-life Hillary Clinton, McKinnon's portrayal of the former Secretary of State and presidential candidate is pure genius. With her wide eyes, frozen-faced laughter, and inability to relax, KcKinnon's Clinton features just enough of the real Clinton's characteristics for the humor of the exaggeration to land. It's also a particularly smart (and hilarious) character choice that McKinnon plays her as being completely obsessive about politics. Her consistent declaration that "I have wanted to be president since before I was born" is a running gag across her many appearances, as is referring to herself in the third person, which gives the character and impression an added layer of humor and ridiculousness.
Elizabeth Warren
McKinnon's transformation into Warren is uncanny. Her appearance, combined with her pitch-perfect voice impression, makes the character a total success. She hilariously plays the enthusiastic yet whisper-voiced Warren, especially when McKinnon-as-Warren is asked to extrapolate on the details of her Medicare plan. "When the numbers are this big, they're just pretend," she says. Focusing on her economic uncertainty gives the impression legs — and laughs. After all, "money doesn't exist."
Jeff Sessions
Wearing a bald cap and large prosthetic ears, McKinnon's impression of the former United States Attorney General is perfectly ridiculous. Her Sessions is like an innocent child, complete with memory issues and "playing dead" when he doesn't want to answer potentially incriminating questions. From appearances on Weekend Update to parodies of Elf on the Shelf and Forrest Gump, McKinnon as the "sneaky little liar" makes for a spoof that is as outrageous as it is hilarious.