Despite Saturday Night Live seeing multiple departures for Season 51, its longest-tenured cast member is still kicking. Kenan Thompson joined the series in 2003, meaning he is entering his 23rd year on the program that's airing its 51st season on the 2026 TV schedule. He doesn’t seem to be eager to leave, either. However, even considering his SNL career, Thompson still gets star-struck when it comes to working with some of the show's greats who came before him, such as Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell (and his booty shorts).
SNL’s three-hour 50th anniversary celebration special last year brought out the big guns, with dozens of past cast members, hosts, and musical guests, bringing back plenty of old fan-favorite sketches. One of those sketches was “Scared Straight,” which made its debut in 2008 and hadn’t been seen since 2012. It was one of two sketches that Thompson did with Murphy, along with Black Jeopardy. While on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Thompson praised Murphy, calling him legendary and recalling how he never thought he’d be close to him, let alone acting with him. And when it came to “Scared Straight,” he was still singing his praises:
