Photo: Peter Kramer/NBCUniversal
Rest easy,Saturday Night Livefans —Kenan Thompsonisn’t going anywhere.
In a new interview withVariety, Thompson said he has no plans to leave the hit NBC comedy sketch show, despite signing on to his own sitcom,Kenan.
Thompson, 42, joinedSNLin 2003 and holds the record for the longest-tenured cast member in the show’s history. He has been nominated a total of four times at theEmmy Awards, winning once for co-writing “Come Back, Barack” in 2018.
The current season marks his 17th, though he toldVarietyhe’d like to reach an even 20.
Casey Durkin/NBC
“I have a certain number I would love to get to,” he said. “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.”
Kenan, premiering Feb. 16 on NBC, stars Thompson as a widowed dad juggling his job as the host of an Atlanta morning show while raising two daughters.
The upcoming sitcom will feature some of Thompson’s family atSNL— cast member Chris Redd will star as Thompson’s brother. The pair will fly back and forth between New York and Los Angeles to balance filming bothKenanand the late-night sketch comedy show.
SNLproducerLorne Michaelshas also signed on as an executive producer onKenan, and gushed over Thompson’s comedy skills.
“There’s nothing he can’t do,” Michaels toldVariety.“He’s one of the greatest of all time. … Kenan may be a genius.”
For theAll Thatalum, the feeling is mutual. “Lorne’s my buddy now, which is crazy for me to say,” Thompson said.
During the NBC winter press tour in January, Thompson said that it has “always been like, a goal to stay busy working.”
“And, you know, just stay focused on whatever goals I had as far as being an actor or goals as far as one to produce things and, you know, put my adult hat on and stuff like that,” he added.
Though he admitted he “couldn’t have pictured it necessarily being the way it is,” he said that he is “definitely enjoying the ride because I have just been blessed to have a front row seat to such God gifted people in so many different ways.”
Kenanpremieres Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
source: people.com
