Kate McKinnon has revealed the one ‘terrible mistake’ she made during her tenure on Saturday Night Live which ‘ruined her life.’
The 41-year-old comedian appeared on the beloved show for 11 seasons between 2012 and 2022.
Sitting down with fellow SNL alum Amy Poehler on Tuesday’s episode of her Good Hang podcast, McKinnon voiced her main regret from her time on the program.
She admitted that reading critics reviews of her SNL performances had a serious impact on her.
‘I have made the terrible mistake of reading stuff on the internet, which I truly wish I could go back and have never looked at the internet because that haunts me,’ she said.
‘There are phrases that I have read that were not even that mean, not unfounded, like things with a kernel of truth, thoughtful critiques that I agreed with that have ruined my life.’
Despite leaving the cast of SNL in 2022, McKinnon returned one year later as host. She also starred in the blockbuster Barbie film that same year.
Elsewhere on the podcast episode, Poehler, 54, heaped praise on McKinnon’s SNL talent.
Kate McKinnon shared the ‘terrible mistake’ she made during her tenure on Saturday Night Live
The Barbie actress appeared on the sketch show for 11 seasons between 2012 and 2022
‘There are people on that show that I felt were naturals,’ she said. ‘Now whether or not they felt natural is their own personal story.
‘But you, Maya Rudolph, Dana Carvey, Will Ferrell, people who just kind of came onto the show, fit right in and became like instant captains.
‘I always felt that from you, just this calm confidence when you were performing.
‘And it’s interesting to know that inside you were not feeling that way. What did you do when you were not feeling like you did well?’
McKinnon then confessed to enduring ‘plenty of desperate failures’ that still ‘haunt her even now.’
‘There were plenty of desperate failures that haunt me even now,’ she said. ‘A lot of failures.
‘Sometimes I’ll still think of something that didn’t work or that I just couldn’t get there in time with the writing or the performing and it still stings and I still feel shame.’
McKinnon’s candor comes one month after she opened up about her rare condition called geographic tongue – which is characterized by smooth, red patches on the tongue that resemble a map.
McKinnon reflected on her SNL appearance with fellow alum Amy Poehler
‘I truly wish I could go back and have never looked at the internet,’ McKinnon shared
While it’s not life threatening, she admitted the condition is ‘gross’ while opening up about how she found out she had it.
‘I took a photo of my tongue and sent it to an actor friend of mine,’ McKinnon told People.
‘We both have the same medical condition. It’s called geographic tongue,’ she continued.
‘Your tongue sheds in patches and looks like an atlas, hence the name “geographic tongue.”‘
However, McKinnon hasn’t let her condition get in her way of having a good time, as she admitted she and her friend ‘brag’ about their tongue’s appearance.
According to Mayo Clinic, geographic tongue is an inflammatory but harmless condition affecting the surface of the tongue, which look like a map – hence its name.
The tongue is usually covered with tiny, pinkish-white bumps called papillae, which are actually fine, hair-like structures.
The condition only affects approximately three percent of people worldwide, although The Cleveland Clinic notes the number may be higher in reality, as many people don’t seek medical help.