As the lights dimmed in the multi-purpose room (MPR) of the Ceddia Union Building, tension rose. There was a buzz and even some clapping as an unknown figure walked out, a voice coming over the sound system saying Kenan Thompson would hit the stage in a few minutes.
The tables in the front of the room were set up to look like a jazz club, with glass beads and an artificial candle encased in a glass bowl as a centerpiece. There were even some lounge chairs from outside the MPR room surrounding some of the tables closest to the stage.
After the crowd waited for several minutes, the same voice came back over the sound system, announcing Kenan Thompson had arrived.
Thompson started off by thanking the crowd for coming, remarking on the set up of the room.  He also said that the reason he got into the film industry was through watching “The Price Is Right” with his family and deciding he wanted to be on TV.
This set the tone for the night as Thompson spoke about his beginnings all the way to how he became a part of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Thompson then explained his experience in Disney and the movie series, “The Mighty Ducks.” He said how much fun he had.
Along the way, he made jokes such as, “I had a great Disney experience, but I can’t speak for everyone.” The crowd laughed loudly, some audience members even throwing each other knowing glances.
He then went on to talk about his experience with Nickelodeon. He mentioned shows such as “Good Burger,” “All That” and “Kenan and Kel,” laughing at the crowd’s reaction when the shows were mentioned. He also had nothing bad to say about working for Nickelodeon, but said after his time there, his career slowed down for a bit.
“I had to prove to adult people I could entertain them,” Thompson said. So while he tried to audition for SNL, the producers kept turning him down. But after actors such as Tracy Morgan left, SNL called Thompson in to audition.
Thompson revealed that he was terrified to do the stand-up comedy routine for the audition. He explained that he was an actor and was used to reading lines, not trying to come up with his own material. And despite how he thought he did, he was still hired and is currently in his 12th season of SNL.
After explaining his career and some background, he opened up the night to audience questions. This then turned into members of the Activities Programming Board (APB) running around the room handing off the microphones to different audience members.
Some of the questions were about who his favorite actors where to work with, what his craziest moment had been working on SNL, to what the llama was like on SNL.
He answered each question as best he could. Thompson said that Liam Neeson, and actors like Neeson, were his favorite to work with because their approach to the different sketches was serious but fun. He then said that the craziest moment was when Ashlee Simpson’s lip-syncing failed on SNL.
Thompson said that he was waiting backstage for his sketch to come on after her’s and was watching Simpson perform on a little TV monitor. He heard the music come on but her mouth was not moving. SNL cut to commercial and the lights went up on Thompson’s sketch. Then, Thompson commented on the llama, saying that the llama pooped and shed a lot.
In an interview after the show, Thompson explained that he wants his career now to move toward producing more than acting. He said that he wanted to give opportunities to other actors, just as he had.
Thompson also said that he wanted it to be known that he was humbled by his career. “It has been an amazing run and it is all due to people enjoying what I do and it’s a humbling experience.”

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