Who Is Kate Mckinnon's Partner? Meet Alleged Girlfriend Jackie Abbott & Her Past Loves

Kate McKinnon's partner is Jackie Abbott; however, there were several other women before she came along. Here are details that stand out about the "extraordinarily introverted" star's dating life.

Kate McKinnon is the first open LGBT+ member of Saturday Night Live (SNL). She will do anything for a laugh and wouldn't think twice about confirming her sexuality; nevertheless, one thing she will not do is provide intimate details about her personal life.

McKinnon has described herself as very "insular" and has no social media account after she decided to keep all her relationships private in her mid-20s.

Being a star and not having a social media page seems to work for her, as fans have a more challenging time getting a glimpse into her most private affairs, including who she is dating.

In fact, in 2020, when McKinnon turned up alongside her sister Emily Lynne for the Golden Globes, they were mistaken for a couple at the award-giving ceremony. She is currently in a relationship with Jackie Abbott, but who is her partner in love, and those who came before her?

WHO IS KATE MCKINNON'S PARTNER JACKIE ABBOTT?

Kate McKinnon's partner Jackie Abbott is an actor, writer, and photographer born in Stamford, Connecticut. She graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she had the opportunity to work with Susan Sarandon and study alongside Olympia Dukakis.

After completing four years in clowning and commedia dell'arte classes, Abbott graduated with an award in Drama. She has also studied sketch and improv at UCB and is currently a writer/performer on a PIT Sketch House Crew.

Her photography outfit captures intimate moments and quality headshots. Some reviews on her webpage could convince even the most shrewd businessman to give her a shot, where she introduces herself as a "goofball."

Throughout her career, Abbott has featured in some films, including "Murder," "Thirst," and "Afterdeath." When she's not out making films or immortalizing moments with pictures, Abbott's idea of a good day involves curling up on a couch with wine and a good book or movie.

She has similarities to McKinnon, including their sense of humor and mutual fondness for avocados and tuxedo cats. Abbott also likes dogs, but her pet is a tuxedo cat she loves desperately.

HOW KATE MCKINNON AND JACKIE ABBOTT MET

McKinnon prefers to keep things private, which is why the origins of her relationship with Abbott remain mysterious. The exact time they started dating is unknown; however, Parade says it may have happened because they both hang out in the same circles as New York City Creatives.

Aside from her work on SNL, McKinnon is also known as a painter and musician, making it more likely that she ran into Abbott during her day-to-day dealings. The pair were first pictured together in 2016 when they showed up at the Broadway play "Fun/Home."

In 2017, they went to the Emmy Awards together, and after McKinnon was declared a winner, cameras captured her, giving Abbott, who sat next to her, a quick hug. It may have been a public declaration of their relationship status, and it is one of the rare times they attended a televised event together.

On the evening of that same day, Michelle Visage of RuPaul's Drag Race let the cat out of the bag by referring to the pair as a couple while congratulating her on Instagram.

KATE MCKINNON DATED MARLA MINDELLE

Before she started dating Abbott, McKinnon was with Marla Mindelle. A broadway actress and writer born in Yardley, Pennsylvania, of Italian ancestry.

Her father used to be a composer, and he met her mother during a community theater production, and Mindelle also chose a career in entertainment.

Mindelle is perhaps best known for playing Sister Mary Robert in the original Broadway production of "Sister Act" and Stepsister Gabrielle in the original Broadway production of "Cinderella."

Her other theatre credits include: "South Pacific on Broadway," "The Drowsy Chaperone," and "The Wild Party." While they dated, she and McKinnon were much more open about what they had and would usually share pictures on Marla's Instagram page.

Unfortunately, after the end of their relationship, everything was deleted. Their history dates back to 2013, and there are reports of her turning up at the 2014 Emmy awards alongside Mindelle, but for the most part, it was all done quietly in classic McKinnon fashion.

During their time together, they were mildly regarded as a power couple because of their achievements in the entertainment industry. Nevertheless, they also had many things in common, including their love for making music and performing.

In the past, McKinnon, who is known as an instrument-savvy musician, and Mindelle, a perfect duet partner, started a band they named "Indigo Squirrels." Sadly, the band didn't last, and after a one-time performance, it ended.

Like everything personal McKinnon does, her split from Mindelle flew under the radar. The breakup was quiet, and nobody knew what led to it.

KATE MCKINNON'S EX-GIRLFRIEND IS A JOURNALIST

Even before she met Marla Mindelle and came out as a lesbian, McKinnon had already been involved with a woman. Her name was Bari Weiss, and she is a controversial writer who made headlines for calling out the NY Times' toxic work atmosphere.

McKinnon was in an on-again-off-again relationship with Weiss during her time at Columbia University. Weiss grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Columbia with McKinnon and Meghan McCain.

Weiss is known for being at the center of a couple of controversies. During her college days, she co-founded a group of Jewish students who felt bullied by pro-Palestinian professors named Columbians for America Freedom.

She also founded a magazine titled "The Current," which shed more light on politics and Jewish affairs. After graduation, she was hired at the Wall Street Journal, after which she migrated to the New York Times.

In 2019, Weiss published a polarizing book titled "How to Fight Antisemitism." In it, she shined more light on left-wing, right-wing, and Islamic forms of antisemitism.

Her views are not widely accepted, and she has been dubbed a villain by most, but McKinnon saw something in her and pursued it while they studied. They kept their relationship private as well, and when Weiss was asked about it in 2019, she avoided giving any tangible detail. Weiss said:

"I've been in love with both men and women. I've been ghosted by both men and women…I don't trade on my sexual identity in that way for political points. I think that's lame and it's not my style."

KATE MCKINNON CAME OUT THANKS TO ELLEN

McKinnon has credited Ellen Degeneres with giving her the bravery to come out. She made the revelation during the 2020 Golden Globe awards, where she was allowed to present the Carol Burnett Award to Degeneres.

During the presentation, McKinnon shared her coming-out story, touching the hearts of many at the venue and those who watched on TV. The story began with her revealing that she first admitted to herself that she was gay in 1997 after watching Degeneres's sitcom.

McKinnon also confessed that knowing at the time had been very scary, like she had just discovered that she had alien DNA. However, her seeing Ellen Degeneres do her thing on TV made it less fearsome.

McKinnon has always been chatty about her sexuality, but that's where her talkative trait ends. Her relationship with Mindelle has been the most public among all the ones she's had so far, but since it ended, she has chosen a more private approach to dating.

She was always known for avoiding social media and believes performers don't need to reveal their inner selves to publicize what they do.

WAS KATE MCKINNON MARRIED TO LESLIE JONES?

McKinnon was not married to Jones. It was a rumor that started due to misleading online advertisements that had tagged them as a "married celeb couple."

McKinnon and Jones met as crew members of SNL. Still, their relationship did not evolve into one of close camaraderie until they ran into one another one summer during the filming of "Ghostbusters." Since then, the pair have been very close, and it is believed their closeness made them the subject of marriage rumors.