Saturday Night Live: 30 scandals and secrets you didn’t know
By Jeremy Dick
23. Kenan Thompson beats out comedy partner for SNL gig
Veteran SNL performer Kenan Thompson was no stranger to comedy when coming in the series. As a child actor, he had made a name for himself on Nickelodeon with shows like All That and Kenan & Kel. He even starred in the feature film Good Burger and was perhaps destined for stardom.
At the time, you would never see Kenan anywhere without his comedy partner Kel Mitchell. Following their stints on Nickelodeon, however, the duo both decided to try for a spot on Saturday Night Live. Kenan and Kel would both audition for the series, but it seems the producers only wanted to hire one of them.
Obviously, you know which one of the two got the job. Many Kenan & Kel fans probably expected Kel to go on to become the bigger star, but Kenan’s casting on SNL proved the opposite. Kel would show up in various spots on television in subsequent years, but he was never able to capture any more fame than he had already in the 90s.
In recent years, rumors floated around that Kenan and Kel were no longer in contact. Since then, however, they reunited for a Good Burger sketch on The Tonight Show among other projects.