Kenan Thompson has been one of the most versatile comedy pillars on Saturday Night Live for 17 seasons, and after a number of false starts, he’s finally landed his own sitcom vehicle, Kenan, which debuts later this month on NBC. With Thompson finally landing his dream gig of starring in a sitcom (spawned after catching a glimpse of a delighted Matthew Perry leaving the set of Friends in a convertible one day in 2002), a fair question to ask is if Kenan will mean the end of Thompson’s time on SNL. It’s a question he’s certainly asked himself after securing his spot as the longest-running castmember. (Darrell Hammon was the previous record holder with 14 seasons.) But in a new profile ahead of Kenan‘s debut, Thompson confirmed that he’s not leaving SNL for a few more years if he can help it. Also, he wouldn’t mind leaving on a nice round number. Via Variety:
“I have a certain number I would love to get to,” he says of how many seasons he’s aiming for. “I think 20 is a good, round, even number that I’m close to. I feel like that is in reach, but also it would be respected if I don’t get there. Like, 18 is fine, 19 is fine. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is, will I have time for my family? There’s only 24 hours in a day.”
Despite being on the show for 17 seasons, Thompson is still having moments that he can’t believe, like when Dave Chappelle returned to host SNL the first weekend after the 2020 election. “He told me I was good at my job, and I almost cried, you know what I’m saying?” Thompson told Jimmy Fallon a few days after Chappelle hosted the show. “The dude is, I mean, as far as the pinnacle of people I look up to in the voice of my generation, it’s that guy.”
(Via Variety)