Kenan Thompson to leave ‘SNL' after Bowen Yang's shock exit?

Kenan Thompson is contemplating on a moment that fans never quite wanted to imagine.

The longest-running cast member of Saturday Nightly Live reflected on what it would mean to one day say goodbye to the NBC comedy special after more than two decades of laughter.

"I definitely do. It’s, it’s gonna suck,” he said about potentially exiting the sketch-comedy series. "There’s just so many layers to it.”

The actor and comedian explained, “It’s not just the on-screen that you see in that one, camera shot. It’s so many people behind the scenes and years and years and years with each one of those people. So it’s gonna be a lot.”

In the wake of Bowen Yang’s surprise exit, Thompson opened up about what it might feel like if his own time on the iconic show were ever to come to an end.

“It’s tough for me because I have yet to have the moment. If I was on the other side of it, I’d be a little more like, ‘Yeah, you know, it’s all good,’ like, ‘Shake it off’ kind of thing. But, I’m dreading the moment," he continued. “I might collapse in the moment because it’s been so many years and so many relationships.”

The 47-year-old also opened up about what it’s like to see his cast members leaving. “That’s gonna be a drastic change at this point that I never thought, you know, SNL would be such a large component in my life,” he told People. “I never thought I’d even get the job in the first place.”

Thompson has been a mainstay on the sketch-comedy series since 2003, joining the cast in Season 29.

Meanwhile, Yang departed the show last month after first coming aboard as a writer in 2018.

His exit marked the latest in a wave of SNL departures, following the recent exits of Heidi Gardner (eight seasons), Ego Nwodim, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and John Higgins of the Please Don’t Destroy trio, all ahead of Season 51.

Yang’s final episode aired as the Season 51 Christmas special on December 20, 2025, hosted by Ariana Grande with musical guest Cher.

He bowed out after seven seasons, closing his run with an emotional final “Delta Lounge” sketch that served as a heartfelt farewell.