10 Things We Learned About Kenan Thompson From His WTF With Marc Maron Episode | IFC 

Kenan Thompson has grown into something of an institution over the last few years. Not only is he the longest tenured cast member on

, he’s also a familiar face to millennials the world over thanks to virtually growing up on Nickelodeon. He recently sat down with Marc Maron on the WTF Podcast, mere hours before an

pitch session, to discuss his life and career. Here are a few of the highlights in a career that encompasses everything from

Kenan’s parents pushed him into acting, along with sports, as a way to make something of himself and keep him off the streets. His mother even worked the phones at a local acting school so he and his brother could afford discounted classes. This eventually led to Kenan booking regional commercials, and a job reviewing movies for kids on a TV show. The first movie he reviewed was

. A year later he would find himself starring in the sequel. It truly was Knuckle Puck time for the young actor.

His big break was getting cast in a series of Nickelodeon shows, movies and specials including

. He moved to Orlando, where he spent his teen years working long hours with other Nick stars, including Amanda Bynes. When Marc asks about his comedy partner at the time, Kel Mitchell, Kenan says he’s still out there auditioning, and that it’s “a tough biz.” While he doesn’t go into the apparent feud Kel speaks of in the above video, it’s safe to say you shouldn’t be holding your breath for

Kenan told Marc that when he first got to LA, he didn’t always fit in. He describes himself as a puppy, chasing around older black comedians. He would hit black comedy nights at the Improv, a famous standup joint, and watch established comics like Aries Spears and Mike Epps, but he never felt comfortable getting on stage. This was probably because the older comedians weren’t exactly welcoming, wondering why a kid with his own TV show was hanging out backstage.

audition could not have come at a better time. The few years between his child stardom and being a Not Ready for Primetime Player were tough ones. He was filming a small part in

when he got the call to audition for Lorne Michaels. Adding even more pressure, Kenan was forced to perform a stand-up set not once, but twice, despite never having done it before. His act, consisting of a phone call between Al Sharpton and Arnold Schwarzenegger, bombed both times, but he still made it through. Kenan revealed that Kel Mitchell also auditioned in the same showcase but didn’t make the cut. So did J.B. Smoove, who got hired at

, he had no idea how to write, or even form relationships with the writers. He was totally reliant on the occasional bit part popping up in a sketch that he was right for. He says that Finesse Mitchell, who he started with, had honed his voice in standup, and knew how to put a script together. Kenan was lost. There were numerous weeks he was left out of a show entirely, leading to screaming fests in his dressing room. He says the first sketch he tried to write was a mess. It was about a “babysitter doing some extra shit,” and involved remote and live elements, which was a big no-no. When someone else finally wrote a sketch about a bellhop for him, he fumbled over a line, and tanked it. He says he now knows just to have fun and ad-lib, but back then he just froze.

5. He Wishes He Could do “What Up With That?” More Often

Kenan says that he wishes he could bring back

more often, but now that Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen have left the show, too many of its elements are missing.

4. He Thinks Lorne Michaels Lives Large Like Dr. Evil

Kenan also tells Marc about Lorne Michaels’ apartment, which he’s visited a couple of times on the way to Yankees games. He says it’s massive, with a private elevator, and that Lorne’s bud Paul Simon lives across the hall. They even share a backdoor.

Kenan says that he avoided talking too much with Eddie Murphy at the

reunion, because he didn’t want to ruin his childhood in the event that Eddie acted like a jerk. It took

director Brett Ratner, of all people, to make an introduction, as Eddie was rushing by. Kenan and Marc also puzzled over Murphy’s seemingly conscious choice to stop being funny, while still acknowledging that he had the power to blow the roof of the joint at any moment. Kenan also noted that Eddie seemed like he didn’t want to do anything for the reunion, but the Cosby bit that ended up going to Kenan was a particular problem. Murphy was offered the part, but said he didn’t want to kick a man while he was down.

2. He Feels He Was Misquoted About the Lack of Black Women on

Kenan also got into the thorny issue of black female cast members on

, a subject that got him into trouble when he talked about it to the press. He says he was misquoted at the time, and attempted to clarify that he didn’t mean to say that the black women the show auditioned in the past weren’t ready for

. He noted that talented black female performers usually had their own thing going on by the time the auditions came along. Also,

is a particularly hard show to get cast on, because you “have to be at the top of a lot of different games.” He says he loves all the black cast members now, female or otherwise. In particular, he describes Leslie Jones as one of his best friends.

Kenan also clarifies the rumors that have been flying around the Interwebs about him leaving the show. He has no intention of going anywhere, and doesn’t know where they started. In fact, when he first heard reports that he was done at the end of the year, he was worried there was something going on he didn’t know about. He cites Keenen Ivory Wayans, who apparently once showed up to his own talk show, not knowing he had been fired. As far as Kenan is concerned, he will be back next season. Does that mean we’ll see the return of Sump’n Claus?

Kenan ThompsonMarc MaronWTF with Marc Maron

“Silicon Valley meets Girls meets black male educators with lots of unrealized potential.”

