Does the world need a dark, gritty reboot of “Kenan & Kel”? Absolutely not. But the world needed a Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell reunion on “Saturday Night Live,” and that’s exactly what it got on the Dec. 3 episode hosted by Keke Palmer. In a brilliantly nostalgic skit dubbed “Kenan & Kelly,” Palmer pitches Thompson on a reboot of his beloved Nickelodeon series, and once he agrees, things get weird fast.
It’s quickly revealed that Palmer is “aiming for an Emmy”, so she decides to add some drama to the show’s typical hijinks. This includes a shocking revelation that Kenan is the father of Kelly’s baby (followed by a second twist that Kel is the real father), a dramatic monologue about Kelly’s father calling her an idiot, and Kel being murdered during a an attempted robbery. While Thompson is deadpan at the end of the skit, “The show isn’t good, but Jordan Peele called us. He wants to do a sequel to ‘No’.”
After the episode aired, Mitchell shared a series of behind-the-scenes photos from the skit along with a thank you message to her costars, Thompson and Palmer, on Instagram. “That was awesome! Such a fun blessed night! Thank you @nbcsnl for letting me come dance with y’all!” Mitchell captioned his post. “Amazing cast and crew! Epic night with my brother @kenanthompson and Yo!! @keke you did an amazing job as host! Rocking my sister!!! Super talented! Check out some of these photos from the behind the scenes of filming. God, I’m so grateful! 🙏🏾💯 Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him]And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].”
Thompson commented on the post to congratulate Mitchell and Palmer. “Amazing night!! Great job bro!!! Give it up for my brother @iamkelmitchell y’all!! blessing to all of us!!! Huge round sound for @keke!!!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌 🏾🙌🏾,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Palmer shared a message to Thompson and Mitchell on her Instagram story. “Highlight of my life,” she wrote of the sketch. “You’ve been so influential, in so many ways and especially in comedy. A lot of what I think is good or funny or want to BE is because of you BOTH of you! Kenan and Kel being from the Illinois only made it more real to me as a fellow Illinoisan haha And having Kel’s birthday just a day away makes me feel like it was just meant to be But seriously. So grateful to be a part of this meeting.
Thompson and Mitchell’s “SNL” reunion is their second reunion this year. They already teamed up a bit in September while the “SNL” star hosted the Emmys. Additionally, the two stars teased that a “Good Burger” sequel is on the way. This means there should be a lot more “Kenan & Kel” content in the future – just minus the dark and gritty part.
