With 22 seasons of Saturday Night Live under his belt, Kenan Thompson has without a doubt firmly etched his place within the history of the show. He’s appeared in countless sketches and continues to generate his fair share of laughs. Thompson has also notched various achievements as a cast member and, at this point, it honestly feels like there isn’t much more he actually needs to accomplish. However, the beloved star just named another “milestone” he’s yet to hit, and to say this is a biggie would be an understatement.
Years ago, Kenan Thompson surpassed Darell Hammond to become the longest-tenured cast member in the history of SNL. 2022 later saw Thompson hit other massive accomplishments, as he reached 20 seasons and hit 1,500 sketches. Also, he’s now part of the 50th anniversary season. So what else is there for the comedic actor to do? Well, he could just remain on the show forever. Thompson just addressed that possibility while speaking with EW, and he, at the very least, seems intrigued by the notion of it:
I guess the only other milestone would be just to be the forever cast member. Just never leave the show. I don't really know. 30 [seasons] is like, okay, that's just another number kind of thing. 20 was just such a thing that nobody had ever done. People had gotten into their teens before, but nobody had gotten all the way up to 20. And then I was close to doing it. Once I started getting into 17, I was like, well, if I can, I would love to stick around till 20. And now here we are at 22, so I don't know.
Watching the former Nickelodeon star on the NBC staple for all these years has certainly been great, and I love that he’s still going. On that note, even I have to admit that I’m not sure just how feasible it would be for him to remain on the series for decades to come. Based on accounts shared by former and present cast members, working on the show is no small feat for an actor of any age, and I’m not sure if the grind would get any easier for the Kenan star as he grows older.
Despite all of that, I do appreciate Kenan Thompson’s enthusiasm. Since he joined Saturday Night Live in 2003, he’s expressed positive thoughts over being on the show and, even today, Thompson still gets pumped for new seasons. As he’s mentioned, there are emotional downsides to being on SNL for so long, with the biggest being the fact that you have to bid farewell to so many cast members. Still, Thompson just seems to keep on trucking. As for whether he’ll leave before EP Lorne Michaels, though, the comic said this:
That's a great question. I have no idea. I feel like we'll both just ride until the wheels fall off.
It goes without saying that Kenan Thompson has certainly seen some of the greatest moments in SNL history, along with some of the strangest. From seeing Kanye West’s wild political rant to watching Morgan Wallen walk off stage at the end of the show, Thompson has some interesting experiences under his belt. I can’t say just how much longer he’ll keep working at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, but I’m hopeful that whenever he does leave, he’ll be able to go out on his own terms and with a bang.
You can check out new episodes of SNL when they air on Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET. Episodes are also available to stream with a Peacock subscription.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
