GROSS: And I wish her the best. So, you know, I'm - I would love to do it. If I cant find something fun enough, then it just feels icky; if theres not a way to turn someone into my own thing and a clown character, I dont necessarily want to push them as a public figure, she says. last fall. And I was talking about something else, and then I sort of made fun of myself, like, yeah, because, you know, that's - well, that's an important thing for society to hear or something. STRONG: I haven't. COLIN JOST: Fox News personality Judge Jeanine Pirro returned to television tonight after being suspended two weeks for controversial comments about a Muslim congresswoman. BRYANT OK, I shouldve just said that. Schmigadoon's citizens all behave like they're in a 1940s musical production! You know, because they're the only law enforcement agency that will get in trouble if a black man gets shot. So like, the reality - COVID was real to you. Shes doing stage makeup, but its real lifebut thats the makeup she knows. The actor and the rest of the cast gave Strong an emotional sendoff with a heartwarming tribute to her SNL career: The group serenaded her by belting out Elvis Presleys hit Blue Christmas., I had a lot of fun here, the Schmigadoon! actress said at the end of the episode. BRYANT This is part of my SNL amnesia, I lose it all when its over. STRONG: Well, thank you so much. in Canada. Passengers looking back to see what all the ruckus was about presumably got a glimpse of Strong sans pants! And I think you're probably not wrong. cecily strong Illustration by Quinton McMillan. And I think a lot of that, you can feel it when you watch the show. When asked what her go-to snack was in a 2014 interview with Bon Apptit, Cecily Strongnominated an odd combination: goat cheese and garlic with Triscuit crackers. STRONG: Yeah. Given that Strong lives in Los Angeles and works in New York City, Lucy has apparently become quite accustomed to flying on airplanes. It's still - and I think, like, even though that seems crazy to say in the middle of summer, I think it's been a wild couple of years, and so I'm just - I'm OK with not knowing. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. GROSS: Well, in some ways, maybe it was a good thing because you ended up - after going to Catholic school, you ended up in a performing arts high school, which is where you really fit in. And it was like, now let's read our sketches and see - and then, like, have to film them all by Saturday. While her husband, former President Donald Trump, notoriouslydespises the impression that 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin does of him on SNL, Melania is apparently more of a good sport about her portrayal. Then I was like, is this more of a prison? And you had a boyfriend who got a bad case of COVID, but fortunately not bad enough to end up in the hospital, and he recovered. While talking to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Showin 2018, Strong noted that Donald made it a point to tell her how the former model felt about her impression when he hosted the show back in 2015: "She pointed at me when she walked in and then I think [Donald] said, 'She likes your impression.' I ended up going back upstairs and my soon-to-be great friend Colin Jost helped me out and walked me over to the secret night time elevator, Strong continued. Whenever the newest woman to fit the bill first makes news, Strong gets flooded with pleas for her to portray her. Office One thing led to another, and soon Strong, along with fellow Chicagoan comedienne Aidy Bryant, was booked as a featured player for SNL's 38th season, making her official debut onSeptember 15, 2012. Like, thats how you accentuate your eyes and your cheeks. She googled silver, short haircuts before sending over options to the hair departmenta favorite tradition of hersand found the characters soul instantly.