Kate McKinnon Finally Met Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Her Reaction Was So Pure

It’s hard to choose a favorite of Kate McKinnon’s Saturday Night Live performances, but if we were to create some sort of ranked list, her Ruth Bader Ginsburg impression would definitely be up there. But now, life has imitated art and worlds have officially collided: the comedian and the Supreme Court justice finally met IRL, and the interaction was just as pure as you’d imagine it to be.

As noted by Entertainment Weekly, McKinnon and Ginsburg were both in attendance at the Off-Broadway performance of Fiddler on the Roof on Tuesday, August 13. According to photos and videos shared on social media, the two notable public figures shook hands, with McKinnon being described as “starstruck” (we don’t blame her).

McKinnon and Ginsburg also took time to chat with the cast and crew following the production. Actor Abby Goldfarb, who performs in the all-Yiddish production of Fiddler, shared photos on Instagram, describing McKinnon and Ginsberg’s meeting as “epic.”

Director Joel Grey told People that having McKinnon and Ginsburg in attendance “could not have made me happier,” adding that the Supreme Court justice was “generous and sweet. The audience went crazy for her.”

McKinnon has been portraying Ginsburg on SNL since 2012, the year she joined the series. The Supreme Court justice has previously expressed positive feedback about McKinnon’s impression of her; during a January 2018 interview with NPR’s Nina Totenberg, Ginsburg said: “I liked the actress who portrayed me…and I would like to say ‘Gins-Burn’ sometimes to my colleagues.”

Now that’s definitely a Gins-burn.