That’s how Carl Foreman Jr. and Anthony Gaskins categorize their new series

. To better acquaint you with the newbies, we went right to the creators for their candid POVs. And they did not disappoint. Here are snippets of their interviews:

IFC: How would you describe Frank and Lamar to a fancy network executive you met in an elevator?

Carl: Best bros from college live and work together teaching at a fancy Manhattan private school, valiantly trying to transition into a more mature phase of personal and professional life while clinging to their boyish ways.

Carl: The same way, slightly less coherent.

Anthony: I’d probably speak about it with much louder volume, due to the bar which would probably be playing the new Kendrick Lamar album. I might also include additional jokes about Carl, or unrelated political tangents.

Carl: He really delights in randomly slandering me for no reason. I get him back though. Our rapport on the page, screen, and in real life, comes out of a lot of that back and forth.

IFC: In what way is Frank and Lamar a poignant series for this moment in time?

Carl: It tells a story I feel most people aren’t familiar with, having young black males teach in a very affluent white world, while never making it expressly about that either. Then in tackling their personal lives, we see these three-dimensional guys navigate a pivotal moment in time from a perspective I feel mainstream audiences tend not to see portrayed.

Anthony: I feel like Frank and Lamar continues to push the envelope within the genre by presenting interesting and non stereotypical content about people of color. The fact that this show brought together so many talented creative people, from the cast and crew to the producers, who believe in the project, makes the work that much more intentional and truthful. I also think it’s pretty incredible that we got to employ many of our friends!

IFC: How would you describe Sport Court to a fancy network executive you met in an elevator?

Joe: SPORT COURT follows Judge David Linda, a circuit court judge assigned to handle an ad hoc courtroom put together to prosecute rowdy fan behavior in the basement of the Hartford Ultradome. Think an updated Night Court.

IFC: How would you describe Sport Court to drunk friend of a friend you met in a bar?

Joe: Remember when you put those firecrackers down that guy’s pants at the baseball game? It’s about a judge who works in a court in the stadium that puts you in jail right then and there. I know, you actually did spend the night in jail, but imagine you went to court right that second and didn’t have to get your brother to take off work from GameStop to take you to your hearing.

IFC: Is there a method to your madness when coming up with sports fan faux pas?

Joe: I just think of the worst things that would ruin a sporting event for everyone. Peeing in the slushy machine in open view of a crowd seemed like a good one.

IFC: Honestly now, how many of the fan transgressions are things you’ve done or thought about doing?

Joe: I’ve thought about ripping out a whole row of chairs at a theater or stadium, so I would have my own private space. I like to think of that really whenever I have to sit crammed next to lots of people. Imagine the leg room!

Check out the full seasons of Frank and Lamar and Sport Court now on IFC’s Comedy Crib.

Anthony GaskinsCarl Foreman JrComedy CribFrank and LamarJoe SchiappaSport Court

, but Charles is #1 when it comes to delivering quips that tie a nice little bow on the absurdity of any given situation.

Charles also perfectly captures the jaded outlook of Millennials. Or at least Millennials as mythologized by marketers and news idiots. You know who you are.

Played superbly by Tyrel Jackson Williams, Charles’s quippy nuggets target just about any subject matter, from entry-level jobs in social media (“I plan on getting some experience here, then moving to New York to finally start my life.”) to the ramifications of fictional celebrity hookups (“Drake and Taylor Swift are dating! Albums y’all!”). But where he really nails the whole Millennial POV thing is when he comments on America’s second favorite past-time after type II diabetes: baseball.

“Baseball’s one of those old-timey things you don’t need anymore. Like cursive. Or email.”

“The only thing dumber than playing two boring-ass baseball games in one day is putting a two-hour delay between the boring-ass games.”

“Is dressing badly just a thing for baseball, because that would explain his jacket.”

“Baseball is a f-cked up sport, and I want you to know it.”

Learn more about Charles in the behind-the-scenes video below.

And if you were born before the late ’80s and want to know what the kids think about Baseball, watch Brockmire Wednesdays at 10P on IFC.

Amanda PeetBaseballBrockmireDrakeHank AzariaTaylor SwiftTyrel Jackson Williams

, Jules is the unexpected yin to Jim Brockmire’s yang. Which is saying a lot, because Brockmire’s yang is way out there. Played by Amanda Peet, Jules is hard-drinking, truth-spewing, baseball-loving…everything Brockmire is, and perhaps what he never expected to encounter in another human.

But Jules takes that commonality and transforms it into something special: a new beginning. A new beginning for failing minor league baseball team “The Frackers”, who suddenly about-face into a winning streak; and a new beginning for Brockmire, whose life gets a jumpstart when Jules lures him back to baseball. As for herself, her unexpected connection with Brockmire gives her own life a surprising and much needed goose.

“You’re a Goddamn Disaster and you’re starting To look good to me.”

This palpable dynamic adds depth and complexity to the narrative and pushes the series far beyond expected comedy. See for yourself in this behind-the-scenes video (and brace yourself for a unforgettable description of Brockmire’s genitals)…

Want more about Amanda Peet? She’s all over the place, and has even penned a recent self-reflective piece in the New York Times.

And of course you can watch the Jim-Jules relationship hysterically unfold in new episodes of

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