The final Saturday Night Live episode of 2022 ended on an emotional note as longtime cast member Cecily Strong announced it was her final show. She recently opened up about her final day on the long-running variety series and has also reflected on a beloved SNL memory, which included Mikey Day feeling her up.
Strong took to Instagram to tell the story behind some “illegal” memories on SNL, with one including a Weekend Update where she tasked Mikey Day with playing a puppet, not realizing she asked her friend to basically feel her up, but of course, he played the part with no problem:
The Weekend Update sketches were always pretty hilarious when Cecily Strong was included, and it’s even funnier to know the story behind one of them. Although she will definitely be missed on the series, it’s nice to live in a time when she and fans can just look back at fun moments with the click of a button and have all of those memories just racing back. I can only imagine the type of stories that Cecily Strong still has to tell!
Cecily Strong’s exit comes on the heels of multiple cast exits from SNL earlier in the season. Her future was originally in question after Strong wasn’t seen in Season 48’s opening credits, as she was busy performing in a play in Los Angeles. While it's sad to lose her from the long-running NBC show, that she has made a name for herself outside of SNL is good to see. Luckily the cast for Season 48 of SNL is still strong.
Rumors swirled about when Cecily Strong would leave SNL before she made it official in December. Between the play in Los Angeles and her place as part of the Schmigadoon! cast on Apple TV+, the future looks bright for her, even if it won't be live from New York on Saturday nights. For me, though, it would have been a bit better if she left at the end of the season rather than in the middle of it, but at least she had Austin Butler sing to her in front of millions of people. So that’s a plus.
SNL is going to be different without Cecily Strong’s outrageous characters popping up on Weekend Update and other sketches, but it should be interesting to see what she comes up with next. Fingers crossed that this won’t be the last time we see her at 30 Rock!
SNL alums have certainly returned for guest spots (with Maya Rudolph winning an Emmy for her portrayal of Vice President Kamala Harris) and hosting gigs. In fact, former SNL cast member Martin Short co-hosted with his Only Murders in the Building co-star Steve Martin just one week before Cecily Strong's final episode. Could she be the next alum to come back as a host?
Tune in to NBC in the new year to find out. The network hasn't yet announced when SNL will return in the 2023 TV premiere schedule, but Season 48 certainly isn't over yet!
