Kenan Thompson

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler hosts comedian Kenan Thompson on 'Good Hang,' diving into his SNL legacy, personal anecdotes, and the enduring humor of characte

Key takeaways

• Kenan Thompson's SNL career spans over two decades, yet his characters remain culturally resonant and quotable.

Main topics

• SNL legacy and long-term performance

Notable quotes

You know, when you meet your people and you can't really find words for it. So you just feel like you've known the person your whole life.

Conclusion

Kenan Thompson's comedic genius is deeply woven into the fabric of SNL and

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) Hello, Speaker 3 (0:05) everyone. Welcome to another episode of Good Hang. I talked to the amazing, kind, hilarious Kenan Thompson today. And we talk about some really fun stuff. We talk about Eddie Murphy and how important he was to both of us. We talk about learning how to ice skate and how it is hard and Kenan is good at it. We talk about how we partied really hard and how we suffered because of it. And we talk about, can I wear sunglasses on the red carpet? Am I allowed? Is that cool? And the answer is no. So we're going to talk to Keenan today. Cannot wait. And before we do, we always check in with somebody who knows our guest, who wants to speak well behind their back, who wants to give me a question to ask them. And that person is world superstar Maya Rudolph. Maya Rudolph joining me today from Zoom. You know, just, I don't know, comedy legend, whatever. No big deal. Friend of the pod. Let's see what Maya's up to. And check in on that cutie pie, Maya. Speaker 3 (1:08) You know those tiny back-to-school emergencies that somehow become your problem? That's where Uber Eats comes in. You can order school supplies, snacks, and lunchbox essentials for $5 or less. So when your kid casually drops, I don't like peanut butter anymore, or I need five green highlighters for a project due tomorrow, Uber Eats has you covered. Get everything you need for back-to-school today from your favorite brands like Aldi and Staples on Uber Eats. Order now. End September 7th. $5 or less before taxes and fees. Select items only. Availability varies. See app for details. Speaker 2 (1:42) Oh, you look much nicer than I do. I'm Speaker 3 (1:55) trying to dress a little bit like Kenan. Oh. Oh, what mug are you drinking out of? It's Speaker 2 (2:02) Late Night with Correction Jackals from Late Night with Seth. Speaker 3 (2:09) Is your house just filled with mugs that you've gotten from various talk shows? Mine kind of is. I wonder if like Johnny Carson and like Merv Griffin and Dinah Shore, if they ever had mugs. Speaker 2 (2:24) You know what I would give for one of those mugs? Right. Do you know what we were looking? This is going to, this is really ADHD and this is going to take us on a completely different tangent. It doesn't matter. You know what we were just looking up this morning? Bicentennial 31 flavors slash Baskin-Robbins Bicentennial ice cream flavors. And do you know what some of them were? Speaker 3 (2:48) Wait, so just said that this is 1976 flavors? Speaker 2 (2:53) 1976 for the Bicentennial 31 flavors, AKA now known as Baskin-Robbins. Or is it the other way around? I think it's the Speaker 3 (3:02) other way around. They Speaker 2 (3:03) have more than 31. Right, Speaker 3 (3:06) yeah. Speaker 2 (3:08) One of them was called Valley Fudge. Valley Speaker 3 (3:14) Fudge. What was another one, Maya? Oh, God. Now Speaker 2 (3:21) I got to look it up again. One was Apple Pie a la mode. Yeah, sure. That's cute. Cute. But like, give me Valley. Give me Apple Pie a la mode. Speaker 2 (3:33) Oh, thank you. Minute men mint. So Speaker 3 (3:37) stupid. You know, Gen X has lived, we lived, we were alive. I was alive during the bicentennial and here we are celebrating 250 