Kate McKinnon won her second consecutive Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series on Sunday, and the evening also marked the Saturday Night Live star's first public appearance with her new girlfriend, Jackie Abbott.
Abbott, a New York City-based actor, photographer, and artist, is a graduate New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she "studied with Olympia Dukakis and worked for Susan Sarandon," according to her website. She was also a Tisch Drama Award recipient.
Last spring, the pair was spotted backstage at Fun/Home in New York City, but Sunday's Emmy Awards was their first public appearance as a couple.
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McKinnon is SNL's first openly gay cast member and she's previously spoken out about being an LGBTQ comedian. "As minorities, we’re on the fringe, and there’s just something so wonderful about that perspective, something so inspiring. If you’re a part of that minority, you can make fun of those people while respecting them and lifting them up," she told AfterEllen.
During her acceptance speech, McKinnon said that "being part of this season of SNL is the most meaningful thing I will ever do." Although she kills it in every sketch, McKinnon most memorably portrayed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who she thanked last night for her "grace and grit." In the post-election episode, McKinnon dressed as Clinton and performed an emotional rendition of Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah." She concluded the performance by telling viewers, "I'm not giving up and neither should you."
McKinnon beat out some stiff competition last night: Anna Chlumsky (Veep), Kathryn Hahn (Transparent), Judith Light (Transparent), and SNL castmates Vanessa Bayer and Leslie Jones.