Cecily Strong has spent years morphing into beloved characters on Saturday Night Live. Yet no quick-change behind the scenes at Studio 8H could quite prepare her for her newest and most rewarding role yet — motherhood.
“I’m still learning life post-SNL,” Strong, 42, exclusively told Us. “I’m still learning to sleep again, even though now I have a baby.”
Since leaving the show in 2023, after over a decade as one of its longest-tenured cast members, the comedian has kept her foot in both worlds, stepping back into the spotlight to reprise old characters like her infectiously hilarious spoof on United States attorney Jeanine Pirro, a role she said she’d return to “anytime” she’s asked, or if she’s in the city. “It’s a second home,” she told Us. “I love all the people in that building.”
The comedian shared that stepping back into 30 Rock still stirs something visceral in her, whether she’s performing or just watching from the audience. “I start to feel it even walking into the building,” she said. “[I’ve] not totally escaped being anxiety-free, but not having anything on the line, it’s like ‘I’m gonna have a good night no matter what, because there were plenty of times where I did not have a good night, which is part of the thing too.”
“The world outside of SNL is different, and it’s hard to leave too. It’s very sad while also being a celebration,” she said, reflecting on the news of former castmate Chloe Fineman‘s July 16 announcement that she’s departing the show, as well as Bowen Yang’s mid-season exit last year.
Strong told Us she learned about both moves the same way everyone else did, but she’s made sure her support comes through all the same. “I’m happy for them, my heart is. I’m excited for them,” she said. “I also know how emotional that is, and it’s just part of the process at SNL in all the good and sad and beautiful ways.”
These days, her toughest scenes play out within her home, not exactly a role she’s got down pat when it comes to keeping things spotless. The star recently teamed up with Rejuvenate to introduce its new PowerMax™ Multi-Surface Spray Mop — even though she’s quick to confess tidiness isn’t exactly her department!
“I have to say, we have an organizer, and that’s before even becoming a mom,” she said. “I am not an organized person. I’m clean, but not organized.”
Her fiancé, Jack MacGregor, who she said is “much more organized” than she is, was thrilled the moment the mop arrived. “He was the most excited about the mop of everyone in my life,” she said. “He opened it up immediately…it was in use within five minutes of it arriving to our house.”
In 2025, the comedian welcomed her first child, a baby girl, with Jack, marking the start of an exciting chapter. However, she’s kept busy on screen ever since, from her role as OB/GYN Melissa Gimble on Schmigadoon! to her upcoming project alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nanny Squatter.
Even for someone who has perfected her comedic timing, she told Us that returning to work after having her daughter came with no easy punchline. “The hardest part has just been getting back to some version of myself that I’m comfortable [and] happy with, and can rely on,” she said. “It was a long journey for me.”
Strong has recently found ways to make both sides of her life work together, and shared her recent role as Jackie in the off-Broadway play What Happened Was is proof of that. The show alternated performances with another production, which meant she wasn’t performing every night and had the opportunity to enjoy some R&R with her family. “It was this really incredible schedule that I got to fit in these two great loves in my life, which would be acting and being a mom.”
