Kenan Thompson says he almost quit “Saturday Night Live” after a series of 'rookie mistakes'

Emlyn Travis
·3 min read
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Kenan Thompson says he almost quit “Saturday Night Live” after a series of 'rookie mistakes'
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"I was like, 'What the hell am I doing here?’”

Kenan Thompson might be the longest-running Saturday Night Live cast member these days, but there was a moment early on where he seriously considered leaving it all behind.

The comedian, who has been a mainstay on the series since he joined in 2003, reveals in his new memoir When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice from a Professional Clown that a slew of mistakes during his first few years on the late-night sketch comedy show left him feeling like he was on the chopping block.

In the tell-all, Thompson explains that his first few seasons were "marred by a ton of rookie mistakes," but that his true confidence “sunk to an all-time low” after he bombed a sketch called “Randy the Bellhop” so badly that it was cut from its respective episode, per PEOPLE. The bit featured Thompson as the titular bellhop who attempts to help Alec Baldwin and SNL alum Rachel Dratch get situated in their hotel room in “all the wrong ways.”

"I was excited for the first opportunity to showcase my chops on the big stage," he writes. "Thing was, I couldn’t make it through dress rehearsal. I stuttered over this one line and couldn’t ad-lib my way out of it." Unable to recover from the flub, Thompson writes that he quickly “spiraled into a full-on panic” that was so bad it led someone else to utter an “involuntary ‘Oh no!’”

Amy Sussman/Getty Images Kenan Thompson
Amy Sussman/Getty Images Kenan Thompson

"If a slip up like that happened at Nickelodeon or in the movies I’d done, we could just do another take," Thompson notes. "At SNL, there was a lot riding on the live performance, obviously, and to no one’s surprise, the sketch didn’t make it to air."

While T. Sean Shannon, the writer of the sketch was ultimately understanding about Thompson ruining the skit, the Good Burger 2 star writes that “he and every other writer avoided me like COVID” in the aftermath of the incident and that he thought he’d never “get a character of my own” again.

“When the season finished, I didn’t even think I’d be asked back,” he writes. “I knew I needed to get better at writing my own characters, and prayed I’d get another season to take a stab at it."

The good news: Thompson was brought back. The bad news was, however, that he frequently received “zero airtime during a show” and “almost quit” as a result. "I was like, 'What the hell am I doing here?’” he asks. “I was famous enough that people were trying to follow me off the subway, but I couldn’t get on the show.’

The lack of opportunities led Thompson to wonder if there was “space at SNL for my kind of comedy.” Feeling let down, he says that he reached out to costar Maya Rudolph to ask why he was still on the show at all. He writes, “It was a no-brainer,' she said. 'We could tell you were ready and you’re adorable. We all said, ‘Obviously, it’s Kenan.'”

Rudolph’s stamp of approval helped Thompson get back on his feet. "To be complimented by someone you admire was humbling and enlightening,” he says. “I wasn’t just a kid laughing at his own jokes in front of the mirror. I’d been validated."

With his newfound outlook, Thompson says that he began celebrating his costar's wins and "the show outside of myself." It all paid off in the long run, as he writes, "After being promoted to team player, I was in a cold open for the very first time screaming, 'LIVE FROM NEW YORK, IT’S SATURDAY NIGHT!' And let me tell you, that never gets old. It’s exciting every single time."

When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice from a Professional Clown is available now.

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