how long has keenan thompson been on snl

Kenan Thompson has been on Saturday Night Live for about 22–23 seasons, starting in 2003 and continuing through the 2024–2025 season, making him the longest-tenured cast member in SNL history.

Quick Scoop: How long has Kenan Thompson been on SNL?

• Kenan Thompson joined SNL in 2003, debuting in the first episode of season 29.

• As of early 2025, he has completed 22 seasons on the show and is still on the cast.

• That means he has been on SNL for over two decades, holding the record as the longest-serving cast member ever.

• He was also the first regular cast member who was born after SNL originally premiered in 1975.

In other words, if you started watching SNL as a kid in the 2000s, Kenan has basically always been there — a steady, familiar face through cast shakeups, political eras, and changing comedy trends.

A tiny bit of context and “latest news”

• Kenan first made his name on Nickelodeon shows like All That and Kenan & Kel before jumping to SNL, so he arrived already skilled at sketch comedy.

• Entertainment coverage in 2025 highlights that he’s stayed for 22 seasons and talks about how he sees it as “a blessing” to have such steady work in showbiz, which is why he hasn’t rushed to leave.

Fans on forums and Reddit often point out how wild his run is, comparing it to someone like Eddie Murphy hypothetically staying on the show for more than two decades straight — that’s the scale of Kenan’s tenure.

TL;DR: Kenan Thompson has been on SNL since 2003, which is about 22–23 seasons and counting, and he currently holds the record for the longest run of any cast member.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.