Emily Lynne Berthold | Biography, Career, Kate McKinnon, and Personal Life
Emily Lynne Berthold is an American comedian, actress, writer, and voice performer who has built a career across television, digital comedy, animation, and scripted audio. She is perhaps best known to a wider audience as the younger sister of Saturday Night Live alum Kate McKinnon, but her professional credits extend well beyond that family connection.
Working professionally as Emily Lynne, she has appeared in projects including Friends from College, Our Cartoon President, and The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show. She has also created comedy with Kate McKinnon, most notably the digital series Notary Publix and the Audible original Heads Will Roll.
For readers discovering her through Kate McKinnon, the most useful distinction is simple: Emily Lynne is not an SNL cast member. She is a separate performer and writer whose career has developed through a combination of acting, comedy, writing, voice work, and creative collaboration.
Who Is Emily Lynne Berthold?
Emily Lynne Berthold is a New York-born entertainment professional whose public work spans several forms of comedy. Her screen credits generally appear under the shorter professional name Emily Lynne, which can make her full name less immediately recognizable in entertainment databases.
IMDb identifies Emily Lynne as an actress and writer and lists Our Cartoon President, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, and Friends from College among her best-known credits. Her work has also included voice performances, digital comedy, and audio storytelling.
Her connection to Kate McKinnon is an important part of her public biography, but it should not be confused with her entire career. Emily has developed credits independently while also finding a particularly distinctive creative outlet through projects made with her sister.
Early Life and Family Background
Emily Lynne grew up in Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York, alongside her older sister, Kate McKinnon. Their parents were Laura Campbell and architect Michael Thomas Berthold.
Kate’s public biography confirms that Emily is her younger sister and that the two have collaborated professionally. Their shared background in comedy eventually developed into a creative partnership that would become one of the most recognizable aspects of Emily’s career.
Unlike her sister, Emily has generally maintained a lower public profile. Consequently, reliable information about her childhood, private routines, and other personal matters is considerably more limited than the material available about Kate McKinnon.
That distinction matters when reading online biographies. A large amount of information repeated about Emily concerns her family connection rather than independently documented aspects of her own life.
Emily Lynne Berthold’s Education
Emily Lynne is reported to have studied film at SUNY Purchase College in New York.
Purchase College’s film program provides training across areas including directing, cinematography, editing, production, screenwriting, and film analysis. That background fits the breadth of Emily’s later work, which has moved between performing and creating comedy rather than being limited to acting alone.
Public sources do not provide a detailed account of Emily’s college years, so it is better to treat the film education as a biographical fact without inventing specific student productions, qualifications, or experiences that have not been reliably documented.
Emily Lynne’s Career in Comedy and Acting
Emily’s professional career is notable for its variety. She has worked as a comedian, actress, writer, and voice performer, moving between live-action television, animation, digital comedy, and audio.
Rather than building her public identity around one long-running television role, she has accumulated smaller credits across different formats. That makes her filmography particularly useful for understanding what she does: Emily is a multi-format comedy performer and creator.
Friends from College
One of Emily’s television credits came on Netflix’s comedy series Friends from College. She appeared as Bridesmaid #1 in the series.
It is a relatively small role, but it demonstrates the kind of supporting television work that forms part of her broader acting résumé.
Our Cartoon President
Emily had a more substantial voice-acting presence in Showtime’s animated political satire Our Cartoon President.
Her credited characters included Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Karen Pence, and several other voices. The role demonstrated her ability to use character voices as part of a large ensemble rather than relying solely on conventional on-camera acting.
For people who recognize Emily primarily from her comedy with Kate McKinnon, Our Cartoon President is an important reminder that voice performance has been a meaningful part of her professional work.
The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show
Emily also appeared in The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, the Netflix sketch-comedy series released in 2020.
Her credited characters included Scuzz, Bridget, Dani, Karen, Rachel, and other roles. Sketch comedy allowed her to use a different set of performance skills, including character work, physical comedy, voices, and rapid shifts between comic personas.
Emily Lynne and Kate McKinnon: Sisters and Creative Partners
Emily Lynne’s relationship with Kate McKinnon is both personal and professional.
The sisters have collaborated on multiple comedy projects, creating material that allows them to perform together rather than simply appearing in each other’s work.
Two collaborations stand out.
Notary Publix
In 2015, Emily Lynne and Kate McKinnon worked together on the digital comedy series ** Notary Publix **.
The series centers on fictional notaries and deliberately treats an ordinary profession as the setting for exaggerated comedy. Emily and Kate played sisters within the show’s deliberately complicated fictional setup, while other performers associated with Saturday Night Live, including Aidy Bryant, also appeared.
The project is significant because it demonstrates that Emily and Kate’s professional collaboration predates Heads Will Roll by several years. It also shows Emily working in a creator-led comedy environment rather than simply serving as a supporting performer.
Heads Will Roll
The sisters’ most prominent joint project is arguably ** Heads Will Roll **, an Audible Original comedy created and written by Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne.
The first season premiered in 2019 and takes place in a deliberately ridiculous medieval fantasy world. McKinnon plays Queen Mortuana, while Emily Lynne plays JoJo, the queen’s raven companion.
The production features a large ensemble of recognizable performers, including Meryl Streep, Peter Dinklage, Tim Gunn, Audra McDonald, Andrea Martin, Carol Kane, Aidy Bryant, Alex Moffat, Heidi Gardner, and Chris Redd.