years and boy, has America never been better. Speaker 2 (3:54) That's exactly how I feel. Speaker 3 (3:55) Yeah. Speaker 2 (3:56) I mean, when you think about how far we've come. Speaker 3 (3:59) Well, how far we've come and how much we fixed. That should be the slogan. Speaker 2 (4:05) We've fixed a lot. Speaker 3 (4:07) We're talking to Keenan Thompson today. And I'm so psyched that I'm talking to you because you and Keenan are linked in a lot of ways for me. Like, I think some of my most fun and most tender and funniest moments. Speaker 3 (4:23) are watching the two of you perform. Like you guys really have a connection. How would you explain it? Speaker 2 (4:32) You know, when you meet your people and you can't really, you can't really find words for it. So you just feel like you've known the person your whole life. I always feel that when I see Kenan, I feel like. He's always been there and we don't have to say anything. And there's a relaxation that comes over me when I see him, when I watch him. Speaker 3 (5:01) Yes. Speaker 2 (5:02) It's like watching an incredible musician. You know that you're in good hands and you can't wait to see. what they're going to bring you because you know it's going to be masterful and amazing, but it's also going to fill you with like a... I said, joy, like it's relaxing. I used to feel that way about watching Prince on stage. I'd get relaxed because I was like, he can do anything. He can do anything. Kenan, I'm instantly, instantly like warmed and already giggling a little bit. There's a twinkle in his eye that says it all. Speaker 3 (5:44) Yes, Maya, it's so true. There's a twinkle. I Speaker 2 (5:47) have such strong memories of, You know, inviting him into our dirty, dirty office, you know, sit on the floor on his knees or something like, I mean, we, we lived like disgusting college students, Amy. Speaker 3 (6:02) Yeah. Speaker 2 (6:03) And you too, that was your perch. Yeah, that was my Speaker 3 (6:07) perch. Speaker 2 (6:07) Bringing, bringing friends into that and giggling till four in the morning. I remember so clearly. Speaker 2 (6:16) writing stuff with him. If I bring it up now, I'll probably get canceled what we were writing, but it was so fun. And all we did was laugh. All we did was laugh, like listening to songs and finding the little tiny minute things and then going in and laughing. I mean, a great example of Speaker 3 (6:36) that is one of my favorite characters and sketches. at SNL ever, which is TT and Mario. TT Speaker 2 (6:42) and Mario. So for Speaker 3 (6:43) people that didn't ever watch TT and Mario, how would you explain who TT and Mario were? Speaker 2 (6:48) That's Speaker 3 (6:49) a Speaker 2 (6:49) great, thank you for asking me. TT and Mario is a duo from your childhood past that is so, they sing the most beautiful love songs that are so raunchy and disgusting. They think they're very loving. Yes, Speaker 3 (7:06) they're romantic. They're Speaker 2 (7:07) a married couple with children. They've been together for a very long time. And sometimes one might say that sometimes they need the music to make things fun again. Speaker 3 (7:20) And Speaker 2 (7:20) what I love about them is Speaker 3 (7:21) they always start so beautiful and so romantic. And then maybe 10 or 15 seconds in, they start talking about each other's booty and how tight it is. Yeah, Speaker 2 (7:29) there's a lot of booty play involved. And Titi and Mario serenaded you in the hospital. That's right. When Archie was born. Speaker 3 (7:38) That's right. I want to talk to Kenan about it because it was so, it was like if I could have picked two, I couldn't have picked two better people when I was in a postpartum haze to be singing at me from my TV. Then you guys, it's funny, I'm excited to interview Keenan because there's a lot I actually don't know about him. He's more of a... Coyote. More of a