Back in the day, our parents would either play outside, watch television in black and white or catch the latest boxing match. In the ’90s people started using the internet, emailing their best friends on their multi-colored Apple computers and dancing to their favorite Michael Jackson video on their big-screen television sets. When we were growing up Saturday mornings were the best; we would often grab our favorite Fruit Loop cereal and watch cartoons like “Hey Arnold!”, “Ren & Stimpy” and my all-time favorite “All That.” All that was a Nickelodeon comedic show with musical performances and skits galore from some talented teenagers. After the curtain closed some of the stars ended up starting their own projects in the comedic realm; there were stars such as Nick Cannon, Amanda Bynes, Kel Mitchelle and Kenan Thompson just to name a few.
Kenan Thompson was born on May 10, 1978, in Atlanta, Georgia to parents Fletcher Thompson and Elizabeth Ann Thompson. Elizabeth was a nurse and there is no known profession of Kenan’s father, but Kenan has a great relationship with his family. Kenan had a great upbringing; he played instruments and even played sports in school but later, he began to realize that his true gift was to make people laugh. Kenan would often impersonate comedians like Bill Cosby in front of his family and was a delight to be around. Kenan has two siblings but there is not much known about them in the public eye. Kenan attended Tri-Cities High School, which is a well-known high school where a few other celebrities attended such as “Big Boi” and “Andre 3000” just to name a few. At the age of five, Kenan won the role of the Gingerbread Man in a school play in Atlanta theater. Kenan kept acting all the way through high school, where he met his teacher, Freddie Hendricks.
Mr. Hendricks was the person who taught Kenan drama in high school and got him involved in various theatrical groups. At the age of fifteen, Kenan’s acting debut was playing ‘Russ Tyler’ one of the young hockey players in the “D2: The Mighty Ducks” sequel. In 1996, Kenan came back to play his role as Russ again in “D3: The Mighty Ducks”. In that same year Kenan met up with his ‘All That’ cast member Kel Mitchell and together they became the first African American actors to headline a primetime show on Nickelodeon. ‘The Kenan and Kel Show’ earned several award nominations and won the 1998 Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite Television Show. The Kenan and Kel show finished its four-year run in 1999. Kenan and Kel both ventured off in other shows and movies and often appeared in shows like the Steve Harvey Show and even starred in a featured Nickelodeon film called ‘Good Burger.’ I love the Demented Hills scene where Kenan and Kel dance with George Clinton to his smash hit ‘Knee Deep.’ Kenan and Kel still have a great relationship to this day. As Kenan’s stardom grew, he began to reach for more mature roles such as starring as one of the barbers from the movie “Barbershop 2”. At the age of twenty-five he auditioned for and landed a spot on the cast of Saturday Night Live where he found his voice and pushed his creativity to the limits by being responsible for introducing new characters. I loved how he was able to bring back his impressions like Steve Harvey’s ‘Family Feud’ skits. Today, Kenan is still writing skits and performing for Saturday Night Live; he also has his own television series on NBC titled ‘Kenan’. It’s about a recently widowed father that tries to raise his children with his parents’ and father-in-law. Kenan is happily married to Christina Evangeline and has two daughters Georgia and Gianna.
Kenan Thompson is a great father, husband, and friend. He was a star long before he was discovered professionally. His limelight came into focus with his home audience. That is why it is important to teach and encourage children early and often. Genuine love and support from those at home help to produce successful adults. Kenan set out to take over the comedy world by storm and he ended up victoriously by studying his craft and starring in his own show. Kenan gained many friendships and became a great ‘girl dad’, one his daughters can admire and look up to.
