Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Kate McKinnon

October 28, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Kate McKinnon is embracing a post-SNL life focused on homesteading, carpentry, and preparing for the apocalypse, contrasting with her high-energy performance persona. 
  • Amy Poehler and Kate McKinnon share a deep bond rooted in their shared experience as introverts navigating the extroverted demands of *Saturday Night Live*. 
  • Kate McKinnon's second book in the Millicent Quibb series draws parallels between the structure of middle-grade literature and sketch comedy, focusing on themes of uniqueness and hope. 

Segments

Aidy Bryant’s Question
Copied to clipboard!
(00:00:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Aidy Bryant, joining the episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler, poses two questions for Kate McKinnon concerning her ideal day of solitude and the container she used for hair extensions.
  • Summary: Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon’s fellow SNL cast member, introduces herself and provides Amy Poehler with two specific questions for the main guest. The first question seeks to define Kate McKinnon’s perfect day of solitude, including activities and meals. The second, more specific question asks what Kate used to carry her hair extensions in.
SNL Cast Size Reflection
Copied to clipboard!
(00:02:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy Poehler and Aidy Bryant reflect on the surprisingly small number of women who have been cast members on Saturday Night Live throughout its history.
  • Summary: The conversation briefly pauses to estimate the total number of SNL cast members, which is revealed to be 167. Aidy Bryant notes that she and Kate McKinnon bonded over being introverts in the highly extroverted environment of the show. They recall sharing an office and supporting each other in navigating the overwhelming experience.
Kate’s Hidden Talents
Copied to clipboard!
(00:05:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate McKinnon possesses numerous undisclosed skills, including painting and playing the piano and cello, contributing to her mysterious persona.
  • Summary: Amy Poehler describes Kate McKinnon as a ‘sneaky freak who has a million skills and talents,’ citing discoveries of her paintings and musical abilities. Aidy Bryant contrasts this with her own tendency to openly share her skills, highlighting McKinnon’s reserved nature.
SNL Performance Style
Copied to clipboard!
(00:10:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate McKinnon was known for delivering her funniest, most uninhibited performances during the live broadcast, often surprising her scene partners.
  • Summary: Aidy Bryant praises McKinnon’s relaxed stage presence, though McKinnon admits to being terribly nervous internally, especially before the live airing. McKinnon was notorious for holding back her best material until the final broadcast, forcing scene partners to adapt quickly.
Post-SNL Life & Hobbies
Copied to clipboard!
(00:16:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate McKinnon views her departure from SNL as fulfilling her primary dream, leading her to focus on practical skills like carpentry and gardening to fill the resulting ’time hole.'
  • Summary: Kate McKinnon states that SNL was her singular dream, and now that it is complete, she is focused on homesteading and preparing for the apocalypse, aiming to survive four days post-collapse. She has taken up carpentry, specifically reclaimed hemlock trim work, because physical creation offers permanence unlike ephemeral sketches or books.
Woodworking and Mistakes
Copied to clipboard!
(00:34:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate McKinnon enjoys woodworking because it allows her to create tangible objects she can physically interact with, contrasting with the ephemerality of comedy, and she accepts that her shoddy work decreases property value.
  • Summary: McKinnon finds satisfaction in manipulating wood into functional items like a table, noting that her grandfather was a woodworker and her father an architect. She admits that mistakes in carpentry result in shoddy work that she installs anyway, but she aspires to learn plumbing and electrical skills to function as a general contractor for the apocalypse.
Political Impressions and Responsibility
Copied to clipboard!
(00:40:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Playing political figures on SNL felt meaningful in engaging with culture, but it carried the burden of worrying about potentially hurting real people’s feelings, even those she politically disagreed with.
  • Summary: Kate McKinnon reveals her final sketch pitch involved her character Sheila Sauvange tonguing everyone, but the show opted for the more meaningful alien send-off. She felt a responsibility when satirizing political figures like Hillary Clinton, admitting that reading critiques about potentially hurting them ‘broke her brain.’
Millicent Quibb Book Series
Copied to clipboard!
(00:58:15)
  • Key Takeaway: The Millicent Quibb middle-grade series, which Kate McKinnon began writing 12 years ago, is inspired by her childhood love for science, bugs, and the need to encourage young readers to explore nature.
  • Summary: McKinnon compares middle-grade literature to sketch comedy due to shared elements like funny names and a sense of hope. The books feature a pariah mad scientist who mentors ‘weirdos’ in fighting bad guys using mad science. She hopes the series inspires children to go outside and interact with nature, recalling finding a fox skull with an earwig inside as a magical childhood moment.
What Makes Kate Laugh
Copied to clipboard!
(01:02:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate McKinnon finds genuine laughter from watching Australian YouTube videos featuring a drain cleaner who expresses overwhelming enthusiasm for clearing clogged restaurant pipes.
  • Summary: McKinnon’s current source of levity is ‘Drain Cleaning Australia,’ where the enthusiastic cleaner expresses joy over finding grease, hair, and even cockroaches in the drains. She appreciates the man’s genuine enthusiasm, which she finds infectious, even if the content is otherwise unpleasant.