Kenan Thompson has been a cast member on Saturday Night Live for almost half of the show's run on television. As SNL celebrates its 50th season, Thompson is showing no signs of heading toward the exit.
Thompson has spent 22 seasons at Studio 8H, making him Saturday Night Live's longest-tenured cast member. And at just 46 years old and as vital to the show's success as ever, there's no reason to think Thompson wants to leave.
“It's crazy because most people do eight [seasons] max, you know what I mean? Or 12. But it's a one-of-a-kind place,” Thompson told People. “It's the people in front and behind that embrace it, need it. So when they call me, what, am I not supposed to oblige the greatest job in the world? So it's just out of love. What a blessing it is to have steady employment.”
Cast members who leave Saturday Night Live typically describe the grueling schedule and how they can become burnt out after years and years of late nights. Thompson knows this better than anyone, but it's clearly not enough to keep him away from "the greatest job in the world."
And yes, steady employment also helps. After 22 years on the show, Thompson is earning much more than the reported $3,000 per episode cast members make when they first join the show. Thompson has done nearly a movie a year since 1994, so he's not struggling for work. Yet having SNL in his back pocket probably makes life less stressful.
Thompson has become so synonymous with Saturday Night Live that some have speculated he'll replace Lorne Michaels one day. Other fans don't even bother questioning whether he'll return for another season even as castmate after castmate says goodbye. But when Thompson talks about the "greatest job in the world," who can blame him for hanging on as long as possible?