Kate McKinnon hasn't tried to conceal her sexuality during her career, per The New York Times. She leaned into her lesbian identity in her breakout role on "The Big Gay Sketch Show," as well as plenty of "SNL" sketches and in interviews over the years. At the 2020 Golden Globe Awards, Kate McKinnon's sexuality took center stage, as she acknowledged Ellen DeGeneres' vital role in building her own personal and professional confidence as a gay woman.
McKinnon's speech shared a moment from her childhood when DeGeneres had a major impact. "In 1997, when Ellen's sitcom was in the height of its popularity, I was in my mother's basement lifting weights in front of the mirror and thinking, 'Am I gay?'" The star told the audience. "And I was, and I still am. But that's a very scary thing to suddenly know about yourself."
Seeing a role model who embodied her ambitions and whose coming out created a tangible change in the industry made all the difference in Kate McKinnon's path. "If I hadn't seen her on TV, I would have thought, 'I could never be on TV,'" McKinnon explained. "They don't let LGBT people on TV. And more than that, I would have gone on thinking that I was an alien and that I maybe didn't even have a right to be here."
