Kenan Thompson Says He Was ‘Always’ Auditioning Against Anthony Anderson in the ‘90s

Mar. 15, 2025

Kenan Thompson and Anthony Anderson in the early 2000s.Photo:Jemal Countess/WireImage; SGranitz/WireImage

Jemal Countess/WireImage; SGranitz/WireImage

Kenan Thompsonremembers constantly auditioning against another comedian for the same roles in the 1990s. But in the end, both performers went on to become household names.“Anthony Anderson, I would always see his name on the list,” theSaturday Night Livestar recalled during an episode of thePEOPLE in the ‘90spodcastin 2021. “Whether I would see him at the actual audition or not, he was always in the running.”He added: “We’ve been in the same conversations for characters, probably in a lot of things throughout the ‘90s for sure.”Anthony Anderson and Mark Wahlberg in ‘The Departed’ in 2006.Album / AlamySince then, the actors have admired each other’s careers. TheAll Thatalumnus, 46, even shared his favorite Anderson project:The Departed.“I know what that movie did for his career,” Thompson said. “Before that, he was the go-to guy forBarbershopand comic relief roles. ButThe Departedwas like, ‘Oh s—, this guy’s in a [Martin] Scorsesemovie. Then, very soon after that,Law & Order.”“I love him to death, he’s my brother,” Thompson added.Like Anderson, Thompson started booking roles in the ‘90s and early 2000s. His earliest acting credits included appearances in theMighty Ducksfranchise, Nickelodeon’s sitcomKenan & Keland the movieGood Burger. After finishing his Nickelodeon career, Thompson moved to Los Angeles to start college.Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson on ‘Kenan & Kel’ in 1996.Album / Alamy“Nickelodeon just took a while because it was cable, it was a smaller show,” Thompson recalled of his “slow-going” fame. “I was going to college and it was blowing up, nobody in college was watching Nickelodeon.”Younger kids recognized him, but not people his age. “I was famous early-ish if I would go to Chuck E. Cheese. It was little kids at the time and the show was out and it was fresh," he said.In 2003, Thompson joinedSNLand remains the longest-tenured running cast member. Scoring a spot in the cast is when the “real fame” began, he said.Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson publicity portrait for the film ‘Good Burger’, 1997.Paramount/GettyIn June,PEOPLE caught up with ThompsonatNintendo New York, where the star reflected on some of his most iconic roles and opened up about the items he took from the set.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.ForAll That,“Our original T-shirts of the logo were very special," Thompson said. “I think we got backpacks too, or something else that had the logo on it.”“I got a couple of Good Burger hats, for sure, but it was mostly hats that they would put on all the restaurant workers. So it wasn’t my specific hat that I wore. But it’s good to have that kind of stuff.”

Kenan Thompsonremembers constantly auditioning against another comedian for the same roles in the 1990s. But in the end, both performers went on to become household names.

“Anthony Anderson, I would always see his name on the list,” theSaturday Night Livestar recalled during an episode of thePEOPLE in the ‘90spodcastin 2021. “Whether I would see him at the actual audition or not, he was always in the running.”

He added: “We’ve been in the same conversations for characters, probably in a lot of things throughout the ‘90s for sure.”

Anthony Anderson and Mark Wahlberg in ‘The Departed’ in 2006.Album / Alamy

Album / Alamy

Since then, the actors have admired each other’s careers. TheAll Thatalumnus, 46, even shared his favorite Anderson project:The Departed.

“I know what that movie did for his career,” Thompson said. “Before that, he was the go-to guy forBarbershopand comic relief roles. ButThe Departedwas like, ‘Oh s—, this guy’s in a [Martin] Scorsesemovie. Then, very soon after that,Law & Order.”

“I love him to death, he’s my brother,” Thompson added.

Like Anderson, Thompson started booking roles in the ‘90s and early 2000s. His earliest acting credits included appearances in theMighty Ducksfranchise, Nickelodeon’s sitcomKenan & Keland the movieGood Burger. After finishing his Nickelodeon career, Thompson moved to Los Angeles to start college.

Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson on ‘Kenan & Kel’ in 1996.Album / Alamy

“Nickelodeon just took a while because it was cable, it was a smaller show,” Thompson recalled of his “slow-going” fame. “I was going to college and it was blowing up, nobody in college was watching Nickelodeon.”

Younger kids recognized him, but not people his age. “I was famous early-ish if I would go to Chuck E. Cheese. It was little kids at the time and the show was out and it was fresh,” he said.

In 2003, Thompson joinedSNLand remains the longest-tenured running cast member. Scoring a spot in the cast is when the “real fame” began, he said.

Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson publicity portrait for the film ‘Good Burger’, 1997.Paramount/Getty

Paramount/Getty

In June,PEOPLE caught up with ThompsonatNintendo New York, where the star reflected on some of his most iconic roles and opened up about the items he took from the set.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

ForAll That,“Our original T-shirts of the logo were very special," Thompson said. “I think we got backpacks too, or something else that had the logo on it.”

“I got a couple of Good Burger hats, for sure, but it was mostly hats that they would put on all the restaurant workers. So it wasn’t my specific hat that I wore. But it’s good to have that kind of stuff.”

source: people.com