If you’re into comedy, you probably know Kenan Thompson! Take away all his achievements, he is still funny and caring as a person. His humbleness has never allowed him to feel as though he’s better than anyone else. This quality has helped him to gain the respect of the majority which also helped him in his career.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at his journey to reveal his net worth.
Snippet Of His Early Life
Kenan Thompson was brought into the world on May 10, 1978, in Atlanta, Georgia, into a family rooted in Southern manners and hospitality. His nurse mother, Elizabeth Ann, trained him to be a Southern gentleman. Thompson has two siblings and attended Tri-Cities High School before transferring to Santa Monica College in California.
Start Of His Career
Thompson’s first taste of fame came when he was five. This is when he was cast as the Gingerbread Man in their school play. He soon realized that he was funny after he got the reactions from the audience. Thompson later learned how to style it, but he actually wanted to be an artist/actor.
Thompson continued acting all throughout high school, where he happened to meet teacher Freddie Hendricks, who changed Thompson’s life. When he was in high school, Freddie taught him acting and got him interested in Freddie’s theatrical group. Thompson struggled to balance schoolwork and auditions. But he managed to try out for a million advertisements before landing his first.
>>Audition on Nickelodeon
Thompson was quickly becoming a sensation on the small screen while earning infrequent minor credits on the big screen. He tried out for Nickelodeon’s All That, which is a comedy skit show with an all-child cast, in 1995. Thompson got a spot on the said comedy skit show after auditioning using a performance he’d been doing since he was a kid. And that is dead-on Bill Cosby impersonation.
>>Establishing own show
Thompson and Mitchell were the first African-American celebrities to star in a Nickelodeon primetime show in 1996. Kenan and Kel preceded the adventures of the ever-scheming Kenan Rockmore and his dense best pal Kel Kimble. The show was a smash hit for Nickelodeon, solidifying the duo’s celebrity.
With little kids in mind, the duo maintained a clean image and advocated learning on programs such as BET’s debate forum, Teen Summit. Kenan and Kel were nominated for various awards and won the Favorite Television Show in the 1998 Kid’s Choice Award.
>>Entering Saturday Night
Thompson has been appearing in plays for children for nearly eight years by 2003. He was 25 years old at that time and still had a baby face. And according to him, I t was time to mature. To do this, he auditioned for and was cast in Saturday Night Live (SNL). This show is a late-night television’s granddaddy of adult comedy sketches. Thompson’s impersonations repertoire now includes dozens of celebrities in addition to a handful of characters.
>>Movies/Films
Thompson made his movie debut in D2: The Mighty Ducks as Russ Tyler at the age of 15. The next year, Thompson had a brief part in Heavyweights, and in 1996, he played Russ again in D3: The Mighty Ducks. Thompson also worked as a movie critic for CNN’s “Real News for Kids.”
Then from 2001 to 2003, Thompson did a number of projects including ‘Off Centre’, ‘Felicity’, ‘Hamburger’, ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’, ‘Big Fat Liar’, ‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing’ ‘The Master of Disguise’, and ‘My Boss’s Daughter’.
Following that, the comedian/actor performed on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Then he appeared in the movie ‘Space Chimps’ and ‘Snakes on a Plane,’ as well as the television show ‘The Mighty B.’ Thompson was also featured on the humor album ‘Good Times.’ He also had an appearance on a scene of ‘Psych’ in 2009. The same year, Thompson was chosen as Sue Sezno in the show ‘Sit Down, Shut Up.’ And two years later, he voiced one of the roles in the film ‘The Smurfs.’
Revealing His Net Worth
Because of his success in various films and shows, Kenan Thompson is revealed of having a net worth of $13 million. This net worth is also formed from his salary on the show Saturday Night Live. Thompson is receiving almost $3 million per year!
Personal Life
Thompson married Christina Evangeline, his long-term girlfriend, in 2011. And Georgia Marie Thompson, the couple’s first child, was born in June 2014. Then, Gianna, the couple’s second child, was born in July 2019. But I n April 2022, the couple finalized their divorce.
Controversies
Kenan Thompson is no exception to various controversies like other celebrities had. Let’s take a look at how this issue affected Thompson’s career.
>>Making fun of violence
Tiger Woods was parodied in a 2009 sketch by Kenan Thompson as conducting a series of press appearances, each time seeming further beaten by his wife. The skit was panned for making fun of domestic abuse. It didn’t help that the show’s special guest was Rihanna, who had been abused earlier that same year by her partner Chris Brown.
>>Rumored to be kicked out
Thompson is said to have been fired for misconduct. He played an overaged front desk officer who made outrageously exaggerated comments about the looks of women coming through the workplace corridor at the time. However, before leaving, he issued an apology to employees.
As the farce progressed, the things Thompson apologized for became increasingly ludicrous, and frequently included a playful threat of abducting the women who were the object of the insults, leaving viewers wishing he wasn’t fired at all.
Fun Facts About Kenan Thompson
Considering his ability to make everyone laugh and portray anyone’s persona well, almost nothing is known about his private life. His rise to fame is one of the most intriguing for a television personality. Let’s take a look at some fun facts about Kenan Thompson.
>>Struggling with childhood
Kenan’s years of career did not come easily. His parents struggled to raise him, together with his two siblings because he was born into a low-income household. His mom was the most encouraging of his acting career, enrolling him in acting lessons when he was five years old. His mom also had to work a week straight so Thompson could be with him while he was recording the following week.
>>Love for bikes
Kenan Thompson and his brother Kerwin shared a passion for riding bikes since they were young. His interest in bikes evolved into a hobby, which he now shares with his eldest daughter. Thompson takes his bike to work as well. His passion for biking, on the other hand, got him into a huge amount of trouble as a kid, which includes a fractured arm. But his mother described him as fearless since he didn’t cry despite the fact that he was just four years old. He is also a sports lover who loves all Georgian sports teams.
>>First and longest member to work in SNL
Kenan Thompson is the very first SNL cast member after the show’s debut in 1975. Thompson’s prominence on SNL stems from the fact that he is the program’s longest-serving cast member. He has now appeared on the show for 19 years, surpassing all previous records.
Thompson’s longevity is also due to the range of his humorous abilities. He has mastered everything from celebrity impersonation to standup comedies over the course of his career.
Final Words
With a good instinct and powerful momentum, Kenan Thompson’s career is playing an irreplaceable role in helping each people to face their work. As you can see in his net worth, he has made a great name for himself in the entertainment industry. Kenan Thompson managed to slowly evolve and eventually win over the hearts of many people!
(Ready for our next personality? He’s a professional athlete! Click here to reveal.)