Kenan Thompson Revealed Steve Harvey's True Feelings About His SNL 'Family Feud' Skit
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After nearly two decades on Saturday Night Live, Kenan Thompson continues making folks laugh with his punch lines and impressions. Even so, in his pursuit of comedy, he’s found himself having to answer to celebrities he’s impersonated, like Family Feud host Steve Harvey.
During a recent episode of the Smartless podcast, Kenan got real with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett about being put on the spot by the Judge Steve Harvey star. When Will shared that Steve was one of his favorite characters portrayed by Kenan, the Nickelodeon alum revealed that it wasn’t an instant hit with the fellow comedian.
“Steve Harvey didn’t love it in the beginning,” Kenan said on the podcast. “I know him so he would definitely send messages through mutual friends or just through the press. Like ‘Tell the little fat boy to knock it off.’”
But this didn’t prompt him to drop the act. Instead, he’s expanded it based on what Steve does next, like Little Big Shots. “I never stopped,” he continued. “As soon as he does something … Whenever he steps away from Family Feud and does something else, I’m on that too. If you’re on the radar, you’re on the radar.”
Kenan has previously opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about Steve's reaction to the impersonation. “Steve wasn’t overly excited about it in the beginning, but he grew to love it. I don’t do it out of any malice,” he told the outlet in July 2020. “He told me in different ways or he’d say it on his radio show and then people would call me and be like, ‘Hey, Steve Harvey’s talking about you this morning on the radio,’ and I’d be like, ‘Alright, well, I’m sure he’ll settle down once he realizes that I’m not attacking him.’”
As fans may know, Kenan first crossed paths with Steve when he appeared on Steve's sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, where he played a character named Junior from 1996 to 1998. In 2017, Kenan was a guest on Steve's self-titled talk show and they hashed it out with friendly banter.
“You don’t know the phone calls you put in my life,” Steve told Kenan. “‘Man, Steve. Did you see Kenan last night?’ I didn’t see Kenan last night. ‘Boy, he did your a-- last night.’”
Over the years, the duo has shared other tidbits about their playful interactions. “I just saw [Steve] when we were shooting Bring The Funny and he was on the next stage doing Family Feud,” Kenan said, per Essence. “I sat down with him and he was like, ‘You better watch yourself.’ I love Steve. I’ve known him for a super long time.”
The feeling sounds mutual. "We all know Kenan's career is alive and well because of me," Steve jokingly said on Extra. "I want to kick his a-- but it's pretty funny. I call Kenan all the time and say 'Hey man, send me half your check because I'm half the reason you're here.'"
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