For 50 years, Saturday Night Live has tried to push the envelope and invite the kind of comedy that comes with an edge. But have audiences been able to keep pace? One current cast member thinks some Saturday Night Live audiences can be too sensitive.
Kenan Thompson has been around Saturday Night Live long enough to be involved in just about every subgenre of comedy. Whether it's something broad or a very niche bit, Thompson has pulled it off in Studio 8H.
It also means he's seen countless comedians come through the halls of Saturday Night Live and deliver monologues. And after more than a decade on SNL, Thompson thinks today's audiences are the most sensitive.
Thompson appeared on the We Might Be Drunk podcast and was asked if SNL audiences are a little too touchy, especially when sitting in front of hosts like Bill Burr and Dave Chappelle.
"It's touchy everywhere," Thompson said. "Yeah, that audience comes in and there is some clutching of the pearls. There was clutching of the pearls on Nate ," he added, sounding incredulous that an audience would be on edge from Bargatze's material.
Thompson also revealed he thinks it can be risky for comedians to come in and do stand-up as their monologue. The veteran SNL cast member argued the show isn't the best forum for that kind of comedy, and audiences can be unusually stiff in response.
The stand-up monologue certainly isn't anything new. From George Carlin in season 1 to John Mulaney in season 50, comics usually lean on their act to get through the monologue. But for Thompson, it means the host is taking a big swing because of how sensitive the live audience has become.
Saturday Night Live hasn't shied away from bringing in comedians as hosts. An evolving, more sensitive audience didn't prevent Lorne Michaels from inviting Nate Bargatze, John Mulaney, and Bill Burr to host through the first seven episodes of season 50.
Kenan Thompson is the most qualified to talk about Saturday Night Live audiences, host monologues, and just about any other topic related to the show. So if he thinks the crowd is getting a little too touchy, there's probably some truth to it.