<p>Why you can trust us</p>
<p>We may earn money from links on this page, but commission does not influence what we write or the products we recommend. AOL upholds a rigorous editorial process to ensure what we publish is fair, accurate and trustworthy. </p>
<p>Kenan Thompson reveals his favorite characters he's ever played on 'SNL'</p>
<p>Kate Ellsworth August 12, 2025 at 9:16 PM</p>
<p>Kenan Thompson has been on SNL for going on 23 seasons. (John Nacion via Getty Images)</p>
<p>This year, SNL is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and while the show has seen its fair share of incredible comedians, there's only one who's been on the show for nearly half of its impressive 50-year run: Kenan Thompson.</p>
<p>If you grew up in the '90s like I did, Kenan was the gold standard for comedy. He was a staple on "All That" (which was basically SNL for kids), the star of "Kenan and Kel," and inimitably funny in "Good Burger," which I owned on an orange VHS tape.</p>
<p>Kenan has been a staple on the silver screen for 31 years — 22 of which he's spent on SNL.</p>
<p>"I've just been very blessed," Kenan said. "To have worked with amazing people, but also to have been involved in really awesome projects. I always hope that I've done good work."</p>
<p>I had the chance to sit down with Kenan and talk about his work on SNL over his multi-decade run. He's played a number of hysterical characters, from impersonating real people (like Steve Harvey and David Ortiz) to larger-than-life fictional characters (like game-show host Elliot Pants and gym teacher Steve Kane).</p>
<p>Kenan is the face of Autotrader's latest campaign. (Autotrader)Kenan is as humble as he is hilarious</p>
<p>Though he's arguably one of the most famous comedians to ever work on SNL, Kenan is impressively down to Earth — he came to our interview in a white tee and Nike Air Force Ones. He wanted to see pictures of my toddler and talk about how grateful he was for the sunshine, despite the fact that New York City was plunged in a heat wave.</p>
<p>"It's just a beautiful day," Kenan beamed.</p>
<p>I started our interview by doing something I pride myself on (nearly) never doing — fangirling. I've been a fan of Kenan's since the early '90s, so actually talking to someone I've been laughing with for 30 years was downright incredible. I'm one of just millions of fans he's accrued over the decades, through his work on Nickelodeon ("one of the happier places on Earth," he called it) and SNL.</p>
<p>"It's such a whirlwind, especially when I start rearview mirroring," Kenan said. "It's a long road back. There are so many experiences and so many memories of SNL alone, and then most of my grownish childhood years on Nickelodeon."</p>
<p>When we talked about his 22-year stint on SNL, he seemed shocked he'd been there for so long. As awe-struck as I was by Kenan, he was equally awe-struck by SNL and its impressive legacy he's played a part in.</p>
<p>"I don't even know what to say about it," Kenan said. "Is it a fluke? I've bonded with Lorne [Michaels] and I've bonded with the show in such a special way that all of a sudden, here we are. I'm going into my 23rd [year], their 51st."</p>
<p>Kenan's favorite SNL characters</p>
<p>Kenan and I chatted about the characters he's brought to life on SNL, and when asked about his favorite ones, he struggled to choose. The moments that shine brightest in his memory are those that came with little stress — aka the ones that went smoothly.</p>
<p>"Any one of them that goes right," Kenan laughed. "Any that makes it from front to end of the sketch and it actually works — those are always fond memories."</p>
<p>If he had to pick his favorite characters he's played during his tenure, he leans toward the real-life impressions.</p>
<p>"David Ortiz and Steve Harvey are a lot of fun," he says. "Sharpton's always a lot of fun to do too, you know, just because that's a fun voice to imitate."</p>
<p>When asked to rank his top five characters, Kenan chose two fictional characters and three real-life impressions. In addition to Ortiz, Harvey, and Sharpton, Kenan most enjoys playing Lorenzo "Mack Attack" MacIntosh, a prisoner in the "Scared Straight" skit, and Diondre Cole, a song-prone talk show host on the fictional BET show "What's Up With That?"</p>
<p>Scared StraightWatch at YouTube</p>
<p>What's Up With ThatWatch at YouTube</p>
<p>David OrtizWatch at YouTube</p>
<p>Steve HarveyWatch at YouTube</p>
<p>Al SharptonWatch at YouTubeOther projects on the horizon</p>
<p>SNL may be Kenan's main job at the moment, but he's got an extremely exciting new release coming out in January 2026: A children's book called "Unfunny Bunny."</p>
<p>"It was so fun to conceptualize and then actually start," Kenan said. He wrote the book along with Brian Tucker, an SNL writer who has also worked on "The Chris Rock Show," "Chappelle's Show," and "Late Night with Seth Meyers."</p>
<p>"You ask him for 30 jokes, here comes 30 jokes a day later. He makes it look so easy, but to me there's a real formula to it."</p>
<p>The book follows a bunny on his first day of school. He wants to be the funniest kid in class, but he can't quite land any of his jokes.</p>
<p>"Dad jokes are some of my favorite," Kenan said. "Any dad joke or bad joke is my favorite thing in the world. It's so funny to me when a joke doesn't work because it's the opposite of what we wanted to have happen. I find that to be hilarious."</p>
<p>Though Kenan already wrote a book, working on a children's book is a completely different beast. There are a lot of moving parts to juggle, including finding an illustrator and stress-testing the book with a much younger audience than he's used to.</p>
<p>"It's been an amazing process to be involved in," Kenan said. "I can't wait to sit with a bunch of kids and read it to them and watch their little faces just light up."</p>
<p>"Unfunny Bunny" is available for pre-order now and releases on January 13, 2026.</p>
<p>Unfunny Bunny$20 at Amazon</p>
<p>When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice$8 at Amazon</p>
<p>Kenan is currently the face of Autotrader's latest campaign for Auto Intelligence, an AI-powered search experience that helps shoppers find the best car tailored to their lifestyle. It helps shoppers set their own parameters (like budget and features) and sifts through the millions of vehicles in their database to narrow down the options to a select few.</p>
<p>"It makes the car buying experience kind of seamless, if you use it correctly," Kenan said.</p>
<p>It's not the first time Kenan has worked with the auto company, either. He delivers a laugh-out-loud performance in this 2023 spot, and an equally hilarious one in this 2022 ad.</p>
<p>You can catch Kenan in season 51 of SNL, which premieres on October 4, 2025.</p>
<p>Watch Kenan on SNL$11 at Peacock</p>
<p>If you have any questions about this piece — or you just wanna chat about your favorite products you think we should check out — send us an email at [email protected] and we'll write you back!</p>
<p>Curious about how we test and choose products at AOL? Here's a quick explanation, from our editors.</p>
<a href="https://data852.click/5a32cd58501e613bf372/ee0a75caf0/?placementName=default" class="dirlink-1">Original Article on Source</a>
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: AsherMag
Read More >> Full Article on Source: Astro Blog
#US #ShowBiz #Sports #Politics #Celebs