Where Did Kate McKinnon Go After Saturday Night Live? Well, She Moved to the Woods and Wrote a Children’s Book
(Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
SNL star and “Weird Barbie” herself, Kate McKinnon, has written a middle-grade mystery novel called The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science. The book is about three oddball sisters and a mad scientist who have to save their town from mysterious, lurking dangers. It seems like exactly the kind of book my weird little bookworm self would have gravitated toward growing up at the Scholastic Book Fair. Kate McKinnon voices the audiobook alongside her sister, and has been making the press rounds, giving us a lot of fun little snippets and catching us up on her life after Saturday Night Live.
For example, she discusses being a carpenter and growing tomatoes on the Drew Barrymore Show. (She also engages in Drew’s favorite activity, which is physical touch, as she reaches out to hold her and Drew stokes her hand. I do appreciate that it seems Drew has been true to her word though and waits for her guests to initiate contact now.)
Kate also is very cute with the dog on set, and excitedly answers Leslie Jones’ questions on Drew’s show.
She also talked to Jimmy Fallon about her new life in the woods, too, sharing that her home has accidentally become a family vacation destination for geese. She also says she grew up really interested in science and called herself a dweeb, which I found rather endearing.
She also paid a visit to Kelly Clarkson’s show, and without even trying, made Kelly sputter a bit after reacting to an accidental innuendo in a subtly flirty way. (Kelly’s reaction is extremely relatable and, sorry Kels, not convincingly straight.)
Kate McKinnon hopes this book will help the “weird kids” feel less alone. And I feel like this book can accomplish this in two ways – one, by being the weird kid representation we all need, but also because kids are smart and have access to the internet. Some kids are going to love these books and look up their new favorite author, and see that she’s not only a grown up former weird kid thriving, but also an out and proud lesbian, and for some little weird kid, that’s going to make all the difference. In her interviews, she talks about how she was the quirky one in her class, wearing a Peter Pan costume to school, creating the Honeysuckle Eaters Club with her fellow misfit pals, and hopes they can take the message of the book to heart: your weirdness is your superpower.
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