Kenan Thompson is hinting at a possible shakeup as “Saturday Night Live” prepares to enter Season 51.
As the Emmy-winning show wrapped its 50th season earlier this month, the comedian told Page Six the ending was “bittersweet.”
“Especially this year where it feels like there’s maybe, possibly, a lot of change next year,” he teased Wednesday at the Reel Works 24th Changemakers Gala.
Thompson, 47, added that nobody likes change.
“You want everyone to stay forever, knowing that people may be making decisions this summer…it’s always like you want your kids to stay young,” the “All That” alum explained.
The season finale jokingly teased that Sarah Sherman is leaving, while Colin Jost cracked several jokes during “Weekend Update” that he is gunning for boss Lorne Michaels’ job.
As of September 2024, Michaels, 80, stated that he has no “immediate” plans to retire, telling The Hollywood Reporter last year that, “So as long as it’s important and I can be useful, I’ll stay.”
Thompson, who is the longest-tenured cast member in the show’s history with 22 seasons under his belt, told us that he has yet to sign a contract for his 23rd season.
He is hopeful, but doesn’t want to be over-confident despite his seniority.
“You just never know what the future holds,” he explained. “I don’t want to be in the way of someone else or I don’t want to be the stale old man riding the same thing. That doesn’t really happen that much at ‘SNL’ but there’s no guarantees, I guess.”
It sounds as though Thompson is eager to return.
“I mean, I love that place,” he gushed. “It’s one of my favorite places to be.”
Thompson was honored at the gala and generously auctioned off two pairs of tickets to “SNL” and the famed afterparty, with each pair raising $16,000.
Reel Works mentors underserved NYC youth through the power of filmmaking.
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