Kenan Thompson to Host 74th Annual Emmy Awards: 'Ridiculously Exciting'

Mar. 15, 2025

Kenan Thompson.Photo: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBCU

Kenan Thompsonwill host the 2022Emmy Awards!

Thompson said of his first time emceeing the ceremony: “Being a part of this incredible evening where we honor the best of the television community is ridiculously exciting, and to do it on NBC — my longtime network family — makes it even more special.”

“Kenan is well-regarded as one of funniest, likeable and accomplished performers of the last two decades and his tenure onSaturday Night Livespeaks for itself,” Executive Vice President of Live Events for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Jen Neal said in the announcement. “We know he’ll bring an excitement and professionalism to theEmmy Awardsthat a show of this stature deserves.”

Maarten de Boer/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

A six-time Emmy Award nominee, Thompson received two nominations in 2021 for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series for his comedy seriesKenan, as well as a nod for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series forSNL. The comedian previously received two Emmy nominations in 2018 and 2020 in the supporting actor category for his work onSNL.

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Thompson won an Emmy for outstanding original music and lyrics in 2018 for theSNLsong “Come Back, Barack,” and received a nomination in the same category in 2017 for co-writing “Last Christmas” from the popular “Jingle Barack"SNLmusic video.

Thompson joinedSaturday Night Livein 2003 and holds the record for the longest-tenured cast member in the show’s history. He also has extensive hosting experience most recently emceeing the 2021 People’s Choice Awards and 2022 NHL Awards.

Last month, thenominees for the awards showwere announced.

Squid Gamealso did well with 14 nominations, including one for outstanding drama series. It’s the first non-English language show to be nominated in that category.

Among the nominations, Thompson’s ownSNL added nine nominationsto its record-breaking 306 overall nominations since it premiered in 1975.

Among the nominations for the weekly sketch show areKate McKinnonfor outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series andBowen Yangfor outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.Jerrod Carmichael, who hosted an episode filled withjokes about the Oscars' slap, was also nominated in the guest actor category.

The show was also nominated for outstanding variety sketch series, a category it has won for the past five years. The sketch show also got nods for production design, directing, music direction, short form nonfiction series and sound mixing.

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This year’sEmmy Awardswill take place at the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles on Sept. 12. Beginning at 8 p.m. ET, the ceremony will be broadcast on NBC and, for the first time, stream on Peacock.

source: people.com