Emily Lynne Berthold is an American actress, comedian, writer, and voice artist who has built a creative career in her own right, although many people first meet her name through her older sister, Kate McKinnon. If you have searched for who is Emily Lynne Berthold, the short answer is that she is a working comedy performer from Sea Cliff, Long Island, whose credits span television, online comedy, voice acting, and audio drama. She is not only a famous person’s sister. She has written, performed, and voiced characters across many projects.
This Emily Lynne Berthold biography brings together what is publicly reported about her life and career, while being clear about what has not been officially confirmed. Her birth year, for example, is widely reported as 1989, but it has not been confirmed in an official biography. That distinction matters, because celebrity profiles often repeat the same unverified details until they start to look certain. Here, reported details are described as reported, and gaps are left open rather than filled with guesses.
Key Takeaways: Emily Lynne Berthold is Kate McKinnon’s younger sister and an actress, comedian, writer, and voice artist. She grew up in Sea Cliff, Long Island, and studied film at SUNY Purchase College. Her credits include Friends from College, Our Cartoon President, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, Notary Publix, and Heads Will Roll. Her net worth is not publicly disclosed.
Who is Emily Lynne Berthold?
Emily Lynne Berthold is an American actress, comedian, writer, and voice artist best known as the younger sister of Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon. She is also known professionally in some credits simply as Emily Lynne. While Kate became a household name through sketch comedy and film, Emily followed a parallel path through stand up, online sketches, television acting, and voice work. People who have seen Emily perform have often noted how alike the sisters’ timing and delivery can sound.
That similarity is not surprising, given how they grew up. Emily and Kate were raised in a home where comedy was part of everyday life, and they made characters and mock sketches together as children. Those early home videos were not a career plan at the time, but they helped both sisters learn how to build a character, land a joke, and perform for an audience without taking themselves too seriously.
Today, Emily Lynne Berthold’s career is best understood as a mix of disciplines rather than a single job title. She acts on screen, writes comedy, performs sketches, and lends her voice to animated and audio projects.
What is Emily Lynne Berthold’s age?
Emily Lynne Berthold’s age is reported as being based on a birth year of 1989, which would make her in her mid thirties in 2026. Her birthday is also reported as November 18, although the year attached to that date has not been officially confirmed. Any exact age figure should therefore be treated as an estimate drawn from secondary reports, not as a verified fact from Emily herself.
The five year age gap between the sisters is one of the more consistently reported details. Kate McKinnon was born in 1984, so a 1989 birth year for Emily fits the accounts that describe Emily as about five years younger. Still, consistency across celebrity websites is not the same as confirmation. Until Emily confirms the date directly, the honest wording is that she was reportedly born in 1989 in Sea Cliff, New York.
For readers, this matters less than it might seem. Emily’s work does not depend on her exact age, and her career timeline is clearer than her birth record. She began appearing in credited comedy and acting projects in the mid 2010s, studied film before that, and has continued to work steadily since.
Where did Emily Lynne Berthold grow up?
Emily Lynne Berthold grew up in Sea Cliff, a village on Long Island in New York State, where both Emily and Kate spent their childhood. Their family home was, by the sisters’ own accounts in interviews, a funny household. Their parents encouraged them to look at ordinary life in a comic way, and both parents were described as funny people in their own right.
That home environment shaped the sisters in two ways. It gave them permission to be silly and invent characters, and it gave them an early audience in each other. When siblings constantly make each other laugh, they learn timing and the difference between a joke that works and one that falls flat.
Who are Emily Lynne Berthold’s parents and family?
Emily’s father was Michael Thomas Berthold, an architect who worked on residential and commercial projects, including renovation work on Long Island. He was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 1999, and he died in January 2002. Kate has spoken publicly about her father’s influence, including crediting him with introducing her to Saturday Night Live as a child.
Emily’s mother is Laura Campbell, who has worked as a parent educator and family support advocate. Laura has also appeared in small roles connected to Saturday Night Live during Kate’s time on the show. In interviews, Kate has described both parents as funny and encouraging, a description that helps explain why both daughters moved toward comedy.
What did Emily Lynne Berthold study?
Emily Lynne Berthold studied film at the State University of New York at Purchase College, commonly known as SUNY Purchase. Film study gave her a grounding in storytelling, performance, and production, rather than training her in only one skill. That broad base fits her later career, which moves between acting, writing, and voice work.
Emily Lynne Berthold quick facts
| Detail | What is publicly reported |
|---|---|
| Full name | Emily Lynne Berthold |
| Also known as | Emily Lynne |
| Birthplace | Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York, USA |
| Birth year | 1989, reported, not officially confirmed |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | SUNY Purchase College, film |
| Professions | Actress, comedian, writer, voice artist |
| Father | Michael Thomas Berthold, architect |
| Mother | Laura Campbell, parent educator |
| Sister | Kate McKinnon, actress and comedian |
| Partner | Matt Leary, illustrator and designer, reported marriage in September 2025 |
| Social media | Instagram as @phlegmilylynne, reported |
| Net worth | Not publicly disclosed |
What is Emily Lynne Berthold’s career?