coyote. He's more of an observer and a mirror than he is sometimes a sharer. Do you have any questions for me today that you would like to hear Kiki talk about? Speaker 2 (8:16) I mean, we're different ages in terms of like our influences, but he was so like... well-formed when we met him. Like, I want to know what he was doing. I know he was performing as a young person, but like, how did that, how did that get in there as like. oh, I know when I'm big, I'm going to be this. Like, how did those influences create the Kenan that we know? Because I feel like he came out like this. I can't imagine him any other way. I also just want to know, like, I know you're going to ask him about like, how do you keep it fresh, Kenan? Speaker 3 (8:57) Totally. I mean, I'm so curious about like, what do you not go to or do anymore? I mean, after 22 years of the show. Oh Speaker 2 (9:04) my Speaker 3 (9:04) God. How Speaker 2 (9:06) have you bypassed? Yeah, Speaker 3 (9:09) how does the system work for you? Yeah, I'm curious. I Speaker 2 (9:13) feel like he might actually be experiencing the dream of SNL because if you've been there long enough to be like, hey guys, I'm going to have to go this way. Yeah. Speaker 3 (9:26) It's probably the dream. Speaker 2 (9:32) Like he figured it out. Speaker 3 (9:35) Yeah, he cracked the code. And I want to know what he cracked. Speaker 2 (9:39) I think there's gold behind those doors. Speaker 2 (9:44) But like little Kenan is always what I think about. And I didn't know little Kenan. And I'm curious, like, I guess I equate it to when we were little, like we would do plays in our living room and things like that. Like, was he just the guy who made his friends laugh? Was he the guy who was like, because he's always been so steady and so funny. Yeah. And it feels like, like, where does that charm come from? Speaker 3 (10:10) Okay, so I'm going to ask Kenan about little Kiki, which we all know. Little Kenan is probably the cutest kid we've ever seen. Speaker 2 (10:17) On earth, like Speaker 3 (10:18) hands Speaker 2 (10:19) down. And because I like knowing if that person knew that that person was going to be the person we know today. And I feel like it's a yes. I feel like that guy always knew. Speaker 3 (10:31) I feel that way about you too, Maya. Like I feel like seeing little Maya on a home movie, like singing into a microphone. Speaker 2 (10:39) You knew Speaker 3 (10:40) that too. Speaker 2 (10:42) That's all I wanted. I just wanted a microphone and to laugh with my friends. Speaker 3 (10:46) Yeah. And look at you guys singing together about putting whipped cream on each other's business. Speaker 2 (10:53) That's all I want for America. For them to put whipped cream on each other's business. Speaker 3 (10:59) All we want is for Valley Fudge to make a comeback. Speaker 2 (11:02) Honestly, yeah. Don't you love this angle? I mean, I picked a great angle. My neck looks like... Speaker 3 (11:08) You actually look great. What does it say in your shirt? Speaker 2 (11:11) Oh, Rory's Place. Oh, hello. It's my favorite restaurant in Ohio. Speaker 3 (11:16) Maya just dropped the phone down her shirt by accident. Speaker 2 (11:20) Womp womp. Oopsie. Speaker 3 (11:22) Yeah, Speaker 2 (11:23) exactly. Oh, no. Oh, no, Speaker 3 (11:24) it fell down my pants. Do you kids want to see what happens when my Speaker 2 (11:28) phone Speaker 3 (11:28) falls? Speaker 2 (11:29) I feel, like, relaxed and smiling because we're talking about Kenan. You know what I mean? Totally. I love you. Love you. Speaker 3 (11:36) Bye, Mama. Speaker 2 (11:37) Thanks. Bye. Speaker 3 (11:40) This episode is brought to you by Subaru. There's something about being on the road that has a way of leading to those unexpectedly memorable little moments. And in the all new 2026 Subaru hybrid, it's like the destination isn't even important. It's the