'Kenan and Kel' Takes Over 'SNL' as Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell Reunite for Parody Sketch

By Daniel S. Levine

Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell reunited on Saturday Night Live this weekend for a revival of Kenan & Kel, their beloved 1990s Nickelodeon sitcom. Of course, it was not exactly the way fans may have remembered the series thanks to SNL guest host Keke Palmer. The Nope star took the show in a surprisingly dark direction, but fans were still excited about seeing Mitchell and Thompson together again.

In the pre-taped sketch, the new Kenan & Kel is called Kenan & Kelly, with Palmer playing a female version of Mitchell's Kel Kimple. Palmer decided to bring mature themes to the show, including the revelation that she is pregnant with Thompson's child! "Kenan was gunning for an Emmy award," Thompson told the cameras.

Palmer also came up with her own catchphrase, "Uh oh, here comes the bus." This replaced Mitchell's famous catchphrase, "Aw, here it goes." The new phrase did not make sense because, as Thompson pointed out, "There was no bus!" Palmer used the catchphrase even after making a dramatic speech about how troubled her childhood was. "It just started and I think we have a tone issue... but people seem excited about it, I guess," Thompson said.

'Kenan & Kelly'

Later, new SNL cast member Devon Walker suggested to Thompson that he could play Mitchell's role in a Good Burger sequel, but Thompson shot that idea down. Then, the real Mitchell enters the scene and goes straight for the orange soda. The reunion is short-lived though, as a robber (James Austin Johnson) suddenly storms in with a gun. Mitchell tries to scare off the robber with his karate skills, but things go horribly wrong.

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'I cried laughing'

The sketch ends with Thompson admitting that this new take on Kenan & Kel is not good. However, Jordan Peele called him and Mitchell and he wants them to do a sequel to Nope called Yep.

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'This is what I needed'

Kenan & Kel debuted on Nickelodeon in July 1996 and is set in Chicago. The series, created by Kim Bass, saw Mitchell and Thompson playing best friends who get into misadventures. Ken Foree and Teal Marchande played Thompson's parents and Vanessa Baden played his sister. Most episodes are available to stream on Paramount+.

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'We are going crazy'

"Dear lord, Kel getting shot absolutely sent me. I was in absolute tears with this skit. Please, someone, produce a comedy movie with these 3," one fan wrote on YouTube.

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'Loved seeing Kenan and Kel back together'

"This skit is so hilarious, loved seeing Kenan and Kel back together. Whoever came up with the line "uh oh, here comes the bus" shout out to you and to Keke for excellently playing that role. Would love to see more of Kenan and Kel together. My 90's heart needed this, thanks SNL," one fan wrote on YouTube.

"You can tell Kel still makes Keenan laugh," another wrote. "That's awesome. He's hilarious!"

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'Such a moment'

New episodes of SNL air on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET. The Dec. 10 episode will be hosted by Steve Martin and Martin Short, with performances by Brandi Carlile. Austin Butler and Yeah Yeah Yeahs will star in the Dec. 17 episode.

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