>>> YOU BROUGHT THE XYLOPHONE?
GRAMOPHONE?
FLUTE?
>> IF YOU GOT --
>> JUST REGULAR DRUMS?
>> I GOT THOSE.
>> WHERE ARE THEY?
>> YOU WANT THEM HERE?
I GOT THEM BACK --
>> THAT'S KENAN THOMPSON ON
"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE."
REGINA KING HOSTED THE SHOW WITH
NATHANIEL RAITLIFF MUSICAL
GUEST.
NONE HAS HAD A RUN LONGER THAN
KENAN THOMPSON.
FOR 18 SEASONS HE PLAYED AN
ENDLESS RANGE OF CHARACTERS,
PERFORMED A RECORD NUMBER OF
IMPRESSIONS AND BEEN A FAVORITE
OF SNL WRITERS WHO KNOW HE CAN
SAVE A SKETCH WITH JUST A LOOK.
NOW THE 42-YEAR-OLD EMMY WINNER
IS PULLING DOUBLE DUTY, SHOOTING
HIS NEW COMEDY DURING THE WEEK
AND FLYING BACK TO NEW YORK JUST
IN TIME FOR HIS STANDING GIG ON
SATURDAY NIGHT.
WE GOT TOGETHER FOR A SUNDAY
SITDOWN OVER ZOOM.
HE FROM THE SET OF HIS SHOW IN
HOLLYWOOD AND ME BURIED IN A NEW
YORK SNOWSTORM.
>> LIVE FROM NEW YORK, IT'S
SATURDAY NIGHT!
>> FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS --
>> MY LORD, I AM SO EXCITED.
>> KENAN THOMPSON HAS SPENT HIS
SATURDAY NIGHTS IN ONE PLACE.
>> WITH KENAN THOMPSON.
>> THIS WAS FUN.
>> ACTION!
>> SOME 3,000 MILES FROM STUDIO
8H AND HIS "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"
CAST
CAS
CASTMATES, HE IS WORKING ON A
NEW ROLE.
HIS NAME IS ON EVERYTHING FROM
THE TITLE TO THE CHAIRS.
>> WILLIAM, ALWAYS A PLEASURE.
>> LOOK BEHIND ME.
THIS IS THE SNOWSTORM YOU
MISSED, MY FRIEND.
WHILE YOU WERE IN SUNNY
HOLLYWOOD.
>> I THOUGHT YOU WERE SITTING
WITH A FANCY GREEN SCREEN.
>> A DIRECTOR'S CHAIR YOU ARE
SITTING IN THAT SAYS KENAN
THOMPSON.
WHAT DOES HAD A FEEL LIKE?
>> IT'S OVERWHELMING.
GOOD STUFF.
IT'S A BLESSING.
HONESTLY, IT'S A LOT SEEING MY
NAME BLASTED.
IT'S NOT WE ARE DOING A SHOW
CALLED "UNDER THE MOONLIGHT."
THIS IS CALLED "KENAN."
IT'S INTENSE.
>> WHAT WERE YOU GOING TO DO?
>> I WAS GOING TO HIT THEM IN
THE FACE AND SAY, SAX TO BE YOU.
>> THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DOPE.
>> DON JOHNSON AND CHRIS RED
ROUND OUT THE CAST OF "KENAN"
WHICH STARS THOMPSON AS A WIDOWS
MORNING SHOW HOST RAISING TWO
DAUGHTERS.
>> I'M ALL ABOUT THE HUG.
>> THOMPSON PLAYS EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER, ALONGSIDE HIS SNL
LOSS.
YOU MENTIONED HIM.
HOW DIFFERENT IS IT WORKING ON
THIS VERSUS DAY TO DAY IN STUDIO
8H?
>> THIS ISN'T GOING TO EMBARRASS
ME, RIGHT?
WE HAD DINNER THE OTHER NIGHT.
THIS BETTER WORK, BUDDY.
HONESTLY, I THINK IT'S TOUGH
LOVE, JEDI MIND TRICK.
>> GENTLEMEN?
>> BROTHER.
>> IS IT A DIFFERENT FEELING
KNOWING, A LOT OF THIS IS ON ME
RIGHT NOW?
>> IT IS.
AT SNL, I CAN BE A PIECE OF THE
PUZZLE AS OPPOSED TO WHAT THE
PUZZLE SHOULD LOOK LIKE WHEN
IT'S FINISHED.
I FEEL LIKE I DON'T WANT TO
WASTE ANYBODY'S 22 MINUTES.
>> NOW MARRIED WITH TWO
DAUGHTERS.
THOMPSON HAS BEEN ACTING SINCE
HE WAS 5 YEARS OLD.
I'M WONDERING WHERE THE ACTING
THING STARTED FOR YOU BEYOND
BEING A 5-YEAR-OLD DOG IN "THE
WHIZ."
YOU WERE GREAT IN THAT, BY THE
WAY.
>> THANK YOU.
