‘SNL’ Report Card: Cecily Strong Is The Show’s Most Irreplaceable Cast Member

Who: Cecily Strong
Cast Member Since: 2012

Kenan Thompson is often called the “heart and soul” of modern day Saturday Night Live. This cannot be disputed while Thompson remains in the cast, but as soon as he exits, the title should immediately move to Cecily Strong.

Having just wrapped her 7th season, the 35-year-old Strong has co-hosted Weekend Update, introduced nearly 20 original characters, and has contributed over 55 (!) celebrity impressions. There is nobody else in the cast who can say that, and she does it effortlessly. In fact, in the history of the show, only SNL titans like Kevin Nealon, Amy Poehler, and Jimmy Fallon sport this sort of diverse range.

From the get-go, Strong’s character work —think The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party, or the seemingly retired Kyra (from the wonderful “Girlfriends Talkshow” sketches)— immediately established her as an SNL heavy hitter. At the same time, she’s also adept at being a team player, someone who is completely comfortable in a supporting role that lets others shine (think Sharon, the totally chill alien abductee from the show’s most popular current bit). Like Kenan, Strong also knows when to ease back on characters to let them breath and give audiences a break. The aforementioned “Girlfriends Talkshow” hasn’t been seen since 2015, and other characters like Cathy Anne got their start in sketches before morphing into a Weekend Update guest called upon only when necessary.

Strong’s celebrity impressions are equally top shelf. First Lady Melania Trump is arguably her most well-known – thanks in no small part to the appearance rate (Strong has played Melania over 20 times since 2015), but her TV personality parodies are where the real laughs are. Strong’s Jeanine Pirro (arguably her second most popular parody), Abby Huntsman, Rachel Maddow and Brooke Baldwin are simply uncanny.

Another important facet of Strong’s skills is her ability to sing. Her tenure on SNL has quietly delivered some of the best musical moments of the past twenty years. “Deborah’s Time” was an instant classic in 2015, as was this past season’s “Ladies Room.” My favorites will probably always be 2014’s “Ooh Child” and (the no longer on YouTube) “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” duet with host Jimmy Fallon back in 2013.

What sets Strong’s musical segments apart from other musically inclined SNL cast members, such as Maya Rudolph, is her range. Whereas Rudolph tended to always fall into an exaggerated caricature of R&B tropes whenever song was required (her 2006 National Anthem sketch plays like a super cut of every vocal style she brought to the table over nine seasons), Strong can nail everything from pop and show tunes to ethnic ensembles. This also means the world of pop music is fair game for her vast number of celebrity impressions. Since 2013, Strong has tackled everyone from Ariana Grande, Alanis Morissette, Gloria Estefan, Lana Del Rey and even Lin-Manuel Miranda (!).

So what do we expect from Strong in 2019-2020? The easy answers are more Melania, Pirro, and memorable Weekend Update characters. None of that is a bad thing. But what should excite us the most is the idea of 1-2 new Cecily characters and a handful of musical sketches we don’t yet even know we need.

Below are two hilarious examples of Cecily Strong during the 2018-2019 season.

Sketch: HSN Teeny Adorables
Episode: Claire Foy/Anderson.Paak (12/1/18)

NOTE: When first time host Claire Foy was in NYC for her week on SNL, she told Jimmy Fallon she felt like “a complete imposter.” This comment no doubt came after rehearsing sketches like Teeny Adorables which required her to act alongside Strong while delivering some of her strongest “stupid butthole” laughs of the season.

Sketch: Mr. Tumnus
Episode: James McAvoy/Meek Mill (1/26/19)

NOTE: If Strongs work in Teeny Adorables represents her loud and obnoxious side, this Chronicles of Narnia spoof demonstrates her anxious teenager/millennial persona. This was a sketch anchored in such an absurd concept that if Strong’s character didn’t play off McAvoy perfectly, the whole thing would have fallen apart.

SNL REPORT CARD FOR CECILY STRONG: 4 Coneys

SCALE:
4 Coneys = Excellent / 3 Coneys = Good / 2 Coneys = Needs Improvement / 1 Coney = Worst

Jason Nummer still wonders what a second SNL season with Brooks Wheelan would have been like. You can follow him on Twitter at @jrnummer.