In the ‘90s, few TV duos were as well known as Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. The former child stars rose to prominence on Nickelodeon during that decade, and it was their popularity on the variety show that arguably earned them their own sitcom. Both men remain close today though, for a while some questioned the stability of their friendship. That all had to do with rumors regarding Saturday Night Live, which they both auditioned for in the early 2000s but only Thompson was hired. Now, we have the true story behind what went down amid the tryouts and how the rumors got started, thanks to Mitchell.
How Did Kel Mitchell And Kenan Thompson Get Started In The Business Together?
All That – one of the best Nickelodeon shows of the ‘90s – went into development early in the early part of that decade, with ex-Nick producer Dan Schneider among the creative team. In time, the producers hired a fresh crop of young actors to fill out the sketch series’ ensemble, including Josh Server, Lori Beth Denberg and Angelique Bates. The eventual Kenan & Kel stars were also selected and, after the show premiered in 1994, the two teens would become fan favorites.
The dynamic duo were funny individuals on their own but, together, they were a comedic force to be reckoned with. Their Good Burger sketches, which saw Kel Mitchell play fast food employee Ed and Kenan Thompson as construction worker Lester Oakes, were very well received. The same is true for the segments involving Mavis and Clavis, two cantankerous, old men played by the two actors.
In time, the network decided to capitalize on the chemistry between the two and, in 1996, viewers witnessed the debut of the aforementioned Kenan & Kel (which stokes up thoughts upon a rewatch). The show ultimately ran for four seasons before ending in 2000. And, in between that time, a feature film adaptation of Good Burger (which is also highly rewatchable) was released.
2019 also saw the two collaborators return to Nick to help oversee the third iteration of All That, which ran from 2019 to 2020. Considering all of the work the trio has done together and that they’re still on good terms today, one might be surprised by any possible feud rumors. But, alas, they did indeed crop up and persist for years.
What Exactly Happened With The Stars’ SNL Auditions?
After Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell finished their runs on Nickelodeon, the two found themselves vying for the same Saturday Night Live position in 2003. Of course, Thompson was the one who landed the gig and, at this point, he’s the longest serving cast member in the NBC show’s history. It was later assumed that his friendship with Mitchell dissipated because of his hiring. During an episode of Club Shay Shay (which is available on YouTube), Mitchell recalled auditioning for the show, saying that his tryout may have been misread by the powers that be due to what he was going through in his personal life at the time. As for crossing paths with Thompson again, he said the following:
When we got on Saturday Night Live, this is like years, we hadn’t spoken in a while. … When I talk about the isolation and when I talk about work – when people watch us on television, they’re thinking like, ‘Oh [they’re] brothers.’ You know what I mean? ‘They hang out all the time.’ But this is a job. But, when it ended, we were adults. … So you kinda gotta look at like, us being adults and navigating our own things through our life. And we hadn’t talked in a long time.. And, when Saturday Night Live came along, I was going through, probably, the worst time of my life. You’re talking about from ‘97/’98 to now it’s [2003] when [Kenan] gets on the show around that time. And we got to audition. I didn’t even know Kenan was gonna be there. DeRay [Davis], J.B. Smoove, a lot of different other actors. And I talk about this – people look at us like New Edition. You grew up with us, so there’s love there. So they felt like it was like this fight, but it wasn’t. It was just this thing of, ‘Oh, [you’re] here, too. OK, let’s audition.’
Kel Mitchell, who’s recalled his audition before, explained how his material, including a Michael Jackson-centric bit didn’t wow the casting directors. He went on to say that he was “fine” after not getting the audition, as other notable comics had been passed on as well. As Mitchell states, he doesn’t view the situation as him being “upset with” his longtime co-star but simply that they just hadn’t been in contact as much during those years.
During the lengthy interview, the fan-favorite actor went on to say that he’s glad to be in regular contact with Kenan Thompson again and that they’ve even discussing teaming up for more projects following 2023’s Good Burger 2.. As much as I’d love to see the two Nickelodeon veterans working together again, I’m just glad they’re on speaking terms and there’s no animosity between them.
Stream early seasons of All That and Kenan & Kel using a Netflix subscription now, and both Good Burger films can be accessed by Paramount+ subscribers.
