Kenan Thompson is a renowned American actor and comedian. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Thompson is a nominee for Primetime Emmy Award and has been recognized as the longest-tenured member of Saturday Night Live Comedy Series by NBC being associated with it since 2003.
A winner of Kids’ Choice Awards, Thompson is chosen as a host of White House Correspondents Dinner which was cancelled, the reason being COVID-19 pandemic. Ranked at number 88 in 100 Greatest Stars by VH1, Kenan is considered one of the most cherished comedy acting stars around the U.S.
Personal Profile
Celebrity Name– Kenan Thompson
Full Name – Kenan Thompson
Gender – Male
Birthday – May 10, 1978
Place of Origin – Atlanta, Georgia, U.S
Age – 42
Height – 1.73 m
Weight -78 kg
Nationality – American
Status – Married
Spouse – Christina Evangeline
Children – Georgia and Gianna
Profession – Actor and Comedian
Kenan’s Total Net Worth – $11 million
Early Life
Kenan Thompson was born on May 10, 1978, in Atlanta, Georgia to mother Elizabeth Ann Thompson and father Fletcher. He has two siblings, one brother, and a sister. Thompson had forage for acting since childhood and he got his first admission in an acting school at the age of 5. The first school he attended was Tri-Cities High School and moved for higher studies at Santa Monica College located in California.
Right from childhood, Thompson had a quest for acting and started giving auditions from an early age. His favorite television show was The Price is Right to which he followed with full devotion. The Gingerbread Duck was the first play in which Thompson performed during his school days.
Personal Life
In 2011, Thompson got married to Christina Evangeline, who was his longtime girlfriend. She gave birth to two lovely daughters, Georgia in 2014, and Gianna in 2018. Christina is a model and wellness advisor by profession. The couple lives at their mansion situated in Florida.
Professional Life
Kenan filmy career started when he started working as an entertainment reporter for CNN following which he joined as a crew member of a movie critic. Due to his zeal for this profession, he successfully reviewed the movie Mighty Ducks and had a chance to meet the lead actors of the movie. In the meantime, he worked as a supporting actor in shows like Kenan and Kel, which proved to be very successful around the U.S.
In 1994, Thompson’s career went a step forward when Nickelodeon launched Thompson’s first television gig which won laurels around the world. In addition to this, some of the famous movies in which Thompson played well were, D2: The Mighty Ducks(1994), Heavyweights(1995), D3: The Mighty Ducks(1996), Good Burger(1997), Rocky and Bullwinkle(2000), Love Doesn’t Cost a Thing(2003), Barber Shop 2 (2004), Back in Business and Snake on a Plane(2006) were some of the popular movies which made Thompson a superstar in the succeeding years. Thompson also played a lead role in Fat Albert Movie in 2004. Kenan worked with Nickelodeon from 1994-2000 and gave super hit shows during these years.
While appearing in a series of shows, he also acted as a host and received the honor of acting as a Judge of a competition show Bring The Funny in 2019. Being a mogul of the comedy world, he has acted as an executive producer of All That aired on Nickelodeon, in 2019.
Blessed with superb oratory skills, he worked as a vocal artist or a voice actor in series like Sit Down, Shut Up by Fox cartoon, and characterized the voice of LeBron James puppet in MVP (Most Valuable Puppets) sponsored by Nike, for NBA Playoffs in 2009. He also played as a vocal artist for the role of Impresario on The Awesomes, a famous TV series, from 2013 to 2015. He also contributed his voice acting for the movie The Smurfs and Rock Dog.
Currently, Thompson is a casting member of the Saturday Night Live crew. Thompson became a member of this show in 2003 and he is the only of the crew members who were not born yet when the show was aired.
Awards and Achievements
Having proved his mettle while working as an actor, host, vocal artist, and a judge to competition shows, Thompson’s career got a breakthrough when he became a casting member of Saturday Night Live and emerged out as the longest-tenured artist of SNL. The tales of his success does not just end here. Here is a list of his awards and achievements which are adding another feather to his hat.
Primetime Emmy Awards
Thompson has received the honor of being a nominee of Primetime Emmy Awards under the category Outstanding Lyrics and Music (SNL) and Outstanding Supporting Actor twice.
Image Awards
He was also nominated for the Image Award for the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor for a Comedy Series and Prism Award for Best Performance again for a Comedy Series.
Kids’ Choice Awards
Thompson’s won the 2000 Kids’ Choice Award under the category of Favorite TV Actor for his live sketch comedy show All That. This show was a great success and gave an impetus to Thompson’s career.
Kenan Thompson Total Net Worth
As of 2020, Kenan’s total net worth amounts to $11 million. But apart from this, he has earned a million dollar fan following, fame and respect worldwide, and a great fortune through his hard work and marvelous performances. Thompson being the longest-tenured crew member of SNL is recognized as the only black member of the crew of Saturday Night Live.
While working from the late 1990s, he not only acted as a comedian but he contributed to the entertainment industry as a vocal artist and as a host can’t be ignored. Thompson has acted as a Spokesman for the Let Yourself Woah campaign of Universal Parks and Resorts in 2020. He is chosen as one of the hosts of the White House Correspondents Dinner which was canceled the reason being, COVID-19 pandemic. Thompson’s future ventures involve working as a producer and he prefers to work for more serious roles in the coming days.