Emily Lynne Berthold may be best known to many people as Kate McKinnon’s younger sister, but there’s considerably more to her story than that family connection. Emily has built a career in comedy and entertainment as a performer, writer, and voice artist, working across television, digital comedy, audio productions, and other creative projects.
Her professional relationship with Kate is particularly interesting because the two have been collaborating since they were young. What began as making videos and joking around together eventually developed into professional projects such as Notary Publix and Heads Will Roll. In an interview about Heads Will Roll, Kate explained that she and Emily had been making videos together throughout their lives before creating projects professionally.
Emily has also continued developing her own career outside those collaborations. Her screen credits include Friends From College, Our Cartoon President, and The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, while her voice work has extended to projects including Heads Will Roll, Nature Cat, and Donkey Hodie.
As of 2026, another important chapter has been added to Emily’s personal story. She married artist Matt Leary in 2025, and Kate McKinnon was involved in the wedding as the officiant. The milestone offered another public glimpse of the unusually close relationship between the sisters.
Emily Lynne Berthold Quick Bio
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Emily Lynne Berthold |
| Professional Name | Emily Lynne |
| Known For | Comedy, Acting, Writing, And Voice Performance |
| Birthday | November 18 |
| Birthplace | Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actress, Comedian, Writer, And Voice Performer |
| Education | SUNY Purchase |
| Field Of Study | Film |
| Mother | Laura Campbell |
| Father | Michael Thomas Berthold |
| Sibling | Kate McKinnon |
| Major Collaboration | Kate McKinnon |
| Notable Project | Notary Publix |
| Audio Project | Heads Will Roll |
| Television Work | Friends From College, Our Cartoon President, And The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show |
| Comedy Background | Stand-Up And Sketch Comedy |
| Husband | Matt Leary |
| Marriage | 2025 |
| Creative Interests | Comedy, Acting, Writing, Voice Work, And Digital Content |
Who Is Emily Lynne Berthold?
Emily Lynne Berthold is an American entertainer whose work spans comedy, acting, writing, and voice performance. She is the younger sister of Kate McKinnon, but her professional credits establish a career of her own.
Her IMDb profile identifies her as an actress, writer, and member of additional production crews. It also credits her with roles in Our Cartoon President, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, Friends From College, Heads Will Roll, Nature Cat, Donkey Hodie, and other productions.
Emily is particularly well suited to comedy because she has worked in several different formats. She has performed live, appeared on screen, supplied voices for animated productions, and participated in writing and creating comedy. That range gives her career more depth than a simple list of acting credits might suggest.
Her public profile remains considerably smaller than Kate McKinnon’s, which is partly why information about Emily can be harder to find. Still, the work that is documented shows a performer who has steadily explored different sides of comedy rather than relying entirely on her connection to her famous sister.
Emily Lynne Berthold’s Early Life And Family
Emily grew up in Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York, alongside her older sister Kate McKinnon. Kate’s biographical information identifies Emily as her younger sister, and the sisters’ shared Long Island upbringing is an important part of their story.
Their father, Michael Thomas Berthold, was an architect, while their mother was Laura Campbell. The family experienced a major loss when Michael died in 2002 after being diagnosed with brain cancer. That experience became part of the sisters’ shared history as they continued growing into adulthood and pursuing their individual creative paths.
What stands out most about Emily’s early years, however, is the close relationship she developed with Kate. The sisters had a shared interest in humor from a young age and made videos together long before either had a professional entertainment career. Kate later recalled that they had been creating videos and other material together “our whole lives.”
That childhood creativity eventually became more than a family pastime. It formed the foundation for a professional partnership that would return repeatedly throughout both sisters’ careers.
Emily Lynne Berthold And Kate McKinnon’s Close Bond
Emily Lynne Berthold and Kate McKinnon have a relationship that combines family closeness with genuine creative collaboration. That distinction is important. Emily isn’t simply famous because she is related to Kate; the two have actually built entertainment projects together.
Their partnership was already established before Heads Will Roll. In a 2019 interview about the Audible series, Kate explained that the sisters had made videos together throughout their lives and had previously worked on the web series Notary Publix.
