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Kenan Thompson is opening up about his eventual departure from Saturday Night Live and why his final day is "gonna suck"
The longtime cast member tells PEOPLE "it's gonna be a lot" when that day comes
Thompson is the longest-tenured cast member of all time by nearly a decade
Kenan Thompsonis thinking ahead to his last day on theSaturday Night Livestage — and he knows it's going to "suck."
TheSNLstar, 47, opened up to PEOPLE about his thoughts on an eventual departure from the series, which he's been a main player on since he arrived at Studio 8H in 2003 for season 23.
As the comedian reveals, he sometimes ponders what it's going to feel like to end his run. "I definitely do. It's, it's gonna suck," Thompson says. "There's just so many layers to it. It's not just the on-screen that you see in that one, you know, camera shot. It's so many people behind the scenes and years and years and years with each one of those people. So it's gonna be a lot."
He adds, jokingly, "I might have to just rip the bandaid and run out the back door and not say nothing to nobody and just write letters."
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Elsewhere during his chat with PEOPLE, timed with the release of his new children's bookUnfunny Bunny, Thompson said "it's usually always sad" when a cast member departs — including when colleagueBowen Yangleft the show in December after seven seasons.
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"It's tough for me because I have yet to have the moment," he explains. "You know, if I was on the other side of it, I'd be a little more like, 'Yeah, you know, it's all good,' like, 'Shake it off' kind of thing. But, like, I'm dreading the moment. I might collapse in the moment because it's been so many years and so many relationships and just..."
Thompson adds, "That's gonna be a drastic change at this point that I never thought, you know,SNLwould be such a large component in my life. I never thought I'd even get the job in the first place."
After over two decades on the show, Thompson is the longest-tenured cast member of all time by nearly a decade. Behind him areDarrell Hammond(14 years),Seth Meyers(13 years) andColin Jost, who became aWeekend Updateanchor in 2014 after joining as a writer in 2005.
Speaking with PEOPLE last year ahead ofSNL's 50th anniversary, Thompson joked that he's actually been on the show since the beginning. "I've actually been on the show the whole time," he said. "If you look, I'm in the back. I've been waving. My audition was actually in 1962."
"It's crazy because most people do eight [seasons] max, you know what I mean? Or 12. But it's a one-of-a-kind place," he also said. "It's the people in front and behind that embrace it, need it. So when they call me, what, am I not supposed to oblige the greatest job in the world? So it's just out of love. What a blessing it is to have steady employment."
Read the original article onPeople
