It has been a rough couple of years for NBC’s 47-year-old Saturday Night Live. The pandemic caused the sketch comedy show to morph into a hybrid of virtual and home-filmed skits. Then, earlier this year, it lost four top longtime stars — Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, Aidy Bryant, and Pete Davidson.
Last night, 11-year cast member Cecily Strong joined the list of stars departing for other projects.
Just hours before she took the stage for her final SNL episode, the show posted a message on Instagram: “Tonight we send off one of the best to ever do it. We’ll miss you, Cecily!”
Strong first joined the cast in 2012, and her 11-year run, according to Entertainment Weekly, made her “one of the longest-tenured cast members on the show, tying Kate McKinnon as the longest-serving female cast member at 11 seasons.”
While Strong is leaving SNL, she’s not leaving the SNL world. Her show, Schmigadoon!, on Apple TV+ is entering its second season and is executive produced by SNL boss Lorne Michaels.
During the final sketch of 2022, cast member Kenan Thompson began a skit about Radio Shack but took a moment to remark about Strong’s leaving the show while somewhat staying within the sketch.
“As some of you know, this is Cecily’s last day working at … Radio Shack after eight incredible years,” Thompson told the audience in the sketch.
Strong interjected, “Well, I’ve been here 11 [years].”
“I know. Eight of them were incredible,” he joked in response.
He continued with his farewell, “I don’t think Radio Shack could have survived this long without Cecily. Every time she came to work, she had a new character or a new accent or a new impression that would just blow you away.”
Thompson began to get choked up as he said, “She had a power and joy that made you remember why you loved working at Radio Shack in the first place.”
He went on to say he loved Strong in his remarks.
“I know I am not supposed to say this as your boss,” Thompson said as manager “Frank Lasagna” in the Radio Shack sketch. “But I love you, Cecily.”
Strong ended her final show with a serenade from Elvis star and SNL host Austin Butler, leading the cast in a rendition of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Christmas classic “Blue Christmas.”
SNL’s final send-off to Cecily Strong is so sweet. Austin Butler and the cast sang “Blue Christmas” to her to close her last show after 11 seasons. several tears were shed
“You’ll be doing all right every Saturday night, but I’ll have a blue, blue, blue Christmas.” pic.twitter.com/gUhg0HUYl7
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) December 18, 2022
Saturday Night Live is the longest-running nonnews program on television.