Their shared sense of humor appears to be one of the reasons the collaboration works so naturally. Sisters who have spent years developing jokes, characters, and comedic timing together can bring an unusual level of familiarity to a performance.
That bond has remained visible outside their professional work, too. Kate’s involvement in Emily’s 2025 wedding offered a particularly personal example of their relationship. Rather than simply attending, Kate officiated the ceremony, making herself part of one of Emily’s biggest personal milestones.
Where Did Emily Lynne Berthold Go To College?
Emily studied film at SUNY Purchase, a background that fits naturally with her later work in entertainment. Film studies can involve storytelling, production, performance, visual communication, and an understanding of how different creative elements come together.
That education is worth mentioning because Emily’s career hasn’t been limited to appearing in front of a camera. She has also worked as a writer and creator. Her IMDb credits, for example, identify her as a creator on Above Average Presents and as a creator of Heads Will Roll.
In other words, Emily’s education and career point toward someone interested in the creative process as a whole. She can perform a character, help create a comedy concept, or contribute through voice work, giving her a broader role in entertainment than the label “actress” alone suggests.
How Did Emily Lynne Berthold Start Her Comedy Career?
Comedy has been at the center of Emily’s professional life for years. Before becoming known for screen and audio work, she developed experience as a stand-up comedian. That background gave her an opportunity to work directly with audiences and develop her own sense of timing and delivery.
Her career later expanded into other formats. Instead of remaining focused entirely on live stand-up, Emily explored sketch comedy, acting, writing, voice work, and digital entertainment.
That evolution is an important part of understanding her career. Moving from one format to another doesn’t mean abandoning comedy. In Emily’s case, comedy became something she could approach through different characters and creative mediums.
Her professional credits reflect that versatility. IMDb lists her as both an actress and writer, while also documenting numerous voice roles and other entertainment work.
Emily Lynne Berthold’s Acting And Writing Career
Emily’s acting career includes a mixture of live-action, animated, and audio work. She appeared as a bridesmaid on Friends From College and later took on several voice roles in Our Cartoon President. She also appeared in The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, where she played multiple characters.
Her voice work has continued across several productions. IMDb credits her with roles in Nature Cat, Donkey Hodie, Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls, and the video game Red Dead Redemption II, among other projects.
Writing is another important part of her professional identity. She is credited as a creator of Heads Will Roll and as a creator on Above Average Presents.
Taken together, those credits show why it can be limiting to describe Emily only as an actress. Her career has involved creating characters, developing comedy, writing, and performing, often within the same project.
What Is Notary Publix?
Notary Publix is one of the clearest examples of Emily Lynne Berthold and Kate McKinnon working together professionally. The short-form comedy series was released in 2015 through Above Average, with Emily and Kate credited as creators.
The sisters played the Fra Diavolo sisters, who worked as notaries and repeatedly found themselves facing their rival, played by Aidy Bryant. IMDb’s production information confirms Emily and Kate as creators and identifies the project as a comedy series released in April 2015.
The project matters because it demonstrates Emily’s role as more than a supporting family member. She was directly involved in creating the concept and performing in it.
It also provided an early example of the sisters’ professional chemistry. Their relationship gave the comedy a natural rhythm, while the deliberately absurd premise allowed them to play exaggerated characters.
For readers searching for Emily Lynne Berthold movies and TV shows, Notary Publix deserves attention even though it was a short-form web comedy rather than a conventional movie or television series.
Emily Lynne Berthold And Heads Will Roll
Emily and Kate took their creative partnership even further with Heads Will Roll, an Audible fantasy-comedy series. The original series premiered in 2019 and was created by the sisters, who also starred in it.
Kate played the chaotic Queen Mortuana, while Emily played JoJo, the queen’s raven companion. The production featured a large ensemble cast that included performers such as Meryl Streep, Peter Dinklage, Audra McDonald, and several comedians associated with Saturday Night Live.
The project was particularly valuable for Emily because it highlighted her voice-performance skills. Audio comedy requires performers to communicate personality, emotion, and humor without relying on facial expressions or physical movement.
The collaboration has also continued. In April 2026, Audible announced Heads Will Roll: Heir Apparent, a second season created by Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne. Both sisters returned to their roles, with Kate again playing Queen Mortuana and Emily returning as JoJo. The new season debuted June 25, 2026.
