Kenan Thompson’s long SNL stint has entered its home stretch. TMZ reports that Thompson will leave SNL after the upcoming season; Thompson reportedly planned to leave after season 39 but was asked by Lorne Michaels to stay another year due to the high cast turnover. Thompson “has no hard feelings and is leaving on great terms,” and TMZ also reports that he’s in talks for a brand new show and plans on moving to Los Angeles after SNL ends to work on the project.
Thompson joined the cast back in 2003 and currently holds the record of having the third longest cast member tenure ever, second only to Seth Meyers and Darrell Hammond. Read more about Thompson’s SNL cast member stint here.
UPDATE: According to an SNL spokesperson, TMZ’s report is inaccurate as the season hasn’t even started and cast decisions aren’t made until the end of the season. Given this update, it’s likely that we won’t know officially whether or not Thompson is leaving the show until sometime next year.
