The Unspoken Truth Of Cecily Strong
The world was first introduced to Cecily Strong when she joined the cast of NBC's premier late night sketch show "Saturday Night Live" in 2012. Alongside fellow featured players Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson, and Kate McKinnon, Strong quickly became an irreplaceable part of a cast which at the time still included veterans like Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and Vanessa Bayer. As the years went on, Strong grew to be one of the major female cast members not just of her era, but the show's history.
Strong has been mostly recognizable for "SNL" fan favorite "Weekend Update" characters like The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party and Michael Che's crazed neighbor Cathy Anne, as well as impressions like Jeanine Pirro, Melania Trump, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Strong has also had a lesser-known resume of work outside of the NBC show, varying from TV shows to theatrical work to essay writing.
In particular, her 2021 memoir "This Will All Be Over Soon," written during the COVID-19 pandemic, was a huge moment for the personally private "SNL" star, as she revealed many details about her coming-of-age, experiences with abusive relationships, and grief. Though her "Saturday Night Live" days may be behind her, there's plenty that casual fans of the program likely don't know about this comedy star.
Cecily Strong's high school years were troublesome
Many comedians who end up on "Saturday Night Live" took non-traditional paths to get there, with Cecily Strong being no exception. The comedian had a surprisingly troubled youth, which she's opened up about in interviews as well as her 2021 memoir. Growing up in the neighborhood of Oak Park in Chicago, Illinois, Strong was expelled from her town's local high school after being caught with a bag of marijuana in her backpack, though her parents went easy on her for it.
Strong eventually ended up transferring to the Chicago Academy for the Arts, where her performing future would begin to be shaped. As Strong told Chicago magazine, she felt much more comfortable among creatives, saying, "My drama instructor suggested I try comedy ... of course I fell in love with it." However, things sadly didn't improve for Strong in her home life.
Her brother, Nat, struggled with disabilities including ADHD, dyslexia, and Asperger's, resulting in many physical fights between the two of them growing up. Nat eventually was admitted to a children's psychiatric hospital in Chicago, which eventually culminated in her parents deciding to divorce. Thankfully, Strong remains close with both her father and mother, who she credits with shaping her comedic sensibilities.
She traveled the world touring with The Second City
After studying acting as an undergraduate at CalArts, Cecily Strong returned to her hometown of Chicago in pursuit of comedy, which ended up being quite fruitful, given the city's history with comic legends like Chris Farley, John Belushi, and Joan Cusack. Strong studied improv comedy at both the iO theater, as well as the Second City Training Center, which eventually resulted in her being hired by The Second City to be a touring performer.
Even during this time, Strong still struggled with self-doubt, telling The Chicago Tribune, "I kept thinking, 'Am I like one of those people on 'American Idol' who doesn't know they're not good?'" Her work with The Second City even took her on the Norwegian Cruise Line, which was a less than ideal experience for the burgeoning comedienne, though it did introduce her to future "SNL" cast mate Alex Moffat, who was also a performer.
Her acting work would remain mostly on stage for the time being, aside from the rare filmed sketch with Second City, such as 2011's "How to Stay Fresh 'Down There'," but she was eventually noticed by "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels during a showcase at Chicago's iO theater. Although Strong thought she bombed the performance, Michaels invited her to New York to audition for his program, which Strong — to her surprise — landed.
Strong left Weekend Update to focus on sketches
Cecily Strong's first season as a featured player on "Saturday Night Live" was a success: she impressed at-home audiences with her Weekend Update character "The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party," whose unintelligible ramblings to anchor Seth Meyers immediately made her a legendary character. Other early successes for Strong included "The Girlfriends Talk Show" with fellow featured player Aidy Bryant, and her porn star-turned-commercial-model with Vanessa Bayer.
In her second season, Strong was not only promoted to repertory player, but received a major upgrade as part of the show's cast. She began co-hosting "Weekend Update" alongside Meyers, who was slated to depart from the show midway through the season. Meyers was eventually replaced by "SNL" writer Colin Jost, and he and Strong became the faces of "Weekend Update" for Season 39. However, Strong departed from the role beginning with Season 40, returning to her usual work in sketches.
Strong discussed her departure from "Weekend Update" on fellow comedian Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast, claiming, "It feels ungrateful or something, but I didn't want to be known for 'Update,' and a not great 'Update.' I like doing characters." It was a smart move from Strong, who would in future seasons come to the "Weekend Update" desk with now-iconic characters like Cathy Anne, Jeanine Pirro, and Goober the Clown.
Strong was nervous about performing at the White House Correspondents' Dinner
If her work on "Saturday Night Live" hadn't caught the general public's attention, Cecily Strong would certainly do so in 2015 when she was invited to perform a stand-up set at the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner. Strong would be joining a long legacy of comedians to perform at the formal event, including Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, and Wanda Sykes. However, Strong would have the challenge of being upstaged by one particularly charismatic figure.
