Kathryn McKinnon Berthold, better known as Kate McKinnon, is a talented American actress and comedienne, renowned for her remarkable performances on Saturday Night Live and The Big Gay Sketch Show, as well as her captivating portrayal of Dr. Jillian Holtzmann in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot.
McKinnon is particularly celebrated for her impressive character work and celebrity impressions, including pop singer Justin Bieber, comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres, and influential political figures such as Hillary Clinton, Kellyanne Conway, Elizabeth Warren, Betsy DeVos, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Robert Mueller, and Jeff Sessions. She has received numerous Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning twice in 2016 and 2017.
Born and raised in the Long Island town of Sea Cliff, New York, McKinnon is the daughter of Laura Campbell, a parent educator, and Michael Thomas Berthold, an architect. She has a younger sister, Emily, and tragically lost her father at the age of 18.
As a child, McKinnon developed a passion for music, learning to play the piano at the age of five, the cello at 12, and teaching herself to play the guitar at 15. She graduated from North Shore High School in 2002 and later from Columbia University in 2006 with a theater major, where she co-founded a comedy group called Tea Party, focusing on musical improv comedy.
McKinnon joined the original cast of Logo TV's The Big Gay Sketch Show in 2007, where she remained a cast member for all three seasons. She has also performed live sketch comedy regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City and has worked as a voice-over actress, lending her voice to series such as The Venture Bros., Robotomy, and Ugly Americans.
In 2009, McKinnon won a Logo NewNowNext Award for Best Rising Comic, and in 2010, she was nominated for an ECNY Emerging Comic Award. She appeared in the Kennedy Center Honors in 2014, paying tribute to Lily Tomlin, and starred in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot alongside Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Leslie Jones.
McKinnon debuted as a featured player on Saturday Night Live in 2012 and was promoted to repertory status in season 39 in 2013. She is now the longest-serving female cast member, following the departure of Vanessa Bayer.
Throughout her career, McKinnon has received numerous accolades, including an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress, Comedy, in 2013, and an American Comedy Award for Best Supporting Actress, TV, in 2014. She won her first Emmy Award in 2016 and her second in 2017, becoming the first actor from SNL to win the award since 1993.
McKinnon's impressions of Hillary Clinton, Kellyanne Conway, Elizabeth Warren, and Jeff Sessions have garnered significant attention, with the real Clinton even appearing alongside her in a sketch during the show's season 41 premiere. McKinnon has expressed her deep admiration for Clinton and her desire for her to win the 2016 presidential election.
