'SNL' veteran Cecily Strong is bidding farewell to the late-night live television sketch comedy show continuing the exodus.
According to Variety, a US-based news outlet, Strong's final appearance as a cast member will be on Saturday's episode of "SNL," which is anticipated to be the last of 2022, according to the NBC programme. She joined "Saturday Night Live" in 2012 and has since made a name for herself by portraying characters like The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party and with a sleazy impression of Fox News opinion anchor Judge Jeanine Pirro. Strong even worked as an anchor on "Weekend Update" for a while while she was still on "SNL" alongside Colin Jost and Seth Meyers.
Strong's exit shouldn't come as much of a surprise. A similar move was taken by Kate McKinnon at the beginning of her final season on the show in the fall of 2021. Similar to many other "SNL" cast members, Strong isn't straying too far from where she has called home.
In addition to McKinnon, "SNL" has lost a significant portion of its core talent in recent seasons. Aristotle Athari, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Pete Davidson, Alex Moffat, Chris Redd, Melissa Villaseor, and Kyle Mooney were all absent from the current round.
According to Variety, Strong has dazzled audiences with subtly political humour in previous seasons. She played "Goober the Clown Who Had An Abortion When She Was 23" on "Weekend Update" in 2021, shortly after Texas outlawed abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Similar topics were explored by Strong shortly before the November midterm elections with the help of a new character named "Tammy the Trucker," who pretended to be discussing rising gas prices while actually arguing for abortion rights.
On "Weekend Update," Strong made one more appearance as Cathy Anne, who claimed she was there to say farewell before heading to prison.
On her last day working for Radio Shack, Strong was bid farewell by Kenan Thompson in the evening's concluding segment. The show's host, Austin Butler, then sang "Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley to her and made her feel special. It turned into a duet when Strong joined in. As everyone gathered around Strong to bid her farewell, the entire group eventually started singing the Presley song. Hugging each of them, a tearful Strong.
One of its largest casts in recent history has allowed "SNL" to nurture a new generation of actors, including Heidi Gardner, Chloe Fineman, Ego Nwodim, Mikey Day, and Bowen Yang. Sarah Sherman and James Austin Johnson, two prominent players, have garnered some air time.
( With inputs from ANI )
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