SNL’s Kenan Thompson Talks Love for Nintendo, Playing Mario Kart

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“Saturday Night Live” has been a fixture on late night TV since its first episode aired on October 11, 1975. And while hundreds of cast members have come and gone, one cast fixture is Kenan Thompson, who has been on “SNL” since 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the show’s history.

With the TV show going into its 50th season, we spoke with Thompson about what keeps him going between sketches during his 22 seasons on “Saturday Night Live.” Surprisingly enough, it’s his trusty Nintendo Switch.

“I’m an ‘OG’ Nintendo player,” Thompson shares with Variety. “Nintendo games have been like my sidekick on set all these years. I can easily pick up Nintendo Switch and play during downtime. It’s also sparked some creativity for me on the show; hint hint, I was Bowser!”

Thompson is referring to when he played King Bowser in a sketch about HBO turning “Mario Kart” into a dark and gritty “Last of Us-type” prestige TV show. The fake trailer has since amassed more than 17 million views on YouTube.

Outside of the show, Thompson says the console has been a part of his home and family life too. “I get to play on the Nintendo Switch when I’m on set or at home with my girls. It’s such a great way to relax and have fun.” In fact, “Mario Kart” has played such a huge part of his life that the actor says he’s been playing the game with his daughters, Georgia and Gianna.

“We definitely started out with ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’ — that was the perfect game to get started with — especially since my older daughter is super competitive,” Thompson says. “She thinks she can beat me, but come on — I’ve got decades of ‘Mario Kart’ experience under my belt.”

And with all of that experience behind the virtual wheel, Thompson’s go-to characters when playing “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” are familiar Nintendo staples, Mario and Luigi.

“I’m in the Mario and Luigi fan club, so I usually go with one of them. Luigi is surprisingly fast sometimes,” exclaims Thompson. “And of course, if one of the girls snags them I will go with Funky Kong, because I’ve played with him and he’s awesome! So underrated!” (And yes, the actor brought Funky Kong to the “Weekend Update” desk in 2023).

Of course, “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” (and Booster Course) isn’t the only game that Thompson loves to play when he’s with his daughters.

“We also love to play ‘Super Mario Bros. Wonder‘,” he adds. “That is just crazy cool to play and very visually exciting, which they love. When Mario turns into an elephant, it’s hysterical and we have so much fun with it!”

When he’s not playing video games, you can catch Thompson on “Saturday Night Live” Saturdays on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT. It’s also streaming on Peacock.

In the meantime, if you’re looking to pick up a Nintendo Switch for yourself, or for the upcoming holiday season, we rounded up a few of the best deals on the gaming console — including new holiday bundles below.

Want more? Check out more deals on Mario Kart toys and collectibles from across the internet: