Kristen Wiig’s makeup artist explains comparing her to roasted chicken and muscle cars: 'She trusts me implicitly'
Kristen Wiig’s makeup artist explains comparing her to roasted chicken and muscle cars: 'She trusts me implicitly'
Kathleen PerriconeMon, March 23, 2026 at 8:14 PM UTC
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Kristen Wiig at the 2026 Actor AwardsCredit: Neilson Barnard/Getty
Kristen Wiig ruled the roost at the 2026 Actor Awards — perhaps it was her “hot roasted honey glazed chicken” glam?
The Palm Royale star’s makeup artist, Jo Baker, has gone viral for her hilarious mood boards that offer rare insight into her creative genius. Her inspiration for some of Wiig's biggest red carpet looks? Everything from muscle cars and burnt rubber to apple cobbler.
At the Actor Awards, Wiig stunned in a black silk Christian Cowan column gown. Her glam, raved Baker, was giving “sun-kissed radiance… inspired by hot roasted honey glazed chicken,” which she illustrated by collaging a headshot of Wiig with two golden-brown cooked birds.
“The chicken just came to mind because it literally feels, visually, the way I was thinking of those color tones and that palette,” Baker tells Entertainment Weekly.
“Kristen wiig’s makeup artist will compare her to truly anything i’m crying,” joked a tweet (with 3.6 million views) that put the spotlight on Baker’s Instagram page.
The online attention was a surprise to Baker — and completely unknown to Wiig.
“She has no idea, she’s not on social media,” Baker tells EW. “We have such a good relationship, she trusts me implicitly. And let’s be honest, she’s one of the funniest, coolest chicks in the business, so it makes sense that she wouldn’t be opposed to me leaning into a little quirky humor in my posts. I don’t know how much she has or hasn’t seen. We don’t really talk about it.” (Representatives for Wiig didn't respond to EW's request for comment.)
As Baker explains it, she's inspired by things that overlap real life and beauty, whether that be sunsets, ice cream, architecture, animals, or even condoms “because they're the perfect sheer pale pink tone.”
At the Academy Awards on March 15, Baker gave Wiig “dewy fresh sun-kissed skin,” a look referenced by two classic 1970s cars: a metallic gold Plymouth Barracuda in pristine condition and, well, a junkyard Lincoln Continental.
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Baker opted for a sweeter look at a Los Angeles screening of Palm Royale: “charred chocolate + sugary glazed inspired glam,” based on delectable donuts including a black charcoal variation filled with chocolate custard.
Wiig is not the only client to get the mood board treatment.
Baker gave The Invite actress Olivia Wilde “dirty snow sludge” (smudged black eyeliner and greased lids) for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
Vanessa Kirby’s Fantastic Four Sydney premiere mood board included a photo of dehydrated beef with vegetables space food eaten by the Apollo crew (“retro monochromatic mauvey tan tones). And for a “charred noir” Charlotte Gainsbourg photo shoot, the vibe was exemplified by burnt-out electrical sockets.
"My new clients always say, ‘I can’t wait to be collaged by Jo Baker,’ which is such an honor,” she tells EW. “It’s so endearing."
As for going viral, “the greater the reach that I can share my creativity and art with is the ultimate joy," Baker continues. "I want people to look at beauty differently. It's why I created Bakeup Beauty... because I want to translate my collages into products, and that’s what I’ve started to do.” (The product she's most proud of: Tarantulash mascara, "a bold, no-nonsense gritty London girl lash.")
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If Baker ever runs out of inspo for Wiig, there’s always “Colonial woman on the wing churning butter.”
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
