SNL is losing its anchor and heart with Kate McKinnon's departure

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/05/snl-kate-mckinnon/629948/

Saturday Night Live bid farewell to longtime cast members McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney in last night's Season 47 finale. But of the four, the loss of McKinnon will hurt the most, says Amanda Wicks. It was always clear that McKinnon, who joined SNL for the final five episodes of Season 37 and stuck around for 10 more seasons to appear in more episodes than any other female cast member in the show's history, was going to be a star from her first sketch on April 7, 2012, says Wicks. "In many ways," Wicks adds, "McKinnon has been the heart of SNL since arriving a decade ago. As an ensemble comedy, the show requires cast members who support one another in service of a sketch—a lesson it learned after Chevy Chase’s departure following the first season. McKinnon’s talent pulled the spotlight, but she was an equally adept scene partner. She didn’t use her talents to isolate herself. Instead, she put nervous hosts at ease and warmly made room for everyone to do their best. The results read on camera: She always seemed like she was having the most fun. As the show’s first openly gay woman, and thanks to her time on The Big Gay Sketch Show, McKinnon played queer characters in a way that punched up. That satirical playfulness brought greater visibility to LGBTQ characters on what’s arguably the best known comedy stage in the world. Still, when given the opportunity to use SNL’s conspicuous platform, she would speak up and out, as she did against Florida’s recent 'Don’t Say Gay' bill." Wicks adds that with McKinnon's departure, SNL "is losing its anchor. It has survived such losses before, but with its 50th anniversary quickly approaching, and with grim headlines and a global pandemic still creating problems for the comedy institution, it’s unclear what will develop in her absence. In the meantime, I, for one, can’t wait until she returns to host."