For all the Saturday Night Live giants that have left and returned to the sketch series over the years, only one actor to date has held strong to his spot in the cast for more than 20 years: Kenan Thompson. As the longest-running SNL cast member in the NBC series’ history, the All That vet has been central to most of the show’s biggest and best moments this century. But that kind of TV longevity can also unfortunately have the occasional downside.
With Season 50 currently going strong amidst the 2024 TV schedule, Thompson joined co-star Ego Nwodim to offer some life advice on an episode of her podcast Thanks Dad, sharing his thoughts on knowing when to take a step back in one’s career. He also talked about some of the emotions that don’t come up as often when his years on SNL are being celebrated, pointing to how regularly he and others have to deal with losing close friends and co-stars. In his words:
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Being there a long time, you watch people come and go. So you have to deal with the parting of friendships, that kind of thing. The mourning of the loss of certain people’s presence and all that. So there’s a lot of bittersweet to it.
Speaking to the idea that he’s dealt with his fair share of exiting cast members and friends, here’s a shortlist of some of the Saturday Night Live talents that came and went just during the stretch when Thompson was part of the cast.
- Andy Samberg
- Kristen Wiig
- Jason Sudeikis
- Kate McKinnon
- Pete Davidson
- Leslie Jones
- Bobby Moynihan
- Vanessa Byer
- Bill Hader
All of those comedy stars went on to star in other successful series and moves after leaving the NBC stalwart, with mega-producer Lorne Michaels often having a hand in at least one of their follow-up projects. And to be sure, it's not as if Kenan Thompson has only appeared in SNL since 2003. He's had his own self-titled NBC sitcom, not to mention Good Burger 2 and his annual Olympics specials, among other highlights.
But it's the Saturday Night Team that he's undoubtedly more used to seeing on a weekly basis year in and year out. And it's obviously not just his fellow comedic actors that become part of the TV family, but also those taking care of business behind the scenes. But sadly, crew members tend to stick around as long as there's work to be had, so their exits are often of the permanent variety.
Kenan Thompson addressed the fact that there are definitely heavier emotions than just wishing co-stars well on their next project. As he put it:
We’ve had crew members die. All kinds of shit. So, like, it’s a heavier thing than just like ‘shit is sweet for me cause I’ve been there a long time’ kind of thing.
For as rosy an experience as fans might think it is to be on one of the most prolific TV series of all time, Thompson convincingly points out that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. At least not one consistently brilliant patch of green. There are downsides to everything. But having a gig where ice skating at work is a regular occurrence can only help balance the melancholy feelings.
Saturday Night Live will likely be taking a holiday break in the next month or so before returning to the 2025 TV schedule with new episodes leading up to the Presidential inauguration.