Kate McKinnon was on fire tonight! The longtime SNL star appeared during Weekend Update alongside Colin Jost, this time playing Liz Cheney. The real-life Liz was just dumped by the GOP from her from her House leadership position after continuing to speak out against Donald Trump‘s “destructive lies” and other party members who support Donald Trump’s election falsehoods and more.
“Colin, this is the grand implosion of Trumpism. You don’t even know the size of the tsunami that’s coming. We’re talkin’ me, Omarosa, five white women, maybe six… have I said me?” – Kate McKinnon as Liz Cheney on #SNL 😂 pic.twitter.com/zHx5iJTgim
— LC (@Knope447) May 16, 2021
Kate’s Liz shared her own take on the situation. “I was kicked out of the Republican Party — I fell down to hell like Lil Nas X, fracked with the Devil and bounced back up onto MSNBC…I don’t know what happened,” she said next to a confused Colin. “I don’t know what I did wrong. Look at me! I’m everything a conservative woman should be — blonde, mean,” she hilariously added — seemingly about to continue the sentence, but stopping short.
“People are on my side. Brave Republicans, ready to speak my truth and start a movement. And there are more of us than you think,” Kate’s Liz, wearing a blue suit with a blonde bob wig went on. “This is grand implosion of Trumpism, you don’t even know the side of the tsunami…conservatives are leaving me high and dry! What more can I do for you people? I’m against gay marriage even though my sister is a lesbian…and I’m not conservative enough?” she also ranted.
The May 15 episode marked Keegan-Michael Key‘s SNL hosting debut — but the Michigan native is no stranger to sketch comedy! He was a longtime cast member on rival series MADtv, which aired on FOX from 1995 to 2009 (the series also saw a brief revival on The CW network back in 2016). Keegan-Michael joined the series in 2004 alongside Jordan Peele. Although he had a number of memorable characters over his time on the show, he is perhaps best known for the high school themed “Coach Hines” sketch.
Keegan-Michael was over-the-moon about the bucket list opportunity, which was announced on May 3. Taking to Instagram, he reposted SNL‘s signature post-it note image featuring his name alongside musical guest Olivia Rodrigo‘s. “Dreams do come true. @nbcsnl,” he simply captioned the post, which got over 50,000 likes. The official SNL account sweetly replied with hearts, as several celebrities made it known that they’ll be tuning in! Jamie Lee Curtis wrote, “NOW I’LL WATCH,” while Terry Crews wrote several fire emojis. “AWESOME!!!!!” fellow comedian Kevin Nealon added. “Thank you to every friend and fan who supported me along this journey. It’s tonight!” he added several hours before showtime.
Before blowing up in the comedy world, Keegan-Michael attended both the University of Detroit Mercy and Pennsylvania State University to study theatre. His earliest memories of comedy, however, come from watching shows with his father — including The Bugs Bunny Show. “The embryonic beginnings of what the power of comedy was…My father, a grown man, would just laugh uproariously at the roadrunner and the coyote,” he recalled on the In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast. “You’re a child, so your parents are godlike to you. ‘This material on the television is disarming my father.’ That’s powerful. Why is it so powerful?” he reflected.