That development is one of the most important fresh details for a 2026 article. It shows that Emily and Kate’s creative partnership isn’t simply something from the past; they’re still working together on new material.
What Television Shows Has Emily Lynne Berthold Appeared In?
Emily has built a varied television résumé. Her documented credits include Friends From College, Our Cartoon President, and The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show.
In Friends From College, she appeared as Bridesmaid #1. Her work on Our Cartoon President was more extensive, with voice roles across numerous episodes, including characters such as Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump. IMDb lists her in 43 episodes of the animated series.
She also played several characters in The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, including Scuzz, Dani, Bridget, Rachel, and other roles. That kind of character variety reflects the flexibility that has become a recurring feature of Emily’s comedy career.
Her other voice credits broaden the picture further. IMDb lists work on Nature Cat, Donkey Hodie, and other productions, demonstrating that her career has continued beyond the projects for which she is most commonly recognized.
Why Did Emily Move Away From Stand-Up Comedy?
Stand-up comedy was an important part of Emily’s early career, but it eventually became just one part of a much wider creative path. Rather than remaining tied to live stage performance, she explored recorded comedy, acting, writing, voice work, and other projects.
That shift is worth viewing as a career evolution rather than a disappearance from comedy. Emily continued working in humorous, character-driven entertainment even as the format changed.
For some performers, live stand-up is the ideal medium. Others find that writing characters, recording audio, or creating scripted material provides more room to experiment. Emily’s career suggests that she has embraced that flexibility.
Her later credits make this especially clear. From Our Cartoon President to Heads Will Roll, she has continued to perform comedy without needing a traditional stand-up stage.
Who Is Emily Lynne Berthold’s Husband?
Emily Lynne Berthold is married to Matt Leary, an artist and creative professional. The couple became engaged in 2024 and married in 2025.
The wedding added an especially memorable detail to Emily and Kate’s family story: Kate McKinnon officiated the ceremony. Recent coverage of Kate’s life and career highlighted the unusual role, with Kate discussing the experience and explaining that she had obtained the necessary credentials to officiate.
The wedding is a useful example of how much of Emily’s personal life remains relatively private. Compared with Kate, Emily has spent far less time in the mainstream spotlight, so responsible reporting should stick closely to details the couple or reliable sources have made public.
That approach also prevents the common problem of celebrity biographies turning limited public information into speculation.
Emily Lynne Berthold’s Hobbies And Personal Interests
Away from her professional work, Emily has shown an interest in comedy, horror, filmmaking, and animals. Her public social-media presence has included humorous posts, personal photographs, family memories, and pictures of pets.
These glimpses are useful because they show another side of her personality. Her career may involve scripts, microphones, and cameras, but her public posts often have a much more casual tone.
Her interest in horror is particularly compatible with her comedic sensibility. Horror and comedy can both depend on timing, exaggeration, unexpected turns, and memorable characters. Still, those interests should be treated as personal details rather than as a definitive description of her creative identity.
Emily Lynne Berthold On Social Media
Social media has given Emily a direct way to share comedy and occasional personal moments with audiences. Her public presence has included Instagram and other online content, allowing her to communicate without the structure of a traditional television appearance.
Her posts have also helped document the longstanding relationship she shares with Kate. Childhood photographs and humorous memories offer fans a more informal look at the sisters than a conventional interview can provide.
At the same time, social media shouldn’t be treated as a complete record of Emily’s life. Public posts represent the moments she chooses to share, not everything that happens away from the camera.
For that reason, a trustworthy Emily Lynne Berthold biography should use social media as first-person context when appropriate, while relying on established sources for major career and biographical claims.
Emily Lynne Berthold Beyond Kate McKinnon
It’s easy to see why Emily is introduced in many articles as “Kate McKinnon’s sister.” Kate is an internationally recognized performer, while Emily has deliberately maintained a much lower public profile.
But the description becomes incomplete when it stops there.
Emily has her own credits as an actress, writer, voice performer, and comedian. She has created projects, appeared in television productions, worked in animation and audio, and collaborated with other performers. IMDb’s credit history alone shows a career that extends well beyond her family relationship.
