HE TURNS 77 YEARS OLD TODAY.
>> Jason: ANOTHER SEASON OF
LAUGHS IS UNDER WAY ON NBC AS
"KENAN" RETURNS FOR SEASON TWO.
KENAN THOMPSON IS BACK AS THE
SINGLE DAD TRYING TO MAKE THINGS
WORK WHILE BALLING BEING A
FATHER AND A MORNING SHOW HOST
AND THE SUPPORT OF HIS BROTHER
AND FATHER-IN-LAW.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND?
>> IT WAS FINE.
I WENT TO TAMMY’S THING.
>> TAMMY HAD A THING.
>> UM, I’LL SEE YOU IN THERE,
BUDDY.
CHECK!
JUST GIVE ME A LITTLE...
>> OKAY.
THANKS.
>> THERE SHE IS.
THE BIRTHDAY GIRL.
DIRTY 30.
>> WE NEED TO TALK.
YOU EMBARRASSED ME IN FRONT OF
MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
>> I KNOW, AND I JUST TOLD
BRUCIE ABOUT YOUR THING THAT HE
WASN’T INVITED TO, SO U.A.W. GOT
TO DEAL WITH THAT I’M SORRY.
YOU KNOW, BUT COME ON, YOUR REAL
FRIENDS DON’T CARE WHAT YOUR
WORK FRIENDS THINK.
>> OH, SO YOU THINK WE’RE JUST
WORK FRIENDS.
>> YEAH, RIGHT?
>> OH.
OKAY THEN.
>> SO WE GOOD?
>> YEAH.
>> Jason: JOINING US NOW ARE
THE STARS OF THE SHOW, KENAN
THOMPSON AND KIMRIE LEWIS, WHO
PLAYINGS THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
ON THE SHOW.
>> GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> Jason: I WAS GOING TO ASK
MY FIRST QUESTION, BUT WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT KENAN.
I’M SORRY.
WE’RE ALREADY SEEING HOW THIS
SEASON IS GOING TO FOCUS ON
RELATIONSHIPS AS YOUR CHARACTER
IS PULLED IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS
TO BE A LOT OF THINGS FOR A LOT
OF PEOPLE.
TELL US ALL ABOUT THAT.
>> ALL RIGHT.
I MEAN, I THINK LIFE IS ABOUT
RELATIONSHIPS, AND WE’RE
FOLLOWING THE JOURNEY OF KENAN
WILLIAMS, AND RIGHT NOW HE’S IN
A PLACE WHERE HE’S MOVING AWAY
FROM HIS RECENT TRAUMA WITH
LOSING HIS WIFE, AND, YOU KNOW,
TRYING TO LIVE FOR TODAY AND
HAVE SOME HAPPIER MOMENTS FOR
HIMSELF.
HE’S GOT HIS DAUGHTER COVERED
BECAUSE HE HAS A WONDERFUL
VILLAGE WITH HIS BROTHER AND,
YOU KNOW, FATHER-IN-LAW, BUT ALSO WITH HIS COWORKERS AT WORK,
ALSO WITH HIS COWORKERS AT WORK,
WITH THE ONE KIMRIE LEWIS, WHO
IS WITH US TODAY, AN JEFF LEWIS.
IT’S JUST A GOOD GROUP OF PEOPLE
THAT MAKE SURE THAT THE GIRLS
ARE COVERED.
BUT NOW IT’S TIME FOR KENAN TO
FIND SOME HAPPINESS.
>> Jason: ALL RIGHT, KIMRIE,
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR
CHARACTER MIKA AND HER
RELATIONSHIP TO KENAN ON THE
SHOW?
>> I LOVE THAT MIKA, SHE CAN
COME ACROSS AS SO PUT TOGETHER,
BUT MY FAVORITE PARTS ABOUT HER
ARE WHEN SHE COMPLETELY FALLS
APART AND HAS MOMENTS OF, OH,
OKAY, MIKA IS NOT PERFECT AFTER
ALL.
