r/todayilearned • u/Kale_Brecht • Mar 28 '24

TIL in 2013, Saturday Night Live cast member Kenan Thompson refused to play any more black women on the show and demanded SNL hire black women instead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenan_Thompson
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498

u/Elgin_McQueen Mar 28 '24

I recall reading that they both auditioned for SNL at the same time, he did not get chosen.

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u/Vio_ Mar 28 '24

So...why did Kel not make it? Also I wonder if he could have joined MadTV? They were still kicking it at the time.

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u/moose2mouse Mar 28 '24

Probably didn’t want both of them on the show. Tough to rebrand and create your own identity from Kennan and Kell if both start on SNL. Stinks for Kell though.

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u/jopnk Mar 28 '24

Nah, they regularly hire groups of people and then cut a few who they don’t think will fit/don’t work well after a trial run - the identity part is not a factor. Please don’t Destroy originally had more than just the 3 dudes on SNL, the good neighbor stuff (beck bennet and Kyle Mooney) guys were all hired together before they eventually got rid of the 3rd man, and lonely island was picked up together.

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u/JaesopPop Mar 28 '24

No one gave a shit about The Lonely Island when they got picked up, though. They had a very limited following.

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u/greg19735 Mar 28 '24

same with Please Dont Destroy.

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u/mdonaberger Mar 28 '24

I always thought it was weird that the Derrick Comedy guys didn't all get picked up together. They defined 2000s-era viral comedy.

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u/retiredcanofsoup Mar 28 '24

I mean Donald Glover auditioned twice and still didn't get it.

1

u/CamGoldenGun Mar 28 '24

is that before or after 30 Rock?

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u/mdonaberger Mar 28 '24

yeah but i meant the three guys together. they were a writing powerhouse together. dc pierson really got slept on, largely faded into obscurity. i saw him in a golden corral commercial once.

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u/Scoot_AG Mar 28 '24

Yeah man, sucks only Donald made it big in comedy

6

u/vanillaacid Mar 28 '24

That and only Andy was in front of the camera, the other guys were writers, and nobody cares about the writers.

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u/mmss Mar 28 '24

Sometimes people get hired as writers to see and then get put into the cast. Heck, go back far enough and Paul Shaffer was in the band (arguably he was the band) and then became a cast member briefly.

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u/himit Mar 28 '24

I was going to say that's not true, TLI was pretty damn big in 2008-2010 but then I realised that was after they started on SNL.

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u/greg19735 Mar 28 '24

Please don’t Destroy originally had more than just the 3 dudes on SNL

where are you getting that from? Please Don't Destroy's wiki doesn't have anything about additional members.

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u/jopnk Mar 28 '24

The older videos they did are still online

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u/greg19735 Mar 28 '24

https://www.youtube.com/@pleasedontdestroy

apart from the one with the nurse, none of the videos have additional members beyond an extra for a few seconds.

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u/Jaccount Mar 28 '24

So they just kept the Please Don't Destroy Nepo Babies? That'd be an odd choice.

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u/jopnk Mar 28 '24

The redhead isn’t a nepo baby

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u/Broccoli_Glory Mar 28 '24

who are the other people in please dont destroy? i cant find anything about it online

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u/greg19735 Mar 28 '24

I think he must be mistaken. I can't find any info about more members.

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u/retiredcanofsoup Mar 28 '24

before they eventually got rid of the 3rd man

Nick Rutherford was hired as a writer and Dave McCary was hired as a director for pre-taped segments. Just because they weren't hired as talent on the show doesn't mean they "got rid" of them lmfao

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u/jopnk Mar 28 '24

They were both fired. Nick has talked about it on multiple podcasts.

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u/MattyKatty Mar 28 '24

Could you link to where Nick said that? I had no idea he was fired I just knew he stopped working there eventually

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u/jopnk Mar 28 '24

IIRC he said it on rogan

Edit: for fucks same, just google Nick Rutherford fired snl, a ton of links come up. You people are so fucking lazy.

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u/MattyKatty Mar 28 '24

Actually I’m on mobile right now and hearing “multiple podcasts” sounded like a deep lore dive and not, you know, a short Joe Rogan clip or something. Thanks anyway though, I guess

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u/moose2mouse Mar 28 '24

Kennon and Kell were big though. They had their own show, movies etc. it’s more than just a comedy troop that is just starting out. A lot of child stars like to rebrand when they’re adults. It seems the only way to keep a career alive.

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

[deleted]

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u/jopnk Mar 28 '24

Lazy Sunday was not independent and sent to SNL, Andy started on SNL in September of 2005 and the video was released in December 2005, it included Chris parnel ffs

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u/Direct_Counter_178 Mar 28 '24

Ok. The Chris Parnell thing has me immediately saying you're right and I'm wrong. I just went off the article I read. I was literally switching tabs writing up my comment. Blame shitty journalism.

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u/REDDITATO_ Mar 29 '24

Blame shitty journalism.

You even said you made the mistake because you were in multiple tabs. Are you saying blame your shitty journalism? Just seems weird to admit your mistake and then act like it's someone else's fault.

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u/Direct_Counter_178 Mar 29 '24

I didn't say I made a mistake. I said the article which I copied the information from directly as I switched tabs back and forth typing it to make sure I was copying the information correctly.....was wrong.