Who Saturday Night Live's Longest-Running Cast Member Of All Time Is

Peacock's new docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night takes a look back at the show's history and some of its most iconic cast members, including the show's longest-running cast member. With the historic comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live now in its 50th season, NBC and Peacock reveal never-before-seen details and footage in the new SNL50 docuseries that first started in 1975, as chronicled in the recent film Saturday Night directed by Jason Reitman.

Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels has remained the head producer of the iconic series since its inception. SNL has already revealed several of its first 2025 guests, which include Dave Chappelle on January 18, 2025 and Timothée Chalamet, who will also be the musical guest following his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, on January 25, 2023. Several longstanding cast members have returned for SNL season 50, including Weekend Update hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost, Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, and Kenan Thompson.

Kenan Thompson Is SNL's Longest-Running Cast Member After Starring For 22 Years

He first joined in 2003 in SNL season 29

Kenan Thompson is the longest-running cast member in the history of Saturday Night Live. After first joining the cast in 2003, he has been a recurring cast member of the historic sketch comedy series for 22 consecutive series. When Thompson first joined SNL during its 29th season, some of his fellow cast members included Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Will Forte, and Weekend Update hosts Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey. Fred Armisen joined the cast in 2002, while Jason Sudeikis was hired as a writer in 2003.

Kenan is beloved for being a key part of some of the funniest and more memorable sketches in SNL history. Some of his most famous sketches include "Black Jeopardy!" where he hosts as Darnell Hayes, "What Up with That?" where he hosts as Diondre Cole, and frequent Weekend Update character Jean K. Jean, a French comedian. By comparison, Colin Jost has been working for SNL for 20 seasons after being hired as a writer in 2005 and landing a Weekend Update spot in 2014. Jost is the longest-tenured Weekend Update host in SNL's history.

Why Kenan Thompson Has Stayed On SNL For So Many Years

He's won an Emmy for SNL and is consistently beloved year after year

Longtime fans of Kenan Thompson will recognize him from his prominent role in the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That and his classic sitcom Kenan & Kel. He then starred in Good Burger with Kel Mitchell in 1997, with both actors returning for the 2023 sequel. While Thompson has ventured outside of Saturday Night Live over the past two decades, even starring in his own NBC series titled Kenan in 2021 and 2022, he is an invaluable member of the cast. Thompson has been nominated for 5 Emmys for Saturday Night Live, winning one in 2018, so it's not surprising that he's stuck with it for so long.