Her work with Kate is significant precisely because Emily contributes her own creative skills. Notary Publix lists both sisters as creators, while Heads Will Roll was co-created by them and has now developed into a second season.
That makes the fairest description of Emily a simple one: she’s both Kate McKinnon’s sister and an entertainer with a career of her own.
What Is Emily Lynne Berthold Doing Now?
As of 2026, the clearest current development in Emily’s professional life is her return to Heads Will Roll. Audible announced in April that Emily and Kate would reunite for Heads Will Roll: Heir Apparent, with both sisters reprising their original roles.
The second season is particularly significant because it confirms that their creative partnership remains active. The sisters themselves said they were excited to expand the fictional world they had created, making the new production more than a simple revival of an older project.
Beyond that confirmed work, Emily has maintained a lower public profile than Kate. It’s therefore better to avoid presenting unannounced projects or assumptions about her future plans as established facts.
What can be said with confidence is that Emily remains connected to comedy, acting, writing, and voice performance. Her latest Heads Will Roll work also shows that she continues to find creative opportunities alongside Kate while maintaining her own place in the entertainment world.
Final Thoughts On Emily Lynne Berthold
Emily Lynne Berthold’s story is much richer than the familiar phrase “Kate McKinnon’s sister” suggests. She grew up in Sea Cliff, developed an early interest in comedy and performance, studied film, and built a career that has taken her from stand-up to television, digital comedy, writing, and voice acting.
Her collaborations with Kate are an important part of that story. Notary Publix showed the sisters working together as creators and performers, while Heads Will Roll expanded their partnership into audio comedy. Now, with Heads Will Roll: Heir Apparent released in 2026, that collaboration has entered another chapter.
Her personal life has also moved forward. Emily married Matt Leary in 2025, and Kate’s role as the wedding officiant offered a particularly fitting reminder of the closeness between the sisters.
Ultimately, Emily Lynne Berthold is best understood on her own terms. Kate McKinnon may be the reason many people first search for her name, but Emily’s work as a comedian, actress, writer, and voice performer gives readers plenty of reasons to remember her for herself.
FAQs About Emily Lynne Berthold
Is Emily Lynne Berthold Kate McKinnon’s Sister?
Yes. Emily Lynne Berthold is Kate McKinnon’s younger sister. The sisters grew up together in Sea Cliff, Long Island, and have maintained a close personal and professional relationship. Their collaborations include Notary Publix and Heads Will Roll.
What Does Emily Lynne Berthold Do?
Emily Lynne Berthold is an actress, comedian, writer, and voice performer. Her documented credits include Friends From College, Our Cartoon President, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, Heads Will Roll, Nature Cat, and Donkey Hodie.
Where Did Emily Lynne Berthold Go To College?
Emily studied film at SUNY Purchase. Her film background fits with the varied creative work she later pursued, including acting, writing, comedy, and voice performance.
Is Emily Lynne Berthold Married?
Yes. Emily Lynne Berthold married artist Matt Leary in 2025. Kate McKinnon also played a special role in the wedding by officiating the ceremony. Recent coverage has highlighted the event as another example of the sisters’ close relationship.
What Is Notary Publix?
Notary Publix is a short-form comedy series released in 2015. Emily Lynne and Kate McKinnon created and starred in the project, playing sisters who work as notaries. IMDb lists both Emily and Kate as creators of the series.
What Is Heads Will Roll?
Heads Will Roll is a fantasy-comedy audio series created by Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne. The original production debuted in 2019, with Kate playing Queen Mortuana and Emily performing as JoJo. The sisters returned for Heads Will Roll: Heir Apparent in 2026.
What Is Emily Lynne Berthold Known For?
Emily is known for her work in comedy, acting, writing, and voice performance, as well as her creative collaborations with Kate McKinnon. Her credits across television, animation, web comedy, and audio demonstrate that her career extends well beyond her family connection.
What Is Emily Lynne Berthold Doing In 2026?
One of her most significant confirmed 2026 projects is Heads Will Roll: Heir Apparent. Audible announced the second season in April 2026, with Emily and Kate returning to their respective roles as JoJo and Queen Mortuana. The new season debuted on June 25, 2026.
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