The 'SNL’ star revealed the news to ET during the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards.
Never fear, Saturday Night Live fans, Kenan Thompson will return for the upcoming season!
The 43-year-old actor shared the news with ET's Kevin Frazier on the 2021 Emmy Awards red carpet on Sunday. The beloved comic has been with the show for 18 seasons, and he's more than ready for another one.
"Oh yeah, I'll be there," the comic confirmed when asked about the upcoming season.
Thompson was joined on the red carpet by SNL co-star Bowen Yang, who earned his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his breakout year on the variety series. The 30-year-old performer made history by becoming the first featured cast member recognized but told ET that he's been working to get Thompson the award instead.
"I've actively campaigned for people to vote for him," he shared.
"Yeah, crazily enough, he's really been going hard to get people to vote for me," Thompson said, noting that because of Yang's genuine nature, it shouldn't be that crazy. "I was definitely surprised, it's very touching. And I wanted to return the favor, but I was like, 'I'd be biting his style if I was just like no, vote for Bowen.'"
"No, Kenan already sets the best example for everybody who works there so, it was so, so easy," Yang responded.
The Emmy winner is up for two awards this year, earning nominations for both his work on SNL and his NBC sitcom, Kenan. The actor previously told ET that he enjoyed pulling double duty for the bicoastal shows, saying, "At the moment I'm all about it because I'm going from one loving environment to another."
The 73rd Primetime Emmys, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, air live coast-to-coast Sunday, Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on CBS. Check out the complete winners' list.
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