Does the world need a gritty and gritty Kenan & Kel reboot? Absolutely not. But the world needed a reunion with Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell on Saturday Night Live, and that’s exactly what it got on the December 3 episode hosted by Keke Palmer. In a brilliantly nostalgic sketch titled “Kenan & Kelly,” Palmer Thompson proposes a reboot of his beloved Nickelodeon series, and once he agrees, things quickly get weird.
It quickly becomes apparent that Palmer is “shooting for an Emmy,” so she decides to add some drama to the show’s signature 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 murdering him in an attempted robbery becomes. As Thompson says dryly at the end of the skit, “The show isn’t good, but Jordan Peele called us. He wants to do a sequel to ‘Nope’.”
After the episode aired, Mitchell shared a series of behind-the-scenes photos from the skit, as well as a thank-you note to his co-stars Thompson and Palmer Instagram. “That was great! Such a fun, blessed night! Thanks @nbcsnl for letting me rock out with y’all!” Mitchell captioned his post. “Amazing cast and crew! Epic night with my brother @kenanthompson and Yo!! @keke you did such a great job hosting!! You rock Sis!!! Super talented! Check out some of these behind the scenes pics from Set to God I am so thankful!🙏🏾💯 Proverbs 16:3 Commend 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 commend both Mitchell and Palmer. “Awesome night!! Great work bro!!! Give it up for my bro @iamkelmitchell y’all!! Blessings to all of us!!! Huge bang for @keke!!!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌 🏾🙌🏾,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Palmer shared a message about her with Thompson and Mitchell Instagram story. “Highlight of my life,” she captioned the sketch. “You guys have been so influential in so many ways and especially in comedy. So much of what I think is good or funny or wants to be is up to BOTH of you! Being from Illinois, kenan and kel just made it more real me as a coworker from illinois haha. And the fact that Kel’s birthday is just a day before makes me feel like it’s just meant to be. But seriously. So thankful to be apart of this reunion.
Thompson and Mitchell’s “SNL” reunion marks their second reunion this year. They previously hooked up for a while back in September when the “SNL” star hosted the Emmys. Additionally, both stars have hinted that a sequel to Good Burger is on the way. This means there should be a lot more Kenan & Kel content in the future – just minus the dark and gloomy part.
