SNL Alum Reveals 'Gross' Medical Diagnosis

Kate McKinnon has 'geographic tongue'

By Evann Gastaldo
September 8, 2025

Kate McKinnon poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'The Roses' on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in London. Millie Turner photo

Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live alum and "Weird Barbie" from the Barbie movie, recently shared a weird medical diagnosis. It came up during an interview with People magazine when she was asked about the last photo she took and she explained that it was a picture of her tongue, which she sent to a friend. "We both have the same medical condition. It's called geographic tongue," she explained. "Your tongue sheds in patches and looks like an atlas, hence the name 'geographic tongue.'"

"It's gross," she continued. "We brag about how geographic we are on any given day. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this in a magazine." Per the Mayo Clinic, the inflammatory condition, which involves patches on the tongue that have no papillae (those tiny, pinkish-white bumps), is benign. Read McKinnon's full interview at People.