The girl you wish you hadn’t started a conversation with is leaving the party.
Cecily Strong made her final appearance on the Christmas episode of “Saturday Night Live,” leaving the long-running NBC sketch show after 11 seasons.
Fittingly, she said her goodbyes on the weekly news desk through her character Cathy Anne, the follower of Michael Che’s drug-addicted neighbor. With a Santa hat on her head and a cigarette in her hand, Cathy Anne admits that she will eventually go to prison but is not crazy about it: “I think it will give me a lot of stability. I have friends inside, they seem to be doing well,” she said along with a photo that did not There are members who left Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon.
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Strong then broke down in meta style to summarize her time on “SNL”: “It’s just my time now but I’m having a lot of fun here. And I feel very lucky that I’ve had my best moments. Life is here, with these people I love so much.”
In the final sketch of the night, set at the Radio Shack Christmas party, Kenan Thompson paid tribute to his fellow cast members. “I honestly don’t think Radio Shack could have survived this long without Cecily,” he said. “Every time she comes to work, she has a new character or a new accent or a new impression that will blow you away. She will have energy and joy in her performance that will make you remember why you love working in radio. Shack in the first place.”
Strong then closed the show singing “Blue Christmas” with host “Elvis” star Austin Butler and the rest of the cast.
An “SNL” Instagram post earlier Saturday confirmed her departure: “Tonight we sent the best we could. We’ll miss you, Cecily!”
Strong, 38, joined “SNL” in September 2012 as a featured player in the show’s 38th season, was promoted to repertory player the following year and is the longest-serving female cast member in the series’ history, breaking the mark held by McKinnon. . She first collaborated on Weekend Update with Seth Meyers, and when he left to host “Late Night” in 2014, Strong teamed up with writer Colin Jost.
She portrayed several political figures during the show in the midst of the Trump and Biden administrations, including Judge Jeanine Pirro, Michigan Governor Gretchen Witmer, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Arizona State Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Arizona State Candidate Kari Lake. In addition, she brought amazing original personalities to 30 Rock like the aforementioned girls and Cathy Anne plus the British singer Gemma.
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Strong also made headlines last year for a personal painting she performed of an abortionist dressed as Goober the Clown, in response to Supreme Court arguments over Texas’ new abortion law.
“I had an abortion the day before my 23rd birthday … but it was gross, so we were going to do something funny to make it more palatable,” Strong said along with Jost and Che.
During her time on “SNL,” Strong — who is nominated for an Emmy in 2020 and 2021 — appeared in films including “The Meddler,” “The Boss” and “Ghostbusters” as well as hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2015. She is the next star in the upcoming second season of the Apple TV+ musical comedy series “Shmigadoon!”
‘Shmigadoon!’: Cecily Strong’s new performance (with love) makes fun of Golden Age’s ‘Problem’