This article summarizes a conversation. The views expressed by participants do not necessarily reflect those of Across the Aisle™ or its programs, including Free the Facts™ and Answer the Call™.
Ever wonder which Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast member makes Kenan Thompson break character the most?
The longest-running SNL cast member and former star of All That and Kenan and Kel sat down for a conversation with Across the Aisle President and CEO Lindsay Hayes as part of our 2026 Summer Series.
Thompson has been a member of the SNL cast since 2003. His time on the show has spanned four presidencies and has included countless memorable skits, including “How a Bill Does Not Become a Law,” “Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks,” and “Parole Board.”
During the conversation, Thompson shared that the cast member who causes him to break the most is Mikey Day, which is a testament to his talent since he was the only one who held it together during 2024’s “Beavis and Butt-Head” sketch. He also shared three important lessons that can be applied to today’s politics and current events.
Finding Common Ground is Important & Comedy Can Help With That
Skits on the real-time political environment have been part of SNL since its very first season. While the writers may have specific views on particular issues, Thompson stressed that political sketches are designed to connect with viewers from all backgrounds and political affiliations.
“When you're finding humor in something, the humor is pretty much universal to make a whole room full of diverse people laugh. It’s got to be kind of the same thing that everybody's thinking,” he said.
Thompson also added that trying to establish that common ground through comedy is critical to bringing SNL’s audience together, saying, “At the end of the day, I wish we could just get on the same humanity page at a bare minimum.”
“If you have a disagreement with someone, it's fine. It's just the way you go about it. You have to treat each other with humanity,” he said.
Regardless of Your Career, It Is on All of Us to Work Toward a Better America
Thompson grew up in Atlanta and shared the story of his father, who was a successful real estate agent. After launching his own agency, his father discovered that Georgia lacked equal access to real estate listings, allowing sellers and agents to discriminate based on race.
“My dad went down in history for fighting for equal representation of any listing, so God bless Fletcher Thompson. It cost him his practice and he got death threats for years, but the legislature ended up changing it to where anyone can represent any listing that they want,” he said.
Thompson said that stories like his father’s show how your career is about more than making money. At some point, he said, you will encounter injustice, and you have to use whatever skills or platform you have to push against it.
“You can't say ‘I'm just going to pursue my personal daily happiness and ignore the world,’ because the world will continue to show up. At some point, you're going to run into someone sleeping on the ground,” he said.
Learn About the Policies & Programs That Impact Your Lives
As someone who has been in the public eye for more than 30 years, Thompson has seen his fair share of harsh comments online. Sometimes he will engage and sometimes he will just let it go. Regardless, he stressed the importance of challenging your assumptions and fully understanding an issue before commenting.
“You need facts and you need evidence and reference points to really stand up to whatever kind of crazy theories might be popping up at any given moment,” said Thompson.
He also noted that a cornerstone of having a healthy debate is being comfortable with the fact that in some instances, you may be right, and in others, you may be wrong.
“Take the L if you catch the L,” said Thompson.
Across the Aisle was founded in 2016 with the goal of getting Americans to have these types of conversations. We are committed to helping the next generation understand America’s biggest challenges — from the national debt to Social Security’s insolvency crisis — by providing reliable, fact-based information.
“The most important thing is hands across the aisle,” said Thompson.
More on Summer Series 2026
Since 2017, Across the Aisle has hosted an annual summer event series for D.C. interns and junior staff to learn about the issues facing their generation, network, and launch their careers in public service.
Click here to learn more about this year’s theme, our speaker lineup, and how you can reserve your spot.
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