Kate McKinnon Gets Candid About Mental Health

Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon gets candid about mental health in the Power of Women in Comedy issue for Variety Magazine. Known for her impressions of Justin Bieber and Dr. Fauci, The Emmy-winning actress shares how comedy helped her overcome social anxiety. McKinnon will be honored alongside other powerful females in comedy – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sofia Vergara, Mindy Kaling, Michaela Coel, and Maya Rudolph – during the Lifetime Presents Variety’s Power of Women: The Comedians special set to premiere May 10 at 8 PM on Lifetime.

.@Variety has released the covers for their 2021 Power of Women issue, which highlights comedians Kate McKinnon, @SofiaVergara, @OfficialJLD, @MichaelaCoel, @MayaRudolph and @MindyKaling. pic.twitter.com/hkhSQI5xWL

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 5, 2021

“I found I was more easily able to communicate with people doing a funny voice,” McKinnon stated in Variety. “I found it was a way to share joy and to bring a sense of fun and community in a way that I had trouble doing just in my own voice. I do have a personality, but I find it easier still in some ways to communicate in character.”

In the last few years, McKinnon starred alongside SNL alums Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones in the all-female remake of Ghostbusters. She appeared in comedies like Office Christmas Party, Yesterday, and The Spy Who Dumped Me. But of all her roles, McKinnon reveals that performing “Hallelujah” as Hillary Clinton in 2016 was an “incredibly cathartic” expression of satire.

“I have had a few moments in my life of a truly profound connection with an audience where I laid myself absolutely bare, and that was certainly one of them,” McKinnon stated in Variety. “That was special for me because I felt for the people [for] whom that was a moment of pain; I got to talk to them. And that’s why I’m in this game.”

I want Kate McKinnon to have the career opportunities similar to Kristen Wiig. I mean… she literally can so

— Atlas | was osgoods_tardis (@kidasingoat) May 5, 2021

Kate McKinnon’s Eccentric Impressions Remain a ‘Saturday Night Live’ Staple https://t.co/nezGPrpYeG pic.twitter.com/1G2lcW8lsx

— Variety_TV (@Variety_TV) May 5, 2021

Touching to read how much #SNL means to Kate McKinnon. I totally believe she has no idea when to call time on the show. After nine seasons, it’s easy to forget how much heart, value and vulnerability she’s presented to us while ruling as this cast’s MVP.https://t.co/kIkU07B2eB

— T Jones (@SNLT57) May 5, 2021

As part of the Lifetime Variety event, each woman will be interviewed by a close friend or family member. SNL cast members Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang are also on that list. According to a sneak peek of the interview, it appears that Bryant will be interviewing her longtime costar. Of course, it already looks hilarious, as the two leading ladies are.

📹 | Sneak Peak of Aidy Bryant interviewing Kate McKinnon for Variety’s Power of Women special! pic.twitter.com/uwYDWNRwjz

— Adoring Kate McKinnon (@KateMcKinnonNet) May 5, 2021

“Of all the seasons I worked on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ this one may have been my favorite because it helped me to feel less alone,” McKinnon stated in Variety. “If I hadn’t been able to commune with people through a TV screen this year, I really would have been in bad shape.”

While McKinnon may be the one being honored, she took the time to honor her own comedy heroes. She name-dropped women throughout SNL history, including Molly Shannon, Cheri Oteri, and Ana Gasteyer. McKinnon also thanked her mentors (‘the greats’) such as Maya Rudolph (who appears in the issue with her), Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey.

But McKinnon herself is quickly becoming one of ‘the greats’ in her own likeness. We don’t know how much longer the comedian will stay at SNL, as hinted in the interview, but she’s sure to bring that same humor and passion to whatever project she takes on next.

Kate McKinnon doing her sketches at home with her cat is the best thing ever pic.twitter.com/c5uQcB002d

— Aleksei Jupiter (@alexeidelilah) May 4, 2021

You can find more about Variety’s Power of Women in Comedy special on Lifetime here, and join in honoring the bests of the industry.