Kenan Thompson Reflects On Very First Acting Job, And I Gotta Say It Sounds Cornier Than Any SNL Sketches

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Kenan Thompson is one of the most successful comedic actors of his generation. He’s been a consistent presence in sketch comedy for over 30 years, starting with his early work on Nickelodeon’s All That and continuing through his long run on Saturday Night Live. But before becoming a TV star, his career began with humble beginnings—performing fake fishing scenes and working with real fried chicken.

Before becoming famous as a young actor, and well before the pressure of his first audition for Saturday Night Live, Kenan Thompson earned his first paycheck filming a television commercial. He recently shared this memory with Vivian Tu on the Richer Lives by SoFi podcast.

My first job was in a commercial for a fried chicken place. It’s kind of funny, considering how much I actually like fried chicken! I was probably around 11 or 12 years old.

Looking back, it’s a little strange to think about how excited I was at the time. I mean, here I was, a Black kid, being asked to basically sell the idea of fried chicken – a food so often tied to stereotypes. It’s funny now, but it definitely gives you pause. That being said, let’s be real: good fried chicken is just good fried chicken, and that’s hard to argue with!

You know, I was reading about Kel Mitchell talking about his early days, and he shared something really relatable. He said getting paid for Good Burger felt like the world to him back then – it wasn’t a huge amount of money by today’s standards, but it meant everything to him as a young actor. And then he went on to say…

Once I confirmed the booking and found out the role involved eating chicken all day, I knew it was perfect for me. The $800 I earned felt like a fortune at the time – it was a lot of money for a young person.

I never had $800 saved up as a child, and honestly, I can’t picture myself having that much spending money back then. Being a bit younger than Thompson, I hadn’t really felt the effects of recent high inflation yet, so his story about spending it on toys seemed believable. I won’t say if I still collect things now, but a look around my office would tell you everything you need to know.

Kenan Thompson explained the commercial’s storyline, though he didn’t reveal where it was for. Even though I enjoy wordplay and silly humor, I found the ad’s main joke to be a bit disappointing. Here’s how he described it:

I remember filming a scene on a dock at a small lake with the actor playing my grandfather. The line was, ‘Grandpa, the fish aren’t biting.’ He then handed me a piece of chicken, and I was supposed to bite it and say, ‘Well, I like this kind of biting.’ It was a silly bit! I just recall the director asking me to take increasingly large bites, and honestly, it felt a little insensitive.

Okay, so maybe it’s not crazy to eat fried chicken while fishing, but honestly, it feels a little off. A huge part of fishing is gripping that pole tightly, and greasy food just doesn’t seem to go with that! Plus, I’ve noticed a pattern: when I’m actively getting food – whether it’s fishing, foraging, or even grocery shopping – I tend to lose motivation as soon as I’m full. It just makes me wonder, did the person who wrote that ad ever consider how someone might actually feel thirty-plus years later?

He’s reached a point in his career where the writers at Saturday Night Live can simply write “Kenan reacts” in the script instead of detailed stage directions, which means he’s less likely to be reduced to being the setup for simple jokes like “I appreciate his sharp wit.” At least, not unless the sketch itself is really weak.

Even now, years later, you can still see the impact of Thompson’s very first acting job. He’s become a popular choice for commercials, recently appearing in ads for brands like Autotrader, Universal Parks, Thrifty Car Rental, Chips Ahoy!, T-Mobile, and Cascade. Plus, he’s great at convincingly selling the fake products on Saturday Night Live.

I’m really excited to hear that Saturday Night Live is coming back for Season 51 on January 17th! It’ll be on NBC, and I’m especially looking forward to seeing Finn Wolfhard and A$AP Rocky take the stage as guest host and musical guest, respectively. It’s always great when they bring back the sketch comedy!

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2026-01-12 22:43