Kate McKinnon is the queen of comedy, and she's uncannily great at doing impressions on Saturday Night Live [1]. The seven-time Emmy nominee embraces her characters in a way that we can only describe as absolutely bonkers, always wearing fantastic makeup and showing an intrinsic knack for conveying her characters' quirks. Her impression of Hillary Clinton is a joy, infusing the forthright leader with a maniacal quality. We'd also be remiss not to give a shout out to her other political impressions as well. The fact that she can pull off Jeff Sessions and Kellyanne Conway [2] speaks to her immense talent. From Elizabeth Warren to Justin Bieber, we've compiled McKinnon's best SNL impressions over the years [3], so prepare yourself to be wowed by her incredible versatility.
Hillary Clinton
Ah yes, there's been two iconic impressions of Hillary Clinton on Saturday Night Live [4] — Amy Poehler [5]'s and McKinnon's. In a really rough election season in 2016, at least we could see the comedian bring a lighter touch to the seriousness of politics. McKinnon captured the former secretary of state's forthright demeanour and the barrage of sexism [6] hurled towards her with a batty, goofy twist.
Elizabeth Warren
With a gentle twang and explanatory hand gestures, McKinnon does a fantastic job as the Massachusetts senator on the 2020 campaign trail as she's engageing in some BDSM (SNL's words [7], not mine) — bank destroying and saving Medicare. Her best moment is when she fabulously transformed from Elizabeth Warren to Sasha Velour during a skit about the CNN Equality Town Hall.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Felicity Jones is lovely as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in On the Basis of Sex [8], but if you're looking for the giggles, McKinnon will put you in stitches. She captures the headstrong, brazen spirit of the Supreme Court justice — to the extent of downing a huge packet of Emergen-C to show how RBG isn't retiring anytime soon.
Justin Bieber
McKinnon has portrayed Justin Bieber a few times, but her spoof of the singer's sultrily earnest Calvin Klein ad is by far one of her funniest bits on the show. She captures JBieb's sexy allure [9]...then says things like "my pee pee's in there" while pointing to her CK-covered crotch.
Kellyanne Conway
McKinnon's impression of Kellyanne Conway is dead-on, gently poking fun at how Trump's counselor pivots by using ridiculous non-sequiturs and perfectly capturing her subdued demeanour. Her performance in "Conway," a riff on the musical Chicago, is too epic not to watch.
Ellen DeGeneres
You'll immediately recognise Ellen's slight Southern accent and dance-it-out energy [10] in Kate McKinnon's very accurate portrayal of the talk show host. In this sketch, SNL also throws a few sharp zingers at the comedian's tendency to pivot to more light-hearted topics and love for corny jokes. We even see Vanessa Bayer and Nasim Pedrad as Sophia Grace and Rosie!
Jane Lynch
McKinnon's take on Jane Lynch [11] is simply *chef's kiss*. Just like Lynch on Hollywood Game Night, she carries herself with swagger in a suit and hilariously exaggerates the actress' snappy gestures.
Jeff Sessions
McKinnon can really be a chameleon doing impressions of any gender, evidenced by her bonkers portrayal of the former attorney general. Hearing about Jeff Sessions in the vicious news cycle with regards Russia, immigration, and even weed can be hard, but McKinnon certainly brings levity with all of the weirdness in this character.
Betsy DeVos
In addition to the perfect bob and the prim outfit with a statement necklace, McKinnon channels Betsy DeVos' cluelessly cool as a cucumber and smiley demeanour by saying controversial and problematic things about schools.
Martha Stewart
Ana Gasteyer did an iconic impression as Martha Stewart [12], but don't dismiss McKinnon's low-key horny take! In a faux ad for Match.com, McKinnon spoofs the lifestyle guru's wholesome image by saying that she's going on the dating app looking for someone to share her interests of "whimsical window eggs, tiered macaroons, and of course, the simple elegance of a good bang."
Angela Merkel
In addition to the German accent and iconic bangs, McKinnon plays up the chancellor [13] as a dependable, but a little worn-out leader that Europe treats like the mean mom who sends it straight to bed. She throws in some memorable, risqué gems in there like, "no Allies, it's mostly Axis these days."
Penelope Cruz
Here, Sofia Vergara and Penelope Cruz [14] (McKinnon) do a Pantene shampoo commercial, except Cruz is a little hard to understand when she starts dropping chemical names like "ammonium laureth sulphate." McKinnon channels Cruz's sexy energy [15] and Spanish accent effortlessly.