It’s safe to say that Kenan Thompson is easily one of the most iconic SNL members we have today. He’s definitely the star with the longest SNL tenure and, even today, he still serves as a comforting staple of the variety series. While it's been over two decades since he auditioned for the show, he can still remember the experience. Thompson recently reflected on that, and I wasn't expecting him to mention Fight Club while recalling his SNL audition. When Thompson joined