Kenan Thompson is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, Aug. 11 and moderated by the Chair of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Lupita Sanchez Cornejo. Guest speakers will include JB Smoove, Leslie Jones, and Josh Server.
Thompson’s star will reportedly be placed next to “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels’ star. Hollywood Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez said, “Kenan Thompson is the voice of a generation. 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.”
Regarding the long-running series, the “All That” alum spoke on the upcoming 50th anniversary during an appearance on “Hell of a Week” hosted by Charlamagne Tha God. When asked if the show would end, Thompson joked, “Is that the rumor? Well I need to start planning. That’s gonna cause some changes.” He added, “There could be a lot of validity to that rumor because 50 is a good number to stop at. It’s an incredible package. He’s [Lorne Michaels] the one that’s had his touch on the whole thing, so if somebody tries to come into his shoes—it’s a good opportunity for NBC to save money as well. So maybe they might slash the budget and then at that point, you can’t really do the same kind of show.”
The longtime comedian clarified that he doesn’t think the show can continue without Michaels. He said, “It opens opportunity for a lot of bullshit to come into the game. He’s such a legend that he keeps off those, like, corporate wolves, if you will. Not to call them wolves, but it’s business. They spend a lot of money on that show every week. It’s an expensive show. But it’s a one-of-a-kind thing, it’s the only one.”