- Kenan Thompson says he and Lorne Michaels “will probably drive until the wheels fall.”
- THE Snl Star opens on the impact of a medical condition on the issue.
- He discusses the breakdown of a sketch with former Costar Andy Samberg earlier this season, and he plans if he should have stopped.
Saturday Night Live ‘S The oldest constant is not ready to say goodbye anytime soon.
“It would be cool if I never left the show. It would be crazy,” Kenan Thompsonwho joined Snl At 25 in 2003, says Entertainment every week.
Now 46 and in its 22nd season,, Thompson exceeded the previous record holder Darrell HammondThe reference of 14 seasons a long time ago. He has spent years Determined to reach 20that him Hit in 2022. Then he arrived at the current landmark of the program 50th season and celebrated at a birthday special This included many of his former comrades, long after their time in the series. What target “what’s new?” The star has views next to it?
“I guess the only other milestone would be just to be the distribution member forever. Never leave the show,” he said. “I don’t really know. Thirty (seasons), it’s like, okay, it’s just another type of thing. Twenty was just such a thing that no one had ever done. People had entered their adolescence before, but no one had taken up to 20 years.
Fox image collection via Getty
So, who is more likely to leave first, Thompson or someone else whose departure has been for a long time, show creator Lorne Michaels? “It’s a great question,” the actor answers. “I have no idea. I have the impression that we will both go up until the wheels fall.”
THE Snl Star speaks with EW on behalf of its new Regd is No Joke campaign with Phathom Pharmaceuticals to raise awareness of the condition and treatment options such as Voquezna.
After about a decade of acid reflux, which he attributes to the “alleys and objects of poor diet choice”, like the consumption of soda instead of water, Thompson was diagnosed with a disease of gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). More than 65 million Americans are affected by the chronic state, in which gastric acid moves in the esophagus, causing irritation and stomach burns, among other symptoms.
“It was very uncomfortable and it definitely started to affect my work in certain ways,” he explains. “If you do not sleep well or you cannot do your job, it can cause sadness. I am not necessarily subject to depression, but I can see how these things can be triggered. I wanted a kind of serious solution, then thank God, I was able to find Voquezna thanks to my document.”
One of the recurring symptoms of the winner of Emmy Emmy breathtaking his voice fairly easily, not ideal for a live artist.
“All of a sudden, I was hoarse or I was hoarse. It’s not good when you are supposed to speak in the back of the house,” he observes.
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“I sing the warm-up before the spectacle lights up, and it’s a bit of my major gauge, that I can speak normally afterwards. And that’s when I know if I am in my best health area or not,” said Thompson. “There were cold openings where I was very hoarse and hoarse and the voice cracked because I had just finished singing and my throat had not yet had the chance to calm down, but we had to go directly to the show.”
Fortunately, the Good hamburger The star’s voice did not miss him because he was able to take advantage of the retirement with former Costars Maya Rudolph And Andy SambergWho made frequent cameos earlier this season as presidential candidate in 2024 Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff.
Will Heath / NBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
“It is so pleasant to recover your friends and to engage their different senses of humor,” he said about the combination with Rudolph, who joined the Four Seasons casting before him, and Samberg, who started two seasons after and went a lot more than a decade, just to put the Longevity de Thompson in perspective.
“It’s the best when they come because they make it even more comfortable,” he thinks. “This is just one thing less to emphasize. You feel a sort of energy more established because there are just more pros in the building. There are more people to turn in case something would happen. It’s nice to have people who have this kind of pedigree in the room, in addition to laughing, guy.”
One of these laughs came during Episode Ariana Grande-Hosted Last October, when Samberg joined his former Costar in a sketch in the Italian Renaissance and responded to Thompson’s Luth player saying: “Ah, yes-a, Kenan.” Thompson could not contain his laughter to be called his real name by his old friend.
“I used to enjoy things in the moment. So, everything I find humorous, I will answer it”, the Nickelodeon star anchor admits having broken with Samberg.
“I have to improve myself not to …” He stops and changes his mind, “or maybe not. Because it’s a live show. If we were filmed and trying to make the perfect version, then I would play straight and do it by the book. The fact that it is live always allows me to be a human being and not to be too out of this subject.”
Learn more about Thompson’s GERD is not a joke campaign here.
Saturday Night Live is broadcast on Saturday at 11:30 p.m. he / 8:30 a.m. on NBC and Peacock.