‘Rest in Power’: Kate McKinnon honours Ruth Bader Ginsburg with silent tribute during SNL premiere

Comedian often portrayed late Supreme Court justice on SNL

Kate McKinnon honours Ruth Bader Ginsburg on SNL (Saturday Night Live)

Kate McKinnon took a moment to honour late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during the season 46 premiere of Saturday Night Live.

On Saturday, McKinnon, who frequently portrayed Ginsburg on the show, sat in the front row of the audience dressed as the justice in a black robe, glasses and a lace collar.

When the camera panned to McKinnon, she placed her hand on her chest and bowed her head slightly, before turning her head upwards.

Before the commercial break, the screen then featured a portrait of the SNL star’s Ginsburg costume with a white rose and text that read: “Rest in power.”

While brief, the show’s tribute to Ginsburg, who died on 18 September at the age of 87 due to complications of metastatic cancer, touched viewers.

“Kate McKinnon and SNL’s tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg was perfect. Thank you for everything, Justice Ginsburg. I promise we will continue the fight,” one person tweeted.

Another said: “Anyone else tear up when Kate McKinnon appeared as RBG? Perfect tribute. #SNL.”

“Kate McKinnon paid tribute to RBG in a lovely, powerful moment last night on SNL. It brought me to tears,” someone else wrote. “I recall video of Ruth Bader Ginsburg watching Kate McKinnon portray her. She was amused and laughed out loud. So sweet and endearing.

“Rest In Peace and Power, RBG.”

Following the feminist icon’s death, McKinnon shared a statement in which she said it was a “profound joy” to play Ginsburg on SNL and called meeting the late Supreme Court justice “one of the great honours” of her life.

“For so many of us, Justice Ginsburg was a real-life superhero: a beacon of hope, a warrior for justice, a robed crusader who saved the day time and again," the 36-year-old said in a statement to People. "Playing her on SNL was a profound joy because I could always feel the overwhelming love and gratitude that the audience had for her.

“It was one of the great honours of my life to meet Justice Ginsburg, to shake her hand, and to thank her for her lifetime of service to this country."

Ginsburg also had praise for McKinnon, revealing during a press event for the RBG premiere in 2018 that she “liked the actress who portrayed me” on SNL.