Kenan Thompson has found plenty of success throughout his career, having broken into the entertainment industry as a child actor and even co-headlined his own show. Of course, now, Thompson is widely known for his work on Saturday Night Live – a show he joined back in 2003 and remains a part of. Thompson is now the longest running cast member in the show’s history, and some may wonder why he’s stuck with it for over two decades. The beloved star recently shared a part of his reasoning, and it’s a bit heart-wrenching.
Through the years, Thompson has shared plenty of positive thoughts on working at SNL, and he mostly seems to enjoy the work. However, there’s also an economic factor to this as well. Thompson recently appeared on an episode of Bullseye with Jesse Thor and discussed his career, including both the peaks and valleys he’s experienced. When asked if he still thought about the periods when work was scarce for him, the Good Burger icon shared some raw feelings:
Is it on my mind, like now? Yeah, it’s just one of those things that you as a — kind of like when you tape off a dangerous area, you know what I mean? It’s like, ‘Alright, that’s the border of a place that I’m not going back to. Just having my bank accounts in those ranges, where it’s like, ‘Is at zero or is it negative,’ kind of thing. and I tend to make sure that you know I don't go anywhere near that again…. So yeah, it's a cautionary tale that's in the back of my mind, for sure.
Kenan Thompson made his debut as one of the OG members of Nickelodeon’s All That in 1994 and, from there, he truly emerged as a marquee, young star. He eventually parlayed that into Kenan & Kel as well as roles in several movies and guest spots on TV shows. However, Thompson did go through something of a professional drought, however, before landing his role on SNL. It’s the reminder of that period in his life that apparently helps fuel his decision to stick with the NBC staple:
The traveling salesman life of an actor, you know, it keeps it on the forefront of your mind, too, because you know nothing is guaranteed work-wise, and there's big gaps in between moments a lot of the time for actors, where they’re working and they’re not working sort of thing. It’s a thing that happens…. If you ever wonder why I continue to do SNL kind of thing, that’s a factor.
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Such harrowing comments really reframe the way I look at Thompson’s long-standing position within SNL’s ranks. Even though he’s apparently enjoyed the opportunity to delight audiences with sketches like “Black Jeopardy!” and “What’s Up with That?” But, like anyone, Thompson also wants career stability, and that’s definitely understandable in a business that can be unpredictable. It’s also worth noting that Thompson is a proud father of two daughters, and he has to think about their well-being, too.
Regardless of the financial aspect of Thompson’s decision to stay On Saturday Night Live, I’m just glad he’s still there. It is, in some ways, hard to believe he’s been with the show for over 20 years, especially since the writers still manage to craft great material for him. The only “milestone” Thompson jokes that he still has to hit is to become the only star to never leave the show. I certainly wouldn’t be mad if he wanted to stay longer (and I’d like to think his financial portfolio would benefit from that as well).
Check out Kenan Thompson’s extensive work on SNL by streaming seasons of the sketch comedy show using a Peacock subscription. Let’s also hope nothing changes and that Thompson is still a member of the cast when the show returns for Season 52 this fall amid the 2026 TV schedule.
