Kenan Thompson is heading into his 24th season of Saturday Night Live, which will soon hit the 2026 TV schedule. With that, the beloved star will continue his reign as the longest-tenured SNL cast member. While it’s hard to imagine the series without him at this point, it's likely that the time will come when Thompson decides to step down. And, when that eventually happens, I hope he launches a great next chapter that aligns with a gig he just landed.
It's been confirmed that Thompson will be a guest judge on America’s Got Talent on Tuesday night for the third Quarterfinals episode. As explained by TV Insider, this move is due to Simon Cowell temporarily stepping away from live shows amid AGT Season 21 to recover from a non-emergency back procedure. As it stands, Cowell will be back “in a few weeks,” as his rep shared in a statement. In the meantime, though, I'm excited over the decision to have Thompson step in.
For the former Nickelodeon star, this may be the gig he could do permanently when he eventually leaves SNL. Or, at the very least, he could do something similar on that level. He also has the experience, as he's filled in for Cowell before on AGT. Not only that, but Thompson was also a guest judge on The Masked Singer and a judge for Bring the Funny in 2019. Thompson's magnetic personality and jovial demeanor make him perfect for these kinds of shows. So it's very easy for me to see him regularly hosting or judging some sort of reality series in the future.
Considering Thompson has been on Saturday Night Live for a long time, it’s hard to tell how much longer he’s willing to stay. Earlier this summer, he shared the harrowing reason why he’s still on SNL, and he chalks it up to his desire to ensure he has steady work. That's because there have been times in his life where his bank account has in the negative range. With all that in mind, it's understandable as to why the father of two would want the job stability.
Thompson has already thought about what his final day at SNL will be like, and I hope that it’s not anytime soon. While he acknowledged that there would be so many "layers" to it, he simply declared that the day was "gonna suck."
On that note, SNL has seen a handful of exits in the last year, both before and during Season 51. And, ahead of Season 52, veteran cast member Chloe Fineman has already exited the show. As of now, it’s unknown if anyone else will depart before the new season starts. I would hope that whenever Thompson does step away, an announcement will come well ahead of his final taping. I'll be sad when that happens, but I'd imagine it'll be quite a send-off.
Before Kenan Thompson returns to SNL, see him as a guest judge on America’s Got Talent this Tuesday, September 1, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Who knows? Maybe this could be a glimpse of Thompson's post-SNL career and, if it is, I think viewers will be all the better for it.
