Cecily Strong

Cecily Strong Headshot

Actress • Comedian

Birth Date: February 8, 1984

Age: 40 years old

Birth Place: Springfield, Illinois

Partners: Mike O'Brien

Cecily Strong garnered her first taste of national limelight in fall 2012 as one of a long line of Chicago comic actors to people the cast of NBC's weekend comedy showcase "Saturday Night Live" (1975- ). Strong cut her teeth as a child actor in Chicago regional stage productions before going on to enjoy stints with some of the city's comedy institutions, including the iO Theater and The Second City. Her talents garnered the attention of longtime "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels, and she found herself vaulted to the Saturday night television comedy staple. Immediately making an impact with timely impersonations of Rachel Maddow and the "cougars" of the General Petraeus cheating scandal, Strong found herself singled out by media wags as a new talent to watch on a show already chock full of comedic talent.

Born in January 1984, Strong grew up in Oak Park, IL, the daughter of reporter and later public affairs professional Bill Strong and his wife Colleen. Cecily developed a penchant for performance early. While still in grade school, she won parts in children's theater productions of Chicago's Village Players Theatre, as well as juvenile roles in professional productions such as the Village Players' "The Grapes of Wrath," the Goodman Theatre's "The House of Martin Guerre" and the Mercury Theater's "Pope Joan." She initially attended Oak Park and River Forest High School until she was accepted into the auspicious Chicago Academy for the Arts. She graduated CAA in 2002 and matriculated at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA.

Securing a BA in fine arts in 2006, Strong returned to Chicago and began refining the comedic side of her thespian skills with further study at the Second City Conservatory. She was tapped to be a member of Second City's national touring company and performed aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Jewel with the Second City Theatricals troupe, which tailored shows for locale-specific performance runs. Back in Chicago, she honed her improvisational chops with an all-female improv team, Virgin Daiquiri, resident at comedy cauldron the iO Theater.

While performing in an iO comedy showcase in summer 2012, both Strong and fellow Virgin Daiquiri member Aidy Bryant were scouted by "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels. In August 2012, it was announced they would join the cast of the show. Strong made her impact amid the fall 2012 slate of "SNL" news spoofs, doing comically exaggerated takes on New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's zealous sign language interpreter, MSNBC news stalwart Rachel Maddow, and the women of the awkward General Petraeus "love triangle" scandal, Paula Broadwell and Jill Kelley. Strong also contributed to the show's cycle of one-note recurring characters, including a drunken, vapid semi-regular visitor to the show's "Weekend Update" segment called The Girl You Wished You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party.

Prior to the beginning of the 2013-14 season, it was announced that Strong would become "Update" anchor Seth Meyers' co-presenter during the venerable segment, and would inherit the spot outright when Meyers left mid-season to begin work on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (NBC 2014- ). After Meyers' departure, Strong was paired with a new co-anchor, head writer Colin Jost. The pair did not have the same chemistry as previous Update teams like Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon or Meyers and Amy Poehler, and at the beginning of the show's 40th season, it was announced that Strong had asked to leave the Weekend Update desk so that she could refocus on characters. During the season premiere of her replacement Michael Che, Strong reprised her beloved Girl You Wished You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party for the first time since season 38. By Matthew Grimm

Credits

The Garfield MovieStream

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LeoStream

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Ms. Malkin
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2023
83%

Above Average PresentsStream

Guest
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2022

Stand Up to Cancer

Self
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2021

Schmigadoon!Stream

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Melissa Gimble
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93%

The Kelly Clarkson Show

Guest
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2019

Tamron HallStream

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Today With Hoda & Jenna

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2019

Today 3rd Hour

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2018

Busy Tonight

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Talk
2018

Love, GildaStream

Self
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2018
89%

The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special

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Debbie Miller
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Megyn Kelly Today

Guest
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2017

Great NewsStream

Guest Star
Jessica
Series
2017
84%

Stars to the Rescue

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DetroitersStream

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2017
95%

The Female Brain

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Zoe
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2017

The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special

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Debbie Miller
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Maya & Marty

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2016
38%

Angie TribecaStream

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Samantha Stephens
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GhostbustersStream

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Jennifer Lynch
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2016
74%

The Boss

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Dana Dandridge
Movie
2016

SuperstoreStream

Guest Star
Missy Jones
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2015
93%

Scream QueensStream

Guest Star
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2015
77%

The Bronze

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Janice Townsend
Movie
2015

Slow Learners

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The Ex
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2015

Staten Island Summer

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Mary Ellen
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2015

The MeddlerStream

Actor
Movie
2015
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Late Night With Seth MeyersStream

Guest
Talk
2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonStream

Guest
Talk
2014

Saturday Night Live Presents a SNL Sports Spectacular

Actor
Show
2014

The AwesomesStream

Guest Voice
Series
2013

RuPaul's Drag Race All StarsStream

Judge
Reality
2012

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

Actor
Talk
2009

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Guest
Talk
2009

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

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Talk
2009

Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday

Actor
Show
2008

etalk

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2006

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Guest
Talk
2003

The View

Guest
Talk
1997

Access Hollywood

Guest
News
1996

The SimpsonsStream

Guest Voice
Megan
Series
1989
85%

Good Morning America

Guest
News
1975

Saturday Night LiveStream

Actor
Series
1975

Today

Guest
News
1952

Meet the PressStream

Guest
News
1947

News aboutCecily Strong

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