What makes the project particularly relevant to Emily’s biography is the range of responsibilities involved. She was not simply a voice performer hired for the series; she was part of the show’s creative team alongside Kate.
Heads Will Roll: Heir Apparent
The collaboration continued in 2026 with ** Heads Will Roll: Heir Apparent **.
Audible announced the second season in April 2026, describing it as a return of the series created by McKinnon and Lynne. The new installment again features the sisters in their respective roles as Queen Mortuana and JoJo.
The sequel was released on June 25, 2026, bringing the sisters’ audio-comedy partnership back to audiences several years after the original series.
This newer project is useful context for anyone relying on older biographies of Emily Lynne: her work with Kate McKinnon is not simply a 2010s chapter of her career. The collaboration continued into 2026.
What Makes Emily Lynne’s Career Distinct?
Emily Lynne’s career is easier to understand when viewed as a combination of several creative disciplines rather than a conventional acting résumé.
| Area | Examples of Emily Lynne’s work |
|---|---|
| Comedy | Stand-up and sketch-based comedy |
| Acting | Friends from College, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show |
| Voice acting | Our Cartoon President |
| Writing and creation | Notary Publix, Heads Will Roll |
| Audio comedy | Heads Will Roll and Heads Will Roll: Heir Apparent |
| Collaboration | Multiple projects with Kate McKinnon |
The common thread is character-driven comedy. Whether she is appearing on camera, voicing an animated character, or performing in an audio production, Emily’s credits repeatedly place her in projects built around characters and comedic storytelling.
Is Emily Lynne Berthold Married?
Yes. Emily Lynne married artist Matt Leary in September 2025.
The marriage became particularly well documented when Kate McKinnon discussed officiating the ceremony during a 2026 Today appearance with Emily. PEOPLE reported that Emily had announced the marriage in September 2025 and that McKinnon officiated the outdoor ceremony.
Beyond those confirmed public details, there is little reason to treat Emily’s marriage as an invitation to speculate about her private life. She has generally kept personal matters less prominent than her creative work.
Emily Lynne Berthold’s Private Life
There is considerably less reliable public information about Emily’s private life than about her professional credits.
That makes it important to separate documented information from biography-site speculation. Claims about exact ages, net worth, daily routines, future plans, or other personal details should not be treated as established facts unless Emily herself or a reputable source has confirmed them.
Her public identity is primarily connected to comedy and creative work, and that is where the strongest verifiable information can be found.
Is Emily Lynne on Saturday Night Live?
No. Emily Lynne should not be described as a Saturday Night Live cast member.
Her connection to the program comes primarily through Kate McKinnon and through collaborations with performers and creators associated with the show. Notary Publix, for example, featured several performers connected with SNL, while Kate McKinnon became one of the program’s best-known cast members.
Emily has built her own career outside the SNL cast.
That distinction is useful because searches for Emily frequently begin with Kate McKinnon and can make the two careers appear more closely intertwined than they actually are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Emily Lynne Berthold?
Emily Lynne Berthold is an American comedian, actress, writer, and voice performer who generally works professionally as Emily Lynne. She is also Kate McKinnon’s younger sister.
Is Emily Lynne Berthold Kate McKinnon’s sister?
Yes. Emily Lynne is Kate McKinnon’s younger sister. The two have also collaborated professionally on projects including Notary Publix and Heads Will Roll.
What is Emily Lynne Berthold known for?
She is known for her work in comedy, television, voice acting, and scripted audio. Her notable credits include Our Cartoon President, Friends from College, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, Notary Publix, and Heads Will Roll.
Did Emily Lynne and Kate McKinnon work together on Notary Publix?
Yes. The sisters worked together on Notary Publix, a 2015 digital comedy series. The project also included performers connected with Saturday Night Live.
What is Heads Will Roll?
Heads Will Roll is an Audible Original comedy created and written by Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne. McKinnon plays Queen Mortuana, while Emily Lynne plays the raven character JoJo.
Is there a second season of Heads Will Roll?
Yes. Heads Will Roll: Heir Apparent was released by Audible on June 25, 2026, with Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne returning in their principal roles.
Where did Emily Lynne Berthold study?
Emily Lynne is reported to have studied film at SUNY Purchase College in New York.
Was Emily Lynne Berthold on Saturday Night Live?
No. She was not an SNL cast member. Her connection to the program is primarily through her sister Kate McKinnon and collaborations with other performers from the SNL comedy community.
Is Emily Lynne Berthold married?
Yes. Emily Lynne married artist Matt Leary in September 2025. Kate McKinnon officiated the wedding, a detail the sisters discussed publicly in 2026.
What does Emily Lynne Berthold do?
She works across comedy, acting, writing, voice performance, and audio entertainment. Her career includes both independent credits and collaborative projects with Kate McKinnon.
Conclusion
Emily Lynne Berthold’s story is closely connected to Kate McKinnon, but it is not defined entirely by that relationship. Her own career includes television acting, voice performance, comedy, writing, digital projects, and scripted audio.
Her collaborations with Kate are particularly notable because they span different formats. Notary Publix introduced their creative partnership to digital comedy audiences, while Heads Will Roll expanded that partnership into a large-scale audio production that continued with Heads Will Roll: Heir Apparent in 2026.
For anyone researching Emily Lynne, the clearest picture comes from separating documented professional credits from speculation about her private life. She is a versatile comedy performer and creator whose work has developed across several entertainment formats while maintaining a relatively private personal profile.