The show's spokesperson says no decision has been made regarding the cast of next season.
- Sep 23, 2014
AceShowbiz - The report that Kenan Thompson is leaving "Saturday Night Live" on its 40th season is not a hundred percent accurate. A spokesperson for the variety show said "the season hasn't even started and cast decisions aren't made until the end of the season."
TMZ was the first to report that Thompson intended to retire from the show and even planned to leave last season. However, executive producer Lorne Michaels asked him to stay, citing the show's massive turnover this season.
The exit is purely on good terms and there is no hard feeling, TMZ further said. Thompson reportedly is planning to move to Los Angeles and is in talks to do a new show there.
Thompson joined the show in 2003 and quickly became one of the most prominent players. He broke the record of being the longest black cast on the show. When asked by EW last year whether he would consider to leave, he said, "I'm never leaving."
If Thompson indeed leaves, "SNL" will lack diversity following the season's new crop of white performers. The African American comedian once addressed the obvious absence of female black comics because none was qualified enough. "It's just a tough part of the business," Thompson told TV Guide. "Like in auditions, they just never find ones that are ready."
"SNL" returns September 27 with Chris Pratt as host and Ariana Grande as musical guest.