drive, baby. And let me tell you, I'm in that car and I feel like a million bucks. Quiet ride. Comfortable. Love my Subaru. Can't get enough. With up to 581 miles in the Subaru Forester Hybrid and even more, 597 in the Crosstrek Hybrid, you can go further between stops and stay in the moment longer. Visit Subaru.com slash hybrid to learn more. The Subaru Forester Hybrid and Crosstrek Hybrid, love goes the extra mile. Listeners, Kenan brought me some fish. Speaker 1 (12:28) Of course. Speaker 3 (12:29) Wow. This is becoming a thing now where I'm getting fake food. Speaker 1 (12:33) It's real. How are you doing? Are Speaker 3 (12:36) you going to wear your sunglasses the whole time? Speaker 1 (12:37) I'm not. I knew that would be a thing. Speaker 3 (12:39) Well, no, because I was going to say I'll put some on too if it would make you look. Speaker 1 (12:43) Would you Speaker 3 (12:43) like Speaker 1 (12:43) it? Speaker 3 (12:44) I don't have any, but I could wear some. Speaker 1 (12:46) I would like them off because I want to see your beauties. Of course. It's good to see you. You too. I just feel cool when I wear them. I do too. That's Speaker 3 (12:54) why I wear them. Speaker 1 (12:54) I feel cool. Okay, what did you Speaker 2 (12:55) bring? Speaker 1 (12:55) Look at this. Speaker 3 (12:59) Come Speaker 1 (12:59) on. Speaker 3 (13:00) explain is Kenan. That is Speaker 1 (13:01) for you. Speaker 3 (13:03) Kenan brought me a slice of cheese pizza. Speaker 1 (13:05) I think it's an artistic expression of the pizza rat. Speaker 3 (13:09) Oh, it's pizza rat. There's a rat riding a slice of pizza. This is the first time I've had a fake food that moves in any way. This is great. Speaker 1 (13:19) And it almost reflects us because I feel like we're such fun kind of like life lovers of like a good time. It just reminds me of like us as characters so Speaker 3 (13:32) keenan wait and then you have to kind of you gotta get it going here we go you ready just pull it back for those listening we're pulling it back and Speaker 1 (13:39) then it goes we'll pull it back a little stronger come on And you can't break it. So long story short, I went shopping and I thought of you. I saw it and I thought of you. And I've been holding on to it before I even know I was booked on here. No Speaker 3 (13:56) way, Keenan. Just Speaker 1 (13:56) fingers crossed, hoping that one day I would get to come sit in the throne. Speaker 3 (14:02) Okay, well, I'm Speaker 1 (14:02) going Speaker 3 (14:02) to put it on. The Speaker 1 (14:03) throne Speaker 3 (14:03) room. Oh, my God. You know, we got to add it. Thank you, Jenna. I'm going to put this on my wall. Speaker 1 (14:08) Oh, look at the placement. Speaker 3 (14:10) Front and center placement. That's Super Bowl placement. That's Speaker 1 (14:13) Super Bowl placement. You're going to pay a lot of money for that placement. That Speaker 3 (14:17) is Byron Allen Speaker 1 (14:17) placement. Speaker 1 (14:20) You know, man, the best. Speaker 3 (14:21) Kenan Thompson is here. Hi. Speaker 1 (14:23) Hi, bud. Speaker 3 (14:24) How Speaker 1 (14:24) are you doing? I'm Speaker 3 (14:25) great. You're Speaker 1 (14:26) doing this on both coasts? Yeah, Speaker 3 (14:27) we get to do it in L.A. and New York, which is the best. You just get to do it wherever you are. Yeah, Speaker 1 (14:31) and convenient for like guesting people, I'm guessing. Speaker 3 (14:34) Yeah, really convenient. Good job. Speaker 1 (14:37) Congrats on the golden. Who gets a golden for a podcast? No one does. Exactly. That's why you're such a gangster. No Speaker 3 (14:43) one does. We just Speaker 1 (14:43) got it. Exactly. That's amazing. Congrats to everyone, you guys. That's really cool. Congrats to podcasting. Yeah, way to go, podcast. Come on, Spotify. You have a Speaker 3 (14:52) podcast, right? Speaker 1 (14:53) I did a podcast for a long time