IT TAKES COURAGE TO PLAY A DOG.
I DON'T KNOW, MAN.
IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS.
STAY OUT OF THE STREET,
BASICALLY.
ACTING WAS THE THING AS I GOT UP
THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND I HADN'T
GROWN MY PUBERTY LEVELS TO THE
SIZES OF MY FOOTBALL TEAMMATES.
I GUESS I'M DONE WITH FOOTBALL.
>> BY 16, HE WAS A BONA FIDE
CHILD STAR.
PERFORMING SKETCH COMEDY FOR
KIDS ON "ALL THAT."
>> TEENAGE SUPER HERO.
>> JUST BECAUSE I'M A KID, YOU
THINK I CAN'T HANDLE THE
SITUATION.
>> THOMPSON MADE THE LEAP TO
ADULT COMEDY WITHOUT THE
STAND-UP OR IMPROV PEDIGREE
TYPICAL FOR AN ASPIRING
"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" CAST
MEMBER.
IS IT TRUE YOUR AUDITION WAS A
DISASTER?
>> MAYBE IT WAS THE CHEEKS.
I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO ENGAGE WITH
THE AUDIENCE.
I STARTED OFF WITH A SOUND
AFFECT OF A PHONE RINGING AS
OPPOSED TO BEING LIKE, HOW IS
EVERYBODY DOING TONIGHT?
THEY WERE LIKE, WE WANT YOU TO
A
AUDITION AT THE LAUGH FACTORY.
>> I WAS SO NERVOUS.
I WAS DRINKING OUT OF THE FAUCET
AT THE BATHROOM.
I COULDN'T QUENCH MY THIRST.
>> DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT I DID?
>> STARTED AGAIN WITH THE PHONE
CALL.
PRETTY MUCH ENTERTAINING MY ONE
BUDDY IN THE CROWD.
SHOUT OUT TO LUCKY.
HE IS MY LUCK CHARM AS FAR AS
THAT JOB IS CONCERNED.
>> YOUR HOST.
>> KENAN GOT THE JOB AT 25 YEARS
OLD.
AND FOUND HIS PLACE AS ONE OF
SNL'S MOST RELIABLE PLAYERS.
WITH A ROLODEX OF ORIGINAL,
RECURRING CHARACTERS.
>> I'M YOUR HOST.
>> IMPRESSIONS.
AND THE KIND OF REACTIONS THAT
CAN MAKE OR BREAK A SKIT.
>> UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCE.
>> WHAT CHARACTER OF YOURS DO
YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MOST IF YOU
ARE WALKING DOWN THE STREET?
>> IT DEPENDS.
IF IT'S FAMILY PEOPLE, MAN,
WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?
HARLEM, THERE'S A LOT OF DAVID
ORTIZ.
OLDER PEOPLE LOVE STEVE HARVEY.
I GOT SHAQ.
EVERYBODY WANTS TO DO SHAQ WITH
CROSSED EYES.
I DO IT MORE DISMISSIVE.
>> LAST TIME I LOOKED IN THE
MIRROR, I GAVE MYSELF ONE OF
THESE.
>> IN 2013, THOMPSON TOOK A
STAND, CALLING FOR DIVERSITY IN
THE CAST AND SAYING HE NO LONGER
WOULD PLAY WOMEN IN SKETCHES.
WHEN ASKED IF AN INTERVIEW WHY
THE SHOW HAD NOT HIRED ANOTHER
BLACK WOMAN SINCE MAYA RUDOLPH
LEFT, THOMPSON REPLIED, QUOTE,
IT'S JUST A TOUGH PART OF THE
BUSINESS, THEY JUST NEVER FIND
ONES THAT ARE READY.
>> WHAT I WAS SAYING IS IT'S A
VERY SPECIFIC TRAINING YOU NEED.
I KNOW COMING FROM A PLACE WHERE
I THOUGHT I WAS READY TO DO THE
SHOW.
I WAS READY TO PERFORM, YES.
BUT WAS I READY TO FEED THAT
MACHINE?
NO.
THE OUTCOME WAS, WE GOT LESLIE
JONES AND WE HAVE PUNKY.
A LOT OF DIVERSITY DOORS LIKE
SWINGING WIDE OPEN.
>> FROM THE TOP.
>> EVEN AS KENAN OPENS A NEW
DOOR IN HOLLYWOOD, THOMPSON IS
NO RUSH TO LEAVE HIS HOME AT
"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE."
>> IF I FELT LIKE I WAS IN THE
WAY OF OTHER PEOPLE COMING UP,
THEN, I WOULD FALL BACK.
THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
IF I'M REQUESTED TO COME AROUND,
THEN I WOULD LIKE TO OBLIGE
THOSE REQUESTS.
>> THAT NEW SHOW PREMIERES
TUESDAY NIGHT AT 8:30 HERE ON
NBC.
OF COURSE, YOU CAN SEE HIM IN
HIS OTHER GIG EVERY WEEKEND ON
"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE."