SNL’s first non-binary cast member Molly Kearney. (FilmMagic for Clusterfest/ Jeff Kravitz)
Saturday Night Live (SNL) has announced that it will introduce its first non-binary cast member, comedian and actor Molly Kearney, in its upcoming season.
The 48th season of SNL premieres on 1 October, and will see the addition of four new cast members, including Kearney, created a cast of 18.
A Chicago stand-up comedian, Kearney starred as Fern Dannely in the queer Amazon series A League of Their Own, a remake of the iconic 1992 movie of the same name.
They were thrown into the comedy spotlight in 2019 after they were selected for the Comedy Central nationwide annual showcase Up Next, and they later appeared in the Disney+ show The Mighty Ducks.
Kearney, who announced on Instagram that they will be moving to New York from California for the show, will be joined by comedians and fellow new cast members Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow and Big Mouth writer Devon Walker.
Kearney, who uses they/ them pronouns and goes by the nickname “Meatbrick” on social media, shared on Instagram: “Little meatbrick would freak OUT at this news!
“Honored to be a part of A League of Their Own and grateful to have met some super talented people. Middle pic is when I got the call! I’m sure I’ll post more xoxoxo gossip girlie.”
Kearney’s fans were overjoyed, with one Instagram comment on their announcement reading: “THAT’S MY MEATBRICK!!!!!”
“Words cannot describe how proud I am of you,” wrote one fan.
Another said: “Gotta love good things happening to good people.”
The new cast members are part of one of the biggest shake-ups in the show’s history, after it was announced earlier this year that Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney would all be leaving SNL.