Kenan Thompson ( KEE-nən; born May 10, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He has been a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history. He was also the first regular cast member born after the show's premiere in 1975. Outside of SNL, Thompson starred on NBC's sitcom Kenan from 2021 to 2022.
Thompson began his acting career in the early 1990s, and was an original cast member of Nickelodeon's sketch comedy series All That from 1994–1999, where he often collaborated with co-star Kel Mitchell. Beginning in 1996, they starred in their own sitcom Kenan & Kel (1996–2001). Thompson also had roles in The Mighty Ducks franchise, Good Burger and its sequel Good Burger 2, and as the title character in the 2004 film Fat Albert. His voice acting work includes Space Chimps (2008), Rock Dog (2016), The Grinch (2018) and Wonder Park (2019).
He has been nominated six times for a Primetime Emmy Award for his work on SNL, winning once. He is ranked at No. 88 on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
Thompson was born on May 10, 1978, in Columbus, Ohio. His parents are Fletcher and Elizabeth Ann Thompson. He has two siblings: an older brother and a younger sister. His family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, when he was 9 months old. Thompson's mother enrolled him in acting classes at age five. His first role as Toto in a church production of The Wiz had no lines. He continued acting throughout his youth, appearing in school plays such as The Gingerbread Duck. He auditioned for a theater company, The Youth Ensemble of Atlanta (YEA). As a child, he was a fan of The Price Is Right, which he has called "my first love" and "very joyful viewing" that shaped his acting style.
1994–2002: Breakthrough with Kenan & Kel
One of Thompson's earliest roles was as an entertainment reporter for CNN's "Real News for Kids". He went on to star in the original run of All That for its first five seasons, playing such characters as Principal Pimpell, Miss Piddlin, Pierre Escargot, and Superdude. He starred as Kenan Rockmore on Nickelodeon's Kenan & Kel from 1996 to 2000, mostly while still working on All That. He began acting in his first film, D2: The Mighty Ducks, while attending Tri-Cities High School, a visual and performing arts magnet school in East Point, Georgia.
Thompson has starred in several films including Good Burger (1997), based on the All That sketch of the same title, and Fat Albert (2004), in which he played the title character. He has also had supporting roles in D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994), D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996), as well as films such as Heavyweights (1995), Big Fat Liar (2002), Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003), and My Boss's Daughter (2003).
2003–present: Saturday Night Live and acclaim
Thompson returned to sketch comedy when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2003, becoming the show's first cast member born after its 1975 premiere. Thompson said he had sent several audition tapes to SNL, which dismissed him as looking too young; he said "it was a couple years' worth of that". Thompson said that he feared his addition to the cast would be a "disservice" to the show: "It was weird for me for a long time". Thompson was a featured player until 2005 (spanning the 29th and 30th seasons) and was promoted to repertory player at the beginning of season 31 (the 2005–2006 season).
In 2013, he began refusing to portray black women characters on the show and demanded SNL hire black women instead.
Thompson has been a cast member on SNL for 23 years, breaking the record for the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history previously held by former castmate Darrell Hammond, who was on the show for 14 years. Thompson became the most senior cast member in the second half of the 2013–14 season, following the departure of Seth Meyers. Thompson also holds the record for most celebrity impressions performed on the show, performing 139, beating Hammond's previous record of 107. Although early on he planned to stay on the show until something else came along, by 2019 he noted that SNL was his "forever plan".
Thompson has been nominated for five Primetime Emmys for his work on SNL, winning once. He has thrice been nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, in 2018, 2020 and 2021. For co-writing the song "Last Christmas", in 2017 he was nominated for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, an award he then won in 2018 for the lyrics to "Come Back Barack" (along with Chris Redd and Will Stephen).
In 2014, SNL head writer Brian H. Tucker noted that simply putting "KENAN REACTS" would get a script more laughs, further elaborating, "Put him in your sketch somewhere, anywhere, and your sketch will get better. Because Kenan knows how to take ordinary lines and make them funny, and take funny lines and make them special." Similarly, Lorne Michaels in a 2019 article referred to Thompson as "the person I most rely on in the cast". Vulture referred to him as the "heir apparent" to Phil Hartman, both being "the glue" of their respective casts.
Thompson's celebrity impressions on SNL include Al Sharpton, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Cosby, Charles Barkley, David Ortiz, O. J. Simpson, and Steve Harvey. He has performed in over 1,500 sketches, hitting the mark during the March 5, 2022, episode hosted by Oscar Isaac. In commemoration of his 20th anniversary on the show, Thompson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 11, 2022. It was placed next to Lorne Michaels's star.
Darnell Hayes, the host of Black Jeopardy!
Diondre Cole, the host of What Up with That? (What's Up with That? in some episodes), who is repeatedly distracted by the show's theme song
Reese De'What, the host of Cinema Classics
Willie, Michael Che's overly optimistic neighbor