Kenan Thompson is in his 16th season on Saturday Night Live. With all that tenure on the show, the longest of any cast member in the show’s history, it’s clear he’s learned a thing or two about how to deal with some of the show’s more outspoken guests.
Case in point, Kanye West.
During a visit to Late Night With Seth Meyers, the long-running sketch comedian discussed West’s unwarranted rant praising Donald Trump and berating Democrats. A smart fella, Thompson decided not to join the controversial rapper on stage during the commotion and left before it happened.
“I got to watch the circus unfold,” he said, as he noted that he wasn’t really in the season premiere in terms of screen time. “[West] voiced his opinion very loudly…we’re all entitled to our opinion. I don’t know if that’s the moment necessarily to hold people hostage like that.”
“As soon as [West] said ‘hey join me up onstage everybody,’ I was like “Oh, there goes the little cheese in the mousetrap, it’s going down,” he continued. Thompson said that he left the stage before the closing credits in order to watch West’s third performance on television. However, he applauds his cast members that stayed on stage during the YANDHI rapper’s comments.
“It’s hard to stand there and not be able to debate someone…and just stand there and take it,” he said. “We’re fair, we’re in the service business…we don’t judge, we’re not there to judge.”
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