Cecily Strong is leaving Saturday Night Live after eleven seasons on the show. A social media post on the sketch show’s official Instagram account confirmed Strong’s exit.
“We’ll miss you Cecily,” read a shared cue card, while the post’s caption read, “Tonight we’re sending away one of the best EVER. We will miss you, Cecily!”
Strong’s final episode, slated for Saturday December 17th, will host Austin Butler and feature Lizzo as a musical guest.
Strong made her debut on SNL as a leading lady on September 15, 2012, and was ramped up the following year beginning with season 39. The comedy star co-hosted the Weekend Update segment with Seth Meyers. When Meyers left to host Late Night, Strong continued to host the segment for a season alongside SNL writer Colin Jost.
Some of Strong’s favorite recurring characters on the NBC sketch show are The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation with at a Party, Dana, the vocal and unfriendly retail clerk, Krya, the co-host of The Girlfriends Talk Show , Cathy Anne, Michael Che’s drug-addicted neighbor, among others.
During her tenure at SNL, Strong had a strong celebrity impersonation game. Some of the most memorable include Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Judge Jeanine Pirro and most recently Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake with all her zoom filters.
There’s more to come…