Kate McKinnon Aphrodite Percy Jackson
It looks like Mount Olympus just got a serious dose of chaotic charm — Kate McKinnon has officially been cast as Aphrodite in Season 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and we’re already obsessed.
The SNL alum and all-around comedy powerhouse will step into the role of the Greek goddess of love and beauty in the third season of the hit Disney+ series, which is set to adapt The Titan’s Curse, the third book in Rick Riordan’s beloved YA fantasy series. And let’s be real — if there’s anyone who can pull off being both devastatingly beautiful and completely unhinged (in the best way), it’s McKinnon.
Fans of the books will remember that Aphrodite may not be the flashiest god on the battlefield, but she’s absolutely one of the most intriguing. She’s mysterious, manipulative, and always has her own agenda — usually involving some sort of romantic chaos. So who better than McKinnon, who’s made a career out of playing unpredictable, scene-stealing characters with razor-sharp comedic timing?
Honestly, the casting just makes sense. McKinnon brings a fresh, modern twist to every role she takes on, and Aphrodite has always felt like one of the more layered Olympians — all glam on the surface, but with plenty of power and cunning lurking underneath. We can totally see her floating into Camp Half-Blood in a cloud of Chanel No. 5 and mischief.
This announcement is the latest in a string of exciting casting updates for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which has been widely praised for its faithfulness to the source material and for striking the perfect balance between heart, humor, and high-stakes demigod drama. Season 2 is currently in production, adapting The Sea of Monsters, but it looks like Disney+ and showrunner Jonathan E. Steinberg aren’t wasting any time mapping out what’s ahead.
Rick Riordan himself has reportedly given McKinnon’s casting a thumbs up — and if the author is happy, we’re happy.
With Walker Scobell continuing to grow into his role as Percy and the series finding its rhythm with fans of all ages, bringing in a heavy-hitter like McKinnon signals that the creative team is planning to lean all the way into the bigger, bolder mythology that ramps up in the later books.
Season 3 doesn’t have a release date yet, but if this casting is anything to go by, it’s going to be worth the wait.
In the meantime, someone please give Aphrodite her own spinoff comedy. McKinnon was born to cause divine romantic chaos.
