Kenan Thompson talks working with Eddie Murphy, preparing for Saturday Night Live

Kenan Thompson explained what it was like to work alongside Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy’s return to host Saturday Night Live in season 45 will be a show talked about for a long, long time. So nobody can blame Seth Meyers for continuing to ask those involved what it was like to work alongside the SNL legend. Kenan Thompson was the latest to describe the experience.

The Dec. episode was by far the biggest episode of season 45. It was also the biggest episode in recent Saturday Night Live history as Murphy’s return helped the set multiple records. It was a rare instance of something not only meeting but exceeding the hype.

Kenan Thompson has been around SNL longer than any other cast member. So just think about how many hosts, how many comedy legends, and how many icons he’s had the chance to meet and perform with on the show.

As Thompson told Seth Meyers last night on Late Night, none can compare to working with Eddie Murphy. Thompson explained the influence Murphy has had on his career and how the week Murphy was back at SNL got better day after day.

Seth Meyers was absolutely right to draw a parallel between the joy with which Eddie Murphy performed and what Kenan Thompson has been doing on Saturday Night Live. You can’t really come up with a cast member more well-liked than Thompson.

Given how he speaks about Eddie Murphy, it makes it all the more special that Kenan Thompson got to be involved in the monologue. Standing alongside other comedians inspired by Murphy–Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and Tracy Morgan–gave Thompson the opportunity to show how important Murphy was to him and an entire generation of comedians.

Kenan Thompson is preparing for his 18th season on Saturday Night Live

It’s hard to imagine a moment for Kenan Thompson that will top working with Eddie Murphy. But as we’ve seen, anything can happen on Saturday Night Live. Thompson will get that chance when he returns this fall for season 45 and his 18th season on the cast.

It was only recently that fans began to legitimately worry that Thompson was looking for the exit at Studio 8H. He has Kenan, his own NBC sitcom coming soon and typically that means an end to a cast member’s SNL days. But Thompson has made it clear he has no intention of leaving which is music to SNL fans’ ears.

And going into season 18 means that Thompson knows what to expect and how to deal with the anxiety of getting back to the show. He shared some interesting insight with Seth Meyers on how it was only after creating the “Scared Straight” sketch from scratch did he feel truly connected to the show.

So now Thompson is gearing up for the fall and collecting his thoughts on sketches to hit the ground running in season 45. Saturday Night Live may not know exactly what the upcoming season will look like, but it Thompson sounds ready to go.

What was your favorite moment from the Eddie Murphy-hosted episode of Saturday Night Live? Are you glad Kenan Thompson is back for another season? Share your thoughts in the comment section.