Though Kenan Thompson has spent more time than usual reflecting back on his youthful acting days, in part because of the Quiet on Set docuseries, whose controversial stories largely came from the era after which he’d left Nickelodeon. He’s obviously still as all that as ever, thanks to his multi-decade tenure on Saturday Night Live, and he’s both excited and proud to bring largely care-free laughs to audiences every season. Just don’t ask him for specifics on how to create viral comedy gold.
Having been front and center for some of SNL’s net-spanning viral clips over the years, Kenan Thompson probably seems like a perfect person to solicit advice about crafting something that speaks to the masses, but even after 21 years on the gig, the Kenan and Kel vet is just as surprised as anyone by the show’s biggest hits, and 2024’s most popular segment is no exception. Speaking at Cannes Lions (via Deadline), Thompson shared this when asked how to go about creating a series-transcending clip.
I don’t know. This past year, SNL did many sketches about people in the national spotlight – Taylor Swift, George Santos – and yet the biggest sketch of all was about Beavis and Butt-Head, two cartoon characters from 30 years ago.
To be fair, both Beavis and Butt-Head have been making fans laugh anew as part of Mike Judge's second revival series, which will be debuting its third modern-era season at some point after the 2024 TV season is over. The MTV original is one of the best animated series of all time, has also sparked two different feature films. So the metal-loving slackers are slightly more important than just "two cartoon characters from 30 years ago," but his point is still valid.
Because who in their right mind would have, sight unseen, predicted that Ryan Gosling and MIkey Day's portrayals as the Highland, TX duo would comfortably spend weeks atop the pop culture zeitgeist, thanks in part to Heidi Gardner's inability to stop herself from laughing during the sketch? Likely nobody, and it only speaks to how hard it is to plan a viral sketch that the Beavis and Butt-Head idea was actually written and attempted back in 2018, but didn't make the final cut until 2024.
Kenan Thompson knows that he can't force popularity to happen by magic, and says the next best thing to do is just to do one's best, and that some of it will break through to the masses. As he put it:
You can’t manufacture a cultural moment. All you can do is maintain a level of quality and consistency that opens the door for those moments to happen. I was taught how to be consistent by greats like Maya Rudolph and Bob Newhart.
Not even Bob Newhart could have foreseen Mikey Day's problematic teeth and Gosling's nose-wig combination becoming such a prominent visual that eclipsed most of Saturday Night Live's 49th season. But I 100% want to see the iconic comedian in a Beavis and Butt-Head episode no. Maybe the teens take a trip up to a secluded family-run inn...
While waiting for more from the long-running NBC favorite, relive some of the best sketches from Season 49 below.
All currently available episodes of Saturday Night Live can be streamed with a Peacock subscription, while Beavis and Butt-Head can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription.
