Kenan Thompson

Best known for his long and celebrated tenure on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975-), Kenan Thompson was in the public eye since his teens. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Thompson took an interest in performing as a child, regularly auditioning for local commercials. His big break came at the age of 15 when he was cast on a sketch comedy series aimed at kids called "All That" (Nickelodeon, 1994-2000). Thompson immediately became a hit with viewers, and his collaborations with fellow castmate Kel Mitchell spawned the spin-off movie "Good Burger" (1996) as well as a separate series, "Kenan & Kel" (Nickelodeon, 1996-2000). Just three years after both shows wrapped, Thompson moved up the ranks to join the cast of "SNL." Thompson's contributions slowly but surely made him an integral part of the show, with sketches like "What Up with That" and "Black Jeopardy" quickly becoming audience favorites. Though he would remain with "SNL" for more than 15 years, Thompson took on other projects during the series' yearly hiatus, starring in the big screen adaptation of "Fat Albert" (2004), appearing with Samuel L. Jackson in the cult hit "Snakes on a Plane" (2006), and starring with Zachary Levi in the comedy "Weiners" (2008). Thompson appeared as a judge on the reality competition "Bring the Funny" (NBC 2019-).