Kenan Thompson Reflects on His Last Day at Saturday Night Live After 23 Years: ‘It’s Going to Be Tough’

Kenan Thompson; Kenan Thompson on ‘SNL’.
Credit:

Casey Durkin/PEACOCK via Getty; Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Kenan Thompson is discussing his upcoming departure from Saturday Night Live, expressing that his final day will be a tough moment.
• The veteran cast member revealed to PEOPLE that the farewell will be a significant emotional event.
• Thompson is notably the longest-serving cast member in the show’s history, holding this record for nearly a decade.

Kenan Thompson is preparing for his eventual exit from the Saturday Night Live stage, acknowledging that it will be a challenging experience.

The 47-year-old comedian spoke with PEOPLE about the emotions he anticipates on his last day with the show, where he has been a prominent figure since 2003.

Reflecting on his departure, Thompson admitted, “I definitely do. It’s gonna suck,” elaborating that the experience involves many layers beyond the on-screen moments. “It’s not just the on-screen that you see in that one, you know, camera shot. It’s so many people behind the scenes and years and years and years with each one of those people. So it’s gonna be a lot.”

He humorously added, “I might have to just rip the bandaid and run out the back door and not say nothing to nobody and just write letters.”

Kenan Thompson.

Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty

Thompson’s comments coincide with the release of his new children’s book, Unfunny Bunny. He shared that departures from the show are usually sad for the cast, noting the recent exit of fellow cast member Bowen Yang, who left in December after seven seasons.

“It’s tough for me because I have yet to have the moment,” he explained. “You know, if I was on the other side of it, I’d be a little more like, ‘Yeah, you know, it’s all good,’ like, ‘Shake it off’ kind of thing. But, like, I’m dreading the moment. I might collapse in the moment because it’s been so many years and so many relationships.”

He continued, “That’s gonna be a drastic change at this point that I never thought, you know, SNL would be such a large component in my life. I never thought I’d even get the job in the first place.”

Thompson holds the distinction of being the longest-serving cast member in SNL history, with over two decades of service, nearly a decade longer than former cast members Darrell Hammond (14 years), Seth Meyers (13 years), and Colin Jost, who began as a writer in 2005 before becoming a Weekend Update anchor in 2014.

In a lighthearted moment last year, ahead of SNL’s 50th anniversary, Thompson joked about his tenure, claiming, “I’ve actually been on the show the whole time. If you look, I’m in the back. I’ve been waving. My audition was actually in 1962.”

“It’s crazy because most people do eight [seasons] max,” he said. “But it’s a one-of-a-kind place. 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.”