Kenan Thompson has come a long way since his wordless first appearance on Saturday Night Live. More than two decades after he slipped into a Jack Black monologue, Thompson hit a staggering benchmark on tonight’s episode: his 1,800th sketch.
Thompson joined the NBC franchise in 2003, debuting during the Season 29 premiere alongside fellow newcomer Finesse Mitchell. In the bit, Black brushed off both fresh cast members before they could even introduce themselves—a modest launch for a performer who would become SNL’s most enduring presence.
Twenty-three seasons later, Thompson is not only the longest-tenured cast member in the show’s history but also the face most closely associated with the modern era of SNL. His total sketch tally now eclipses former record holder Phil Hartman’s by nearly 800 appearances; Hartman logged 1,021 sketches over his eight-season run and two hosting stints.
Thompson, who has already broken virtually every record available to a cast member, joked earlier this year that there’s still one milestone left to chase.
“I guess the only other milestone would be just to be the forever cast member. Just never leave the show,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “Thirty [seasons] is like, okay, that’s just another number,” he added. “Twenty was such a thing that nobody had ever done… Once I started getting into 17, I was like, well, if I can, I would love to stick around till 20. And now here we are at 22, so I don’t know.”
Tonight’s sketch, “Characters on Characters” (below)—in which Thompson played The Little Drummer Boy—was the one that pushed him across the 1,800-mark threshold.
