Cecily Strong is leaning into mornings with a new campaign and a shelf full of skincare staples.
The “Saturday Night Live” alum, 41, has partnered with Thomas’ English muffins for a fresh ad push that has her parodying several “morning person” archetypes. Strong said Style she did not need convincing when the offer arrived. “I am a fan organically. Actually, when my agent sent me this offer I was like, ‘You’re not going to believe this.’ I sent them a picture of my fridge to show that I have my English muffins currently in the fridge, because that was already my morning routine.”
The comedian, who holds the record as the longest-running female cast member in “SNL” history, has spent years embodying chaotic night owls like Cathy Anne and The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With at a Party. She joked that one of those characters still lurks close to the surface. “Cathy Anne is always inside of me on any given day; she’s like a comfortable pair of pajamas on drugs,” she said.
These days, Strong is adjusting to a different rhythm. As a new mother juggling multiple television projects, she is attempting to rebrand herself as someone who greets the day with energy rather than dread. “Hopefully, in 21 days, I will be fully transformed into a better person,” she quipped.
Her actual morning routine centers on a handful of products she has tested and endorsed herself. For sun protection, she reaches for a Korean import that has gained traction online. “I try to do a good sunblock. Right now, I’ve been using Beauty of Joseon. Anytime someone online says, ‘This is a great Korean sunblock,’ I usually go [for that],” she explained.
Strong also keeps her lips coated with a peptide formula she buys in multiples. “I have a lip balm that I really like, this Ole Henriksen peptide balm. I’ve bought like four of those,” she shared. Under her eyes, she applies AlphaRet cream, a recommendation from a dermatologist she clearly admires. “I love my dermatologist and she recommended [this]. I’m always trying to pick her brain, but I don’t think she has all the time in the day to text me. She’s a very busy woman, and I’m like, ‘Please, tell me more. Why do you look the way you look?’ I feel like Ursula. I’m trying to get it out of her,” she said.
The tea selection stays classic. “I love a Red Label black tea with milk and sugar,” she noted.
Strong departed “SNL” in 2022 after eleven seasons, leaving behind a roster of characters that defined the show’s 2010s era. Her post-series work has included the Apple TV+ series “Schmigadoon!” and various development projects. The Thomas’ campaign marks a return to the broad commercial comedy that built her reputation.
The partnership arrives as celebrity-fronted food campaigns continue to dominate advertising, with stars lending their personas to legacy brands in increasingly self-aware spots. Strong’s pitch leans on the authenticity of her pre-existing breakfast habits, a detail she was eager to prove with photographic evidence of her own refrigerator.
She has not specified which television projects currently occupy her schedule, though she described herself as “happily working away” on several fronts. Motherhood, she indicated, has accelerated her interest in becoming someone who functions before noon.
The Thomas’ English muffins campaign is now running across platforms.