Kenan Thompson Reveals How He'll Know It's Time to Leave 'SNL' After More Than 20 Years

US Weekly

Transcript

00:00I've been doing this for so many years, for over two decades.

00:02When do you feel like you'll know that it's the right time to...

00:05Um, I think when my badge stops working, you know what I mean?

00:08I don't have access anymore, that'll tell you.

00:11That'll tell you.

00:13I couldn't really say, you know, it's like as long as it's like

00:18a mutual kind of thing, you know what I mean?

00:20It's their environment to employ me at, you know what I mean?

00:24So they keep asking, I'm more than happy to oblige.

00:28And as long as the audience continues to laugh when we do something new,

00:31you know what I mean?

00:33And it's like, all right, I've been out there like three different times now

00:35and they just won't give me any sort of thing.

00:37Then I'll, you know, but that hasn't been the case.

00:39I mean, everybody seems to enjoy a new joke.

00:42Definitely.

00:43It just keeps going.

00:44When the time does come, what is the one thing you're going to take from set?

00:49Hmm.

00:50I mean, a lot of memories, but I think just like lifelong kind of,

00:55you know, friendships, because it's like that show has taught me New York,

00:59you know what I mean?

01:00Like hearing from the crew and where they're coming from,

01:02people commuting in from Long Island and Queens and like on Staten Island.

01:07You know what I mean?

01:07Like I didn't know much about Staten Island until me and Joss were roommates.

01:11You know what I mean?

01:12And we were office mates for like eight years.

01:14So like just the different walks of life that that build that show,

01:18I think is like my core memory of that place,

01:21like how many different versions of faces create the thing that you already

01:27thought you knew a lot of faces from, you know what I mean?

01:30Like there's just almost like 30 times more, you know what I mean?

01:34Just behind the scenes folks.

01:36So yeah, it's a large family.

01:38I'm sure you get it all the time, a question as well,

01:40like the one host musical guest that you would love to just work with nonstop.

01:44If you could just pick one for the rest of your life to just pick one,

01:47who would it be?

01:49Tom Hanks, I think, host wise and musical guest.

01:52It would be Outkast.

01:53Bring Outkast back.

01:54Yes, bring Outkast back.

01:55And make them perform every week.

01:58What is it about Tom Hanks that you love so much?

02:01It's just the departure from expectation and reality, you know what I mean?

02:05Like you expect him to be like a little standoffish because he's such a big star,

02:09but it couldn't be more opposite.

02:11Like he's so embracing and so nice and just giving and dedicated to the craft.

02:17He would dedicate to your sketch like it was Forrest Gump, you know what I mean?

02:22And that is just beyond flattering.

02:24It's just amazing and almost terrifying to witness at first, you know what I mean?

02:28Like when those kinds of people call you by your first name, it's just like,

02:31yo, you're Tom Hanks, you know what I'm saying?

02:34Like stop trying to act like you know Kenan, you know what I mean?

02:38But that's just who he is, he's a real one.

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