As is White House Correspondents Dinner tradition, Strong's remarks had to follow a speech given by President Barack Obama himself. In 2015 particularly, the then-president came in strong for his speech, bringing comedian Keegan-Michael Key along to accompany him as his iconic "Key and Peele" character Luther, the president's anger translator. The pressure on Strong was, well, strong, as she would tell The New York Times, but she eased her own worries, saying, "I've done a lot of things that have scared me, and they turned out okay."
As it turns out, Strong did a remarkable job, taking shots during her speech at Joe Biden, the Republican candidates for president, and police brutality. However, her best joke poked fun at the dinner's own TV audience: "Tonight's event is being broadcast on C-Span, so to some of tonight's viewers watching alone on C-Span, hello, but to most of tonight's viewers at home alone tonight, meow."
Her romantic life has been both public and private
Even after her rise to stardom on "Saturday Night Live," Cecily Strong has been pretty keen on keeping her private life private. It was known for a while that Strong was dating fellow "SNL" castmate and writer Mike O'Brien, though their relationship was never made a focus on the show. She opened up about her romantic history in her 2021 memoir, "This Will All Be Over Soon," but remained terse about her time with O'Brien.
Most of the memoir centers on Strong's burgeoning relationship with "Jack," who she met shortly before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. She briefly described the beginning of their romance in her essay for Vulture, "I Don't Know How to Tell This Story," which eventually became the first chapter of "This Will All Be Over Soon," referring to him as "the guy over there with the mustache."
In the book, Strong also recounts an abusive relationship she had throughout her 20s. Or rather, she doesn't, as she received an email from the former flame after sending him what she had written, requesting that she not publish it. Strong recalled her reaction to his response in USA Today: "It was just so cold and it really threw me and I was really upset for a couple days after that." Strong proceeded to leave 11 blank pages in the book for everything that she left out.
She channeled her experiences with grief into her memoir
"This Will All Be Over Soon" contained much more than just insight into Cecily Strong's romantic relationships. After opening up about the passing of her cousin Owen from cancer in an article for Vulture, Strong shared more in the 2021 memoir, which consists of diary entries she wrote throughout the year after Owen's passing. It's an incredibly raw memoir, as her exploration of grief causes her to grapple with other losses throughout her life, and newer ones as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the book, Strong not only mourns her beloved cousin, but also figures like "SNL" music director Hal Wilner, basketball star Kobe Bryant, and "Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman, all of whom also passed in 2020. However, Strong's intention was less to show how badly she suffered from grief, but to start a conversation with others about their own sorrow, which she felt was the greatest way she can continue to honor Owen's life.
Regarding the book's tone, which is at times humorous but mostly heart-wrenching, Strong told the Washington Post, "Humor and comedy are part of my life. I'm never worried they won't be there. But it's not a thing I use as a crutch in intimate conversation." Thankfully, the candor and vulnerability Strong showcased on the page would follow her to "Saturday Night Live" in unexpected ways.
Goober the Clown was inspired by Strong's own experiences with abortion
After opening up about her life for the first time in her 2021 memoir, Cecily Strong kept up the trend of being vulnerable even after she returned to "Saturday Night Live" following the pandemic. Among Strong's most memorable characters during this time was Goober, the clown who had an abortion when she was 23. As Goober claims in the sketch (after inhaling a helium-filled balloon): "I know I wouldn't be a clown on TV here today if it weren't for the abortion I had the day before my 23rd birthday."
The "Update" piece is a thinly-veiled metaphor for Strong's own frustration with women having to be forthcoming about their experiences with abortion, due to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and state legislatures banning the procedure. Fortunately, it worked, garnering praise from pro-choice advocates as well as vitriol from those who were against it. On her Instagram, Strong thanked her "SNL" collaborators for helping her open up about the experience, while "Goober the Clown" has since been recognized for its contributions to the discourse around women's private reproductive rights.
Strong became a mentor for newer female castmates
As the years went on, Cecily Strong went from a fresh face on "SNL" to one of the show's most consistent talents and longest-running female cast members. By the end of the 2010s, Strong had slowly become a mentor figure to many of the newer cast members of the show, which included Season 44 newcomer Ego Nwodim, who described Strong's influence on her in a joint interview with Variety: "Cecily took me under her wing ... and I think wanted to make sure that she was being a good leader."
In the interview, Nwodim also recounted some of Strong's advice during her early seasons, such as remembering that the show's main goal is to entertain audiences, and failure to do so isn't a reflection on the cast or crew. Strong also admitted to having a similar relationship to Heidi Gardner, who had joined "Saturday Night Live" a season prior to Nwodim.
