Feeling nosy about how much celebrities make is an activity everyone secretly enjoys. Many artists, actors, and directors get paid big bucks, with some of them becoming billionaires thanks to their art or side businesses. Looking at the Saturday Night Live cast, which has employed some of the biggest comedians of all time who’d proven their talent both on live television every weekend and in other projects, this leads to the question: How much does former SNL star Kate McKinnon make?
Kate McKinnon’s first stint at comedy was in Logo TV’s The Big Gay Sketch Show, an LGBT-themed sketch comedy series she joined in 2007. She was a cast member for all three seasons, in between live sketch comedy shows and voice acting roles. It wasn’t until she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2012 that she started getting more acclaim, and was promoted to repertory status the next year. Her work on the series, which included character work and celebrity impressions — including her amazing Hillary Clinton portrayal — led to ten Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, winning two of them.
A talented and versatile artist, McKinnon expanded her repertoire and went on to star in several films, a lot of them including fellow SNL alums like 2015’s Sisters, 2016’s Ghostbusters, and 2017’s Rough Night. She also appeared in non-comedy roles like 2019’s Yesterday and Bombshell, and the 2023 blockbuster Barbie, where she played Weird Barbie. McKinnon also voiced characters in 2016’s Finding Dory and The Angry Birds Movie, The Simpsons, Nature Cat, and Family Guy.
How much does Kate McKinnon make?
There are several salary tiers for the Saturday Night Live stars and McKinnon was there for 10 years. This led to some serious bank, as Celebrity Net Worth reports the comedian has a net worth of $9 million.
Many stars received big salaries when working on SNL, and it all depends on seniority. For example, first-year cast members make as little as $7k per episode, with the highest salary, reserved for the longest or most important members, reaching $25k per episode, or $525k per year. Looking at how long and how important McKinnon was for the series, she won a lot of money during her stint with the show. Of course, not all of her $9 million net worth is thanks to SNL. Kate McKinnon has appeared in other projects and roles, as well as done several commercials for Ford Focus, Tostitos, Verizon, and more.
McKinnon is one of the biggest and most talented stars of SNL, and although she has taken a step back in 2022, she returned to host in December 2023. She also recently expressed her desire to return as a member in the upcoming season 50. “You know… I do still live in New York, so it’s not too far of a train ride, couple stops,” McKinnon said during an appearance on the Today Show. “Yeah, I’ll come back. I would love to come back.”
With several roles in store, the decision to return to SNL has nothing to do with money. McKinnon is set to star in 2025’s A Minecraft Movie based on the popular video game, The Roses, a comedy-drama starring former SNL alum Andy Samberg, Olivia Colman, and Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as the sci-fi drama In the Blink of an Eye, with Andrew Stanton at the helm, and the adaptation of Deb Lucke’s young adult graphic novel The Lunch Witch, currently in early development, where McKinnon plays the lead character, Grunhilda. All of that will add up to her $9 million net worth, and her bank account might grow further if she decides to come back to Saturday Night Live.
Published: Oct 3, 2024 08:28 am