Kenan’s night at the Apollo
A busy June for the funnyman before his 20th ‘SNL’ season
Despite a recent deluge of departures at “Saturday Night Live,” Kenan Thompson is headed back to the NBC sketch show for a 20th season.
But before that late-night comedy program’s longest-running cast member can think about the fall, he has to get through a busy June, which includes hosting a birthday party for one of his two daughters, as well as the Apollo Theater’s Spring Gala on Monday and the National Hockey League awards ceremony on June 21.
The 44-year-old funnyman reckons he’s the first comic to host all those events in the same month.
“Yeah, that’s got to be a record,” he told the Daily News. “Let it be known, I’m going into the Guinness Book of Records.”
Monday’s big night in Harlem will be highlighted by Whoopi Goldberg presenting filmmaker Tyler Perry with the Apollo’s Impact Award. There will be a performance by hip-hop band the Roots and appearances by musicians Stephanie Mills and Kamasi Washington. Thompson said he enjoys performing at the Apollo not only because of its past, but because of what it continues to mean to the Black community and society at large.
“The hosting thing, I’m not too worried about, as long as the monologue is tight,” he said. “It’s all about that opening icebreaker for the audience, to set the tone for the night. It’s very similar to ‘SNL.’ Those first moments you speak should be setting up a positive reaction to the rest of it. We take it very seriously and I’m sure I’ll be pretty nervous all day.”
That monologue is just about wrapped up, Thompson said, but he doesn’t want to reveal what’s in it just yet. When he plays the Apollo, he still flashes back to how “Showtime at the Apollo” contestants who bomb unceremoniously end their nights.
“I would say almost every time I think about the Sandman sweeping me off the stage,” he said.
Thompson was reportedly going to leave “SNL” in 2014. Since then, people have speculated about his possible departure every year. It was announced last month that cast members Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson and Kyle Mooney would leave the show.
Thompson conceded he’s pondered what life would be like if he weren’t spending eight months a year at Rockefeller Center.
“I’ve thought about it at different moments over the years and stuff like that, but it keeps coming up that I feel like my presence is requested back on the show, so who am I not to oblige such a legendary institution?”
Thompson said he owes an enormous debt to producer Lorne Michaels, whom he calls the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” of comedy. He said if the 77-year-old Svengali says he should stay there, he trusts that advice.
Among the cast members he’s glad to see sticking around with him is “Weekend Update” host Michael Che who, along with his desk mate Colin Jost, has held that position longer than anyone else in the show’s nearly 50-year history.
“I can’t get enough of Michael Che,” Thompson said. “Anytime he writes a sketch for me and I see it at the table on Wednesday, I get so excited. He has a sense of humor right up my alley.”
Thompson’s plans for the summer include throwing June and July birthday parties for his daughters, who are turning 4 and 8 years old. The busy comic said he’s slowly turning into the sort of dad who wears dark socks with shorts and embarrasses his kids without even trying.
“I’ve started using the word ‘malarkey,’ ” he confessed.
Thompson spent two seasons playing a TV personality raising two children on the NBC show “Kenan,” which was canceled last month.
The Apollo Theater’s Spring Gala had been postponed the last two years on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Apollo Theater President and CEO Jonelle Procope said fund-raising for Monday’s event amounted to a “record-breaking $3.1 million,” benefiting youth programs including School Day Live and Pathway to the Arts.