Of course, this is just Strong paying it forward from her own experience on "Saturday Night Live." During her first season, Strong and her fellow newcomers were taken out to dinner by Bill Hader, who had the same done for him by Amy Poehler when he was a new cast member, and advised them that it's normal to feel anxious about the show.
Lorne Michaels chose Strong to lead Schmigadoon!
Cecily Strong's work in television and film was limited outside of "Saturday Night Live," mainly due to the rigorous schedule of the late-night NBC show. Aside from appearances in 2016's "Ghostbusters," as well as guest spots on shows like "Detroiters," "Superstore," and "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson," Strong got her first chance at a big starring role outside of "SNL" in 2020, when she was cast in Apple TV+'s musical comedy "Schmigadoon!," which was produced by "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels.
The show, which co-stars Keegan-Michael Key, finds the comedic duo playing a husband and wife who end up trapped in a town based on 1950's musicals, where they must find true love before they're allowed to leave. For Michaels, picking Strong for the role was a no-brainer, as he later told Variety: "I knew she would get the ways in which it's moving and complex but also understand that cartoon reality."
The first season of "Schmigadoon!" premiered in 2021, and was acclaimed for its catchy music and appeal to theater fans. Its second season, which arrived in 2023, garnered even more acclaim, and has been labeled by publications as one of the most underrated shows on Apple TV+. For Strong, she has felt right at home in the show, which was a delight to film during COVID-19 due to the shutdown of musical theater.
Strong almost departed SNL with a tribute to Sinatra
Rumors began to swirl about Cecily Strong's departure from "Saturday Night Live" once the show returned from COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. Strong was initially absent from the first episodes of the show's 46th season due to her filming commitments to "Schmigadoon!," but it was the finale of the season that indicated to some that her time may be up.
In the Season 46 finale, hosted by Anya Taylor-Joy, rumors about Strong leaving grew when she appeared during the cold open alongside Kenan Thompson, Aidy Bryant, and Kate McKinnon, as well as a "Weekend Update" appearance from Pete Davidson. However, the real indicator that Strong may have been ready to leave was her reprising her role as Judge Jeanine Pirro on "Update," providing a grand finale to the season by singing Frank Sinatra's "My Way" in a tank of red wine.
However, Season 46 ended up only being the final season for Beck Bennett and Lauren Holt, while the group of Thompson, Bryant, McKinnon, Davidson, and Strong all remained for the next season. Strong's return was up in the air throughout the summer before Season 47 began, as she told The New York Times, "Throughout the year, there were times where I felt like a fifth-year senior and I'm just hanging around, dead weight. Then there would be moments that felt so good."
Cecily Strong upgraded Lily Tomlin's one-woman show
Although Cecily Strong stuck around on "Saturday Night Live" after its 46th season, she was once again absent for several episodes due to another prior commitment. Starting in January 2022, Strong began starring in a revival of Jane Wagner's 1985 one-woman play, "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," which was originated by Lily Tomlin. Strong's initial off-Broadway run led her to miss the first three "SNL" episodes of 2022, and later the first three episodes of Season 48 when the play moved to Los Angeles.
Filling the shoes of Lily Tomlin, however, was quite a lot of pressure, even compared to performing on "Saturday Night Live." Strong even had to perform in front of Tomlin during its Los Angeles run, which she described as a surreal moment for her.
Strong's experience on "Saturday Night Live" certainly helped in shaping her performance, as critics noted that Strong embodied the various characters of the play with more commitment than Tomlin did in her original run. As The New York Times wrote, "It's harder to laugh at her [character] Trudy, a figure of pathos with a squinty tic and a hunched gait that never lets you forget she is shadowed by danger." Between "Intelligent Life" and "Schmigadoon!," Strong's post-"SNL" future began to seem not only bright, but theatrical.
She was finally ready to leave SNL during Season 48
Following the successful run of "Intelligent Life," Cecily Strong returned to "SNL" in its 48th season, but she wasn't around for long this time. It was announced she would be leaving the show, this time for good, during the mid-season Christmas episode hosted by Austin Butler, the same episode that cemented Strong's record as the show's longest-running female cast member. The episode itself, however, was bittersweet.
She made a "Weekend Update" appearance as Michael Che's neighbor Cathy Anne, who said goodbye before heading to prison — where she noted she already has "friends on the inside," cueing up an image of Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon in orange jumpsuits and tattoos. It was a sentimental tearjerker of a Cathy Anne appearance, especially when she finally lit the cigarette she'd been toying with for seven years.
For a cast member as influential to "Saturday Night Live" in the modern era as Cecily Strong, it's appropriate that Cathy Anne wasn't her only goodbye in the episode. The show's final sketch of the night saw Cecily graduating from her job at "Radio Shack," where manager Frank Lasagna (played by Kenan) introduced Butler to serenade her with Elvis' "Blue Christmas."