Emily Lynne Berthold’s career began in comedy and independent performance and grew to include television acting and voice work. She did stand up early in her career and developed a style that audiences compared to Kate’s. In 2023, she shared that she had stepped back from traditional stand up to focus on other creative projects, a choice many performers make when sketch, writing, and voice work offer a better fit than the club circuit.
Her on screen acting credits include a role as Bridesmaid Number 1 in the Netflix comedy series Friends from College in 2017. In 2020, she appeared in The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show on Netflix, playing several characters, including Scuzz, Rachel, Dani, Bridget, Karen, and Top Knot Sis 2. Other reported credits from the mid 2010s include PITtv, Above Average Presents, Affordable NYC, Gay Girl Straight Girl, and Choose Your Own McGurskey.
What voice work has Emily Lynne Berthold done?
Voice acting is one of the strongest parts of Emily Lynne Berthold’s career. From 2018 to 2020, she voiced characters in the animated comedy series Our Cartoon President, including voices for Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump. Political satire of that kind depends heavily on vocal impression and comic exaggeration, and it is a very different skill from on camera acting, because the voice has to carry character, attitude, and joke all at once.
She also provided a voice role in the video game Red Dead Redemption II in 2018, credited in connection with the Del Lobos group, and she appeared in the animated series Nature Cat in 2019. Her audio work extends to Audible as well, most notably through Heads Will Roll, covered below. Audio drama asks a performer to build a whole character from voice alone, without costume, set, or facial expression to help.
What did Emily Lynne Berthold create with Kate McKinnon?
In 2015, Emily and Kate created and starred in the comedy web series Notary Publix. The series followed two sisters, Gina and Teresa Fra Diavolo, who worked as notaries, and it also featured Saturday Night Live performer Aidy Bryant. The show was made for Comedy Central’s digital platforms and ran for six episodes. It was one of the first major collaborations between the sisters.
The sisters teamed up again for Heads Will Roll, an Audible Original comedy series. In that series, Kate played Queen Mortuana, while Emily voiced JoJo, the queen’s raven assistant. Emily also received writing credits connected to the project. The premise gave both performers room to use the larger than life character work they do best, and the audio format put the focus squarely on voice and writing.
Is Emily Lynne Berthold married?
Emily Lynne Berthold is reported to be married to Matt Leary, a creative professional who works as an illustrator and designer and is a co-owner of Jampson Films, a creative visual production company based in Brooklyn, New York. Reports in 2025 said the couple became engaged in August 2024 after dating for several years, and married in September 2025. There is no publicly confirmed information about Emily having children.
What is Emily Lynne Berthold’s net worth?
Emily Lynne Berthold’s net worth is not publicly disclosed. She has earned income through acting, voice work, comedy, writing, and creative projects, but no reliable official source has published a verified figure. Online estimates for lesser known performers are often guesses built from a handful of credits, and they should not be treated as facts. Kate McKinnon’s success does not tell us Emily’s income.
What is Emily Lynne Berthold like on social media?
Emily is active on Instagram under the username @phlegmilylynne, where she shares comedy content, family photos, posts with Kate, moments with her husband, pictures of her pets, and glimpses of her creative work. She has described herself there as a horror fan and voiceover artist. She also has a YouTube channel where she has shared comedy videos.
For more celebrity family stories, readers can explore The Weird News Blog homepage, and related sibling profiles such as the Culkin siblings and Leslie Knipfing, who are also known in part through famous family members yet have their own stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Emily Lynne Berthold?
Emily Lynne Berthold is an American actress, comedian, writer, and voice artist, and the younger sister of Kate McKinnon.
How old is Emily Lynne Berthold?
She was reportedly born in 1989, which would make her in her mid thirties in 2026, but her exact birth date has not been officially confirmed.
Is Emily Lynne Berthold related to Kate McKinnon?
Yes. Emily is Kate McKinnon’s younger sister, and they have collaborated on Notary Publix and Heads Will Roll.
What shows has Emily Lynne Berthold been in?
Her credits include Friends from College, Our Cartoon President, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, and Nature Cat.
What is Emily Lynne Berthold’s job?
She works as an actress, comedian, writer, and voice artist across television, sketch comedy, animation, video games, and audio drama.
Is Emily Lynne Berthold married?
She is reported to have married illustrator and designer Matt Leary in September 2025, after their engagement in August 2024.
What is Emily Lynne Berthold’s net worth?
Her net worth is not publicly disclosed, and no reliable official source has published a verified figure.
Where can I follow Emily Lynne Berthold?
She is reported to be active on Instagram as @phlegmilylynne, and she has also shared comedy videos on YouTube.