I THINK EVERYONE EL REALIZES
THAT, BUT THE MOMENT WHEN SHE
REALIZES IT FOR HEARSE,IT’S HARD
FOR HER AND FUNNY FOR THE
AUDIENCE JAY WAS RECENTLY
WATCHING ONE OF MY ALL-TIME
FAVORITE MOVIES, "BEST IN SHOW,"
AND THAT WAS ALMOST ENTIRELY
IMPROVISED.
NOW, ON YOUR SHOW, DO YOU GET
THE ONE SCRIPTED TAKE IN THE BAG
AND THEN GO TWO OR THREE MORE
TIMES TRYING TO FIND A DIFFERENT
JOKE OR A DIFFERENT ANGLE?
>> Jason:
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
WE’LL PRETTY MUCH GET THE WORDS
AS THEY ARE WRITTEN, AND BUT
THEN THEY’RE SO GREAT ABOUT
LETTING US ADD IN, YOU KNOW,
LITTLE AD-LIBS HERE AND THERE
AND GETTING THE TAKES THAT WE
CAN RUN OF RUN WILD WITH.
SO I THINK THE SHOW KIND OF
WINDS UP BEING USUALLY LIKE 80%
SCRIPTED AND THEN 20% OF OUR
LITTLE AD-LIBS OR WHATEVER THAT
WE ADD IN.
>> Jason: ALL RIGHT.
YOU OBVIOUSLY IS HAVE A GREAT
CAST WITH TALENTED PEOPLE WHOM
IS MAKING EVERYBODY LAUGH BEHIND
THE SCENES THE MOST.
I HAVE A FEELING I KNOW WHO IT
IS, AND IT’S NOT KENAN, IT’S
YOUR "SNL" MATE, OR WHO IS IT?
JUST TELL US WHO IT IS?
>> IT’S A MIXTURE OF PEOPLE, MAN
>> YEAH.
>> IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE MOMENT
HONESTLY.
BUT CHRIS IS DEFINITELY CAPTAIN
ROASTER.
DON HAS SOME GOOD LAUGHS IN
THERE.
WE’RE HITTING LEFT AND RIGHT
WITHOUT EVEN TRYING.
THE RELATIONSHIP THAT KIMRIE AND
I HAVE GETS ME THROUGH THE DAY
AS WELL, BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT
OF LAUGHS
>> YEAH.
>> IT’S A GOOD GROUP OF FUNNY,
FUNNY PEOPLE.
>> I MEAN, BUT HE’S ALSO SELLING
HIMSELF SHORT.
KENAN HAS US IN STITCHES ALL THE
TIME, LIKE ALL THE TIME.
>> Jason: ALL RIGHT.
WELL, YOU KNOW, WE’RE FAST
RUNNING OUT OF TIME.
BUT I WANTED TO SCEEDZ IN ONE
MORE QUESTION.
KENAN, AS THE LONGEST-TENURED
CAST MEMBER OF "SNL," WHAT WAS
IT LIKE TO BE THERE AT THE
BEGINNING WITH DAN AYKROYD AND
STEVE MARTIN AS THE WILD AND
CRAZY GUYS.
YOU’VE BEEN THERE THE ENTIRE
TIME.
>> OH, MAN, IT WAS A DIFFERENT
TIME, MAN.
IT WAS A DIFFERENT ERA.
THERE WAS LOTS GOING ON IN THE
GOVERNMENT, YOU KNOW?
WE WERE JUST TRYING TO REFLECT
THAT.
ANOTHER LEVEL, MAN.
>> Jason: [LAUGHING]
WELL PLAYED, I DO HAVE TO TELL
YOU THAT OF ALL THE CAST MEMBERS
OVER ALL THE YEARS, YOU, MY
FRIEND, MAKE EVERY SKETCH THAT
YOU’RE IN, EVEN THE LITTLE BIT
PARTS LIKE WHEN YOU’RE UNTIL
ELEVATOR WITH DAVE PUMPKINS, YOU
KILL IT EVERY TIME, BUT IT’S
BEEN A PLEASURE SPEAKING TO YOU,
AND TO YOU, AS WELL, KIMRIE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT WAS NICE TALKING TO YOU. >> Jason: "KENAN" AIRS MONDAY