with a buddy of mine. Yeah, Speaker 3 (14:56) what was it about? Speaker 1 (14:57) It was just two black guys existing in America, you know what I mean, with a love of Hollywood and stuff like that. Do you listen to podcasts? Yeah, I listen to podcasts. I listen to yours. I just caught up with The Lonely Island because I did a guest appearance because of Speaker 3 (15:12) the Speaker 1 (15:12) Reba episode. Yeah. And Speaker 3 (15:14) I Speaker 1 (15:14) was like, wait a minute, let me look at how long they've been doing this. And I went back to the beginning and it is a long ride. And God bless those guys for just showing up. And they're so funny. Showing up. Speaker 3 (15:24) Barely showing up. Barely Speaker 1 (15:26) showing up. It's hard to get Speaker 3 (15:27) all four of them on the line. Speaker 1 (15:29) Oh, it rarely happens. And it's such a treat. Speaker 3 (15:32) Totally. Speaker 1 (15:32) But they're combing through, like, such good memories. I know. I know. I felt the same way. It was, like, Speaker 3 (15:37) really good to go back in time. And we have so much to talk about, Keenan, because we were on the show together for... Speaker 1 (15:44) A while. Like, six years? Speaker 3 (15:46) Six years, which now is... Maybe five? It was like the first six Speaker 1 (15:51) miles Speaker 3 (15:51) of your marathon, basically. Yeah, Speaker 1 (15:53) when did you depart? Speaker 3 (15:54) I left in 2008. Yeah, Speaker 1 (15:58) that was like a five year, because I started in 03, so. Well, Speaker 3 (16:02) I mean, getting to work with you is some of my most favorite times, and I want to talk to you about it today, because you're so attached to so many important moments in my life. Speaker 1 (16:11) Thank you, and likewise. Like, I talk about my sisters all the time. Like, I consider y'all like. you know, such to like get out of my room kind of like, but also like straighten up and don't come like playing games. That's why I was like, I was ready to take my sunglasses off. This is not a game. I'm Speaker 3 (16:31) like your bossy older sister. Let Speaker 1 (16:33) me just analyze. Are you going to keep those on the Speaker 3 (16:35) whole time? Are you going to wear your sunglasses to mom's birthday? Speaker 1 (16:39) Yeah. Yeah. Speaker 3 (16:40) You're so right. We do have a very, there is a very sisterly quality with you and a lot of the women that you. performed with during my time. And then you've like, you've gone, your family dynamic at SNL has changed from like younger brother to like elder statesman. Speaker 1 (16:56) I'm like grandpa at this point. Yeah. Yeah. I'm Gramsy. Hey, Gram Grams. Good morning. Speaker 3 (17:03) Everyone's like, shh, grandpa's sleeping. Grandpa's Speaker 1 (17:06) feet hurt. Don't Speaker 3 (17:08) tell Speaker 1 (17:09) him. Let's just do less for grandpa. Yeah. Speaker 3 (17:12) Okay. I'm going to take you back in a little time machine. It's a little Kenan Speaker 1 (17:17) because Speaker 3 (17:18) the teeny tiniest little version of Kenan knew pretty early that he wanted to be a performer. Speaker 1 (17:28) You're one of Speaker 3 (17:28) three kids. You're the middle. Speaker 1 (17:31) Yeah, but my sister's my half sister. Okay, Speaker 3 (17:33) got it. Just for Speaker 1 (17:34) technicality's sake. Got it. That's why we're 14 years apart. Okay. Speaker 3 (17:37) So were you the baby then? I Speaker 1 (17:40) was the baby. Speaker 3 (17:41) Okay, that makes more sense. Yeah. That makes more sense. Speaker 1 (17:43) Just reckless. And fearless, you know, and just a strange, like, you know, kind of ignorant confidence, if you will. Do you Speaker 3 (17:51) remember the very beginning? I feel like a lot of performers have this feeling like they remembered that sparkle that they got when they got like attention or looked at. Do you remember that like early time? Speaker 1 (18:02)