Here's How Kate McKinnon Said Farewell to 'SNL' After 10 Years

Kate McKinnon has been one of the strongest players at Saturday Night Live ever since she joined the show in 2012. But now, ten years later, that time has finally come to an end.

It was announced ahead of the show’s season finale this past weekend that McKinnon would not be returning for season 48. Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson were also announced as bidding farewell to the long-running skit show.

Unfortunately, McKinnon didn’t appear in much of the final episode, but did get a proper send off with a return to one of her more popular characters.

The cold open featured her, Cecily Strong, and guest host Natasha Lyonne for a “Final Encounter” — presumably the last run of the Close Encounters skits that started with Ryan Gosling back in 2015.

This one followed the usual, hilarious format, with Strong and Lyonne talking about their gentle abductions by pleasant aliens only for McKinnon’s Ms. Rafferty to swoop in with her own grittier version of events.

But this time around, the government agents (played by Bryant and Mikey Day) inform the abductees that the aliens want one of them to come with them for good. McKinnon volunteers, and gets a send off clearly meant to double as her proper goodbye from the show.

“Well, Earth, I love ya. Thanks for letting me stay awhile,” she says, standing in the doorway of a spaceship set piece and holding back tears. “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night.”

While McKinnon will be sorely missed on SNL, she already has roles lined up in feature films Barbie, DC League of Super-Pets, and The Lunch Witch. She was also recently seen in Joe vs. Carole, Peacock’s limited series fictionalizing the rivalry at the heart of Netflix’s docuseries Tiger King.