Who is Emily Lynne Berthold? Meet the sister of SNL's Kate McKinnon
Emily Lynne Berthold is the younger sister of former SNL comedian Kate McKinnon. She is also in the entertainment industry and has worked with Kate on numerous creative and non-creative projects. While describing their relationship, the SNL star told CBS Mornings in September 2025:
She's my best friend. She's my everything
Source: Getty Images
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Key takeaways
- Emily Lynne Berthold grew up with her sister, Kate McKinnon, on Long Island, where they were exposed to film and comedy by their parents, Laura and Michael Berthold.
- Emily is a comedian, voiceover artist, and actress known for Our Cartoon President and Notary Publix.
- McKinnon and Emily have a close sister bond and are frequent collaborators.
Emily Lynne Berthold's profile summary
Full name | Emily Lynne Berthold |
Place of birth | Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York |
Parents | Laura Campbell, Michael Thomas Berthold |
Siblings | Kate McKinnon |
Husband | Matt Leary (September 2025 to date) |
Education | SUNY Purchase College (Film) |
Profession | Actress, voiceover artist, writer |
Social media |
Emily Lynne Berthold grew up in New York
Lynne was born and raised in Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York, alongside her older sister Kate McKinnon. Their mother, Laura Campbell, worked as a family support advocate and public speaker. The matriarch made several cameos on Saturday Night Live when Kate was a cast member from 2012 to 2022.
Kate and Emily's father, Michael Thomas Berthold, was an architect. He designed thousands of residential and commercial projects and did renovations on Long Island, according to the New York Times.
Michael was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiform, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in the summer of 1999. He passed away over two years later in January 2002.
Source: Original
Emily Lynne is married to Matt Leary
Lynne Berthold's husband, Matt Leary, is an illustrator, designer, and former comedian, per his Instagram bio. He also co-owns the creative visual production company Jampson Films, based in Brooklyn, New York City.
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Matt is a regular on Emily's Instagram. The pair got engaged in August 2024 after several years of dating. She shared photos from the surprise proposal, which included Kate McKinnon, family and friends, with the caption:
Matt, you are the joy of my days. What a privilege to be in a healthy, safe, weird, relaxed, artistic, hilarious, ever-evolving partnership... I never thought I'd be well enough to get married, so thanks for accepting the darkest parts of my brain and loving me into a version of myself that I can totally live with.
Lynne and Matt exchanged vows in early September 2025 and shared the videos and pictures from the ceremony. She also likes to post her cat, Ruth, and her puppy.
Source: Instagram
Emily Lynne Berthold has been in several TV shows
Kate McKinnon's sister is building her acting resume. She studied film at SUNY Purchase College in New York. In 2017, she landed a small role as a bridesmaid in an episode of Friends from College starring Keegan-Michael Key.
Emily Lynne voiced Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump in the animated satirical television series Our Cartoon President (2018-2020). She later portrayed Scuzz and Rachel in the Netflix sketch comedy series The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show (2020), starring comedian Iliza Shlesinger.
Emily Lynne Berthold is a comedian
Like her sister Kate, Emily did stand-up comedy, and people have noted that they sound similar. Under a 2015 video uploaded on her YouTube, one commentator wrote, "their voices definitely run in the family", and another added, "I close my eyes and just hear Kate McKinnon."
The Long Island native took a step back from doing stand-up shows and shared in a May 2023 Instagram post that she felt better quitting. She is now focused on making comedic skits that she regularly posts on her social media.
Source: Instagram
Emily Berthold is Kate McKinnon's frequent collaborator
Kate McKinnon and her sister Emily have been inseparable since childhood. In their May 2015 interview with Refinery29, they revealed that they made a lot of videos together as kids, and their parents, who were SNL fans, always encouraged them to look at things in a "funny way."
In 2015, the Berthold sisters starred in the quirky comedic digital series Notary Publix as the Fra Diavolo sisters, Gina and Teresa Fra Diavolo, who work as notaries. Kate's Saturday Night Live co-star Aidy Bryant portrayed their arch-nemesis Erin Oatmeal.
Source: Instagram
Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne worked together on the Audible Original audio comedy series Heads Will Roll. The Saturday Night Live alum portrayed the self-centred evil Queen Mortuana while Emily starred as JoJo, the queen's ditsy raven minion.
Their latest creative collaboration was on McKinnon's book, Secrets of the Purple Pearl (2024), from her book series The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science. Emily Lynne helped the SNL alum record the audiobook. Kate dedicated the book to her sister, telling CBS Mornings in September 2025:
She's my everything, and that's really how the girls in the book feel about each other and what carries them through.
Source: Getty Images
Conclusion
Emily Lynne Berthold may be famous for being a part of Kate McKinnon's family, but she has proven to be a comedic force and talented actress in her own right. They continue to be the ultimate sibling duo, and fans can expect to see more of their collaborations in future.
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Source: Briefly News
