Kenan Thompson, longest operating SNL forged member, is stuff of legend at this level. From the start, he’s nailed characters: All That’s tub-bound frenchman, Pierre Escargot, scheming straight man to longtime pal, Kel Mitchell’s goofball on their eponymous Nickelodeon present and the slew of Saturday Evening Stay favorites (amongst a lot extra). On his record of feats sits Reba McEntire, and the funnyman shares how she received on the roster in 2009. Not solely that, he reveals how she felt about it, too.
Forward of returning as an SNL Season 51 forged member, the Good Burger star joined The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers podcast to speak all issues 30 Rock. Shortly, the supreme 2000 digital brief that includes the fake McEntire was delivered to the desk due to its innate humorous nature. (The music parody is Andy Samberg as himself and Thompson tricking the previous to consider he’s McEntire.)
Earlier than Andy Samberg and the artistic crew’s collab got here to be, Thompson had tried to pitch a typical sketch himself. This was after seeing the nation singer do a hyper-specific advert that impressed him to select up mimicking her, as he stated:
Nicely, I imply, Andy got here and was like, ‘Hey, we wish to, like, redo that factor you tried final week.’ Cuz I had tried the Reba factor, as identical to a straight up sketch, like a industrial parody, as a result of I noticed her do just like the American Eagle advert or one thing to attempt to defend American bald eagles and I simply was recreating that.
Even the origin of how this gag got here to be is unimaginable. As talked about, after having seen the advert, the Kenan star casually practiced his McEntire which led to fleshing out a parody industrial for Fiddle Faddle popcorn with a pal. Then, that’s how his straight pitch (with no clarification of why he was donning the pink wig) made it to the desk, however flopped. And despite the fact that the fabric did not fly, it nonetheless made a path for the notorious “Two Worlds Collide” ft. Reba McEntire digital brief.
However with no clear minimize cause as to why the now 47-year-old would tackle the position, the concept (as talked about) was formally minimize. He shared that’s when the oddball expression’s life was placed on the shelf, as he stated:
And yeah, that was, that was form of the way it went as a result of that did not make sense in any respect as a result of I did not clarify why I used to be pretending to be Reba.
I’m so glad that The Lonely Island boys noticed legs inside Thompson’s out of left subject imaginative and prescient and ran with it. Not lengthy after the failed desk learn, the concept molted into the brief we all know at present. It truly is masterful in how the music video’s story splits and divulges the lol-worthy fact of why Thompson is in a signature pink wig.
On high of the A+ on-line sketch, the impersonatee, and Reba star, apparently cherished the bit. Seth Meyers was the primary to convey up that McEntire received a kick out of Thompson’s getup however the remaining agreed. The impersonator of the Grammy winner even accompanied her to current on the Nation Music Awards in 2010 as her. He revealed that it was a superb expertise and he or she extremely loved displaying him round that night by saying:
She was nice. Like, she welcomed me. Like, she was arm-in-arm with me.
Clearly there’s loads of on-line sleuthing I must get into between the unique industrial and the CMA’s spot these two shared. I’m not stunned that she had enjoyable with the joke and video, the “Fancy,” artist at all times looks as if she’s up for a very good giggle. It’s a comedy pairing I by no means would’ve identified I wanted till the 2 worlds truly collided, and now I’m hooked.
Fingers crossed that Reba McEntire reveals up as a visitor on Saturday Evening Stay as her present Glad’s Place returns to the 2025 TV information this November. I’d additionally gladly settle for a random revival of Kenan Thompson’s impersonation of her in simply as a random manner of the way it all started.
Mark your calendars for SNL’s Season 51 return, October 4 on the titular night time at 11:30 p.m. EST. Or, ensure that to have a Peacock subscription able to go to stream it the day after.