Cecily Strong recently announced that she’s pregnant via IVF, and she’s using this personal news to highlight a political message ahead of the upcoming election.
In an Instagram post, the former Saturday Night Live star connected her pregnancy to a memorable sketch from 2022, where she portrayed Goober the Clown, a character who had an abortion just before her 23rd birthday. “I’m happy to report that same clown is now very happily pregnant from IVF at 40,” she wrote.
In her original sketch, Strong used humor to address her own abortion experience, blending emotional honesty with lighthearted clown antics. She pointed out, “Did you know one in three clowns will have a clown abortion in their lifetime? You don’t, because they don’t talk about it. It’s going to happen, so it should be safe, legal, and accessible.”
Reflecting on the support she received from her SNL colleagues, Strong shared, “I was feeling anxious and frustrated. I thought, ‘I can either write these essays for nobody or finally share this on the show.’ Luckily, SNL was very supportive; I don’t think anyone wanted to give notes on that sketch.”
Strong felt a strong obligation to share her story, especially with reproductive health care being a significant topic in many states. “It’s scary to disclose all of this,” she said on Instagram, “but it’s even scarier to think about what could happen after the election. I live in a state where I can access the health care I need, but we won’t be safe anywhere in the U.S. if there’s a national ban like the one proposed by Project 2025.”
Though Project 2025 doesn’t explicitly call for a nationwide abortion ban, it does suggest strategies for restricting access to abortion medication and shifting the Department of Health and Human Services away from recognizing abortion as health care.
Strong further commented on the current political climate, saying, “The Supreme Court has decided it’s okay to let some of us die based on where we live, and the Republican nominee brags about being responsible for that decision.” She noted the troubling rise in maternal deaths since 2020.
Reflecting on her personal journey with reproductive health care, Strong shared her experiences in various waiting rooms, from feeling alone and scared at a clinic in California to sharing joyful moments with friends during fertility treatments in New York. She emphasized the diverse emotions women experience in these settings, whether relief, excitement, fear, or grief from past losses.
In closing, Strong urged her followers to vote in favor of reproductive rights, saying, “Let’s all vote to protect and uplift those who share or have shared these experiences in waiting rooms. And for the future ones, like the little one I’m really hopeful to meet next spring.”
