Long Island's Kate McKinnon returns to 'Saturday Night Live' to host for the first time

Sea Cliff native Kate McKinnon will return to "Saturday Night Live" as host of the show's Dec. 16 edition, NBC announced Wednesday. This will be her first hosting stint, which comes a year and a half after she left the program after 10 seasons and two Emmy wins. Billie Eilish will be the musical guest for the third time.

McKinnon, 39, holds the record as the longest-running female cast member in the show's history. Over those seasons, she impersonated several memorable celebrities, including Justin Bieber, Rudy Giuliani and Iggy Azalea. In July 2022, McKinnon told "Live with Kelly and Ryan" her reasons for leaving: "I thought about it for a very long time, and it was very, very hard," she said. "All I ever wanted to do in my whole life was be on 'Saturday Night Live.' So, I did, I loved it, I had the best decade, and then I was just like 'my body was tired' and I felt like it was time."

McKinnon was most recently featured as the breakout character Weird Barbie in this summer's blockbuster "Barbie."

In other "SNL" news, "Ferrari" star Adam Driver will return to host for the fourth time on Dec. 9 with Olivia Rodrigo, a six-time Grammy Award nominee for her second album, “Guts,” as musical guest for the second time.