KENAN THOMPSON TO BE HONORED WITH STAR ON WALK OF FAME
WHO:
HONOREE: Kenan Thompson
EMCEE: Lupita Sanchez Cornejo, Chair of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
GUEST SPEAKERS: Josh Server, JB Smoove, Leslie Jones
WHAT: Dedication of the 2,728th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
WHEN: Thursday, August 11, 2022, at 11:30 AM PT
WHERE: 6627 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90028
WATCH LIVE: The event will be streamed live exclusively at walkoffame.com
Award-winning actor and comedian Kenan Thompson will be honored with the 2,728th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 11th at 11:30 a.m. Star will be located at 6627 Hollywood Boulevard. Thompson will be awarded his star in the category of Television.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has proudly hosted the globally iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame since 1960. The Chamber exists to transform business and improve lives. Through the Walk of Fame, the Chamber celebrates the business that transforms us all – the business of entertainment. Entertainment is a unique blend of art and enterprise: elevating and inspiring us all.
ABOUT THE HONOREE:
“Kenan Thompson is the voice of a generation” stated Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “From Kenan and Kel to Saturday Night Live, Kenan has been making folks laugh for nearly 30 years.” In celebration of his upcoming 20th anniversary on SNL, we thought it would be fitting to place Kenan’s star next to the star of the man who gave him his job, Lorne Michaels,” added Martinez.
Joining emcee Lupita Sanchez Cornejo for the star unveiling will be Josh Server (All That, Good Burger), JB Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Spider-Man: No Way Home) and Leslie Jones (Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, SNL).
A native of Atlanta, Thompson made his television debut as a member of Nickelodeon’s all-kid sketch comedy series All That. He and Kel Mitchell debuted on the spinoff Kenan & Kel in 1996.
Continuing his career in sketch comedy, Thompson joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2003 and has now completed 19 seasons on the iconic late-night series as the longest-running cast member.
Thompson received two Emmy Award nominations in 2021 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his NBC series Kenan and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for SNL. He previously received two Emmy nominations in 2018 and 2020 in the supporting actor category for his work on SNL as well as an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2018 for the SNL song “Come Back, Barack.”
Thompson has made numerous contributions to SNL with his slew of hilarious impressions that include Rev. Al Sharpton, Charles Barkley, Steve Harvey and David Ortiz, and by playing memorable characters such as DJ Dynasty Handbag, the scathingly fierce co-host of “Deep House Dish,” “Weekend Update” correspondent Jean K. Jean, “Black Jeopardy” host Darnell Hayes and Diondre Cole, the disruptive singing talk show host on the wildly popular sketch “What Up With That.”
He recently appeared in season two of HBO Max’s That Damn Michael Che and Prime Video’s The Kids in the Hall.
For two seasons, Thompson executive produced and starred in the NBC comedy series Kenan. In 2019 he served as producer and judge on NBC’s comedy competition series Bring the Funny. He also served as an executive producer on Nickelodeon’s 2019 All That reboot.
His past projects include Clifford the Big Red Dog, Home Sweet Home Alone, Hubie Halloween, Snakes on a Plane, Wieners, and The Magic of Belle Isle. Other film credits include Fat Albert, D2: The Mighty Ducks, Good Burger, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Brother Nature, Heavyweights, My Boss’s Daughter, Barbershop 2, Going in Style and They Came Together.
Thompson showcased his voice talents as Bricklebaum in The Grinch, which made history as the #1 Christmas movie of all time. Thompson has also lent his voice to the animated films Trolls World Tour, Wonder Park, The Smurfs, The Smurfs 2 and Space Chimps, the television series Sit Down, Shut Up and the Kobe Bryant/LeBron James Nike puppet campaign during the 2009 NBA playoffs. He was the voice of Austin Impresario Sullivan in the Hulu animated series The Awesomes and Riff in the film Rock Dog.
Update (8/12) - Kenan's star is next to the star of longtime Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels. It is the 2,728th star since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the first 1,558 stars.
“This is very surreal. It’s amazing,” Thompson said. “My whole family is here. My little one is here. … I can’t thank everybody that’s here enough. I never thought any of this would be possible. I just wanted to act and entertain and have a good time and put smiles on my family members’ faces, and that grew into the world now, apparently. I don’t know man, it’s just an honor and a privilege.
“Going in next to the GOAT, Lorne Michaels, that’s really cool,” he added.
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From Vibe:
Kenan Thompson Receives His Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
The comedian continues to receive his flowers for years of dedicated work.
Award-winning comedian and actor Kenan Thompson reached a major career milestone as he finally received his well-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On Thursday (August 11), Thompson, 44, was honored with a ceremony alongside his beautiful daughters, wife, family members, friends, and colleagues. Wearing an all-navy suit, Thompson delivered his acceptance speech, shared his gratitude, and even shouted out his long-time collaborator, Kel Mitchell, who couldn’t attend.
Thompson also noted that although he was asked to write a speech, he’d much rather speak from the heart. “Let the church say amen,’ Thompson hilariously started his speech. “This is very surreal, it’s amazing. My whole family’s here. My little ones are here, so I’ll make this short because she’s getting mad (laughs). I can’t thank everybody that’s here enough. I never thought any of this would be possible. I just wanted to act and entertain and have a good time and put smiles on my family members’ faces, and that grew into the world now, apparently. It’s just an honor and a privilege.”
He then went on to acknowledge that his star is ironically placed next to SNL creator Lorne Michaels’. “It’s just an honor and a privilege going in next to the G.O.A.T. Lorne Michaels. That’s really cool,” Thompson said in regards to the comedy legend.
“This is about what an artist means, and that is to provide for others,” Thompson added. “That’s been my life-long privilege to be able to hear that I’ve been doing exactly that. For families singing ‘What’s Up With That?’ as they decorate their Christmas trees and stuff like that, it’s such blessing.”
He ended with, “Here’s to the future, we keep going on. I wish y’all could give me two of these [stars] (laughs). Thank you very much.”
The comedian’s closest friends and long-time collaborators gave speeches in his honor too. SNL co-star Leslie Jones, comedian JB Smoove and former co-star from Nickelodeon, Josh Server all delivered sentiments about working alongside him.
This newest accolade follows Thompson’s recent announcement as the host of the 74th Emmy Awards, airing on Sept. 12. He’s already scored a few Emmys of his own, including being nominated six times. He two nominations last year for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Kenan and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for SNL. This year also marks Thompson’s 20th season on the late-night comedy show, making him the longest-running cast member to date.
Watch Kenan Thompson accept his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and check out images from the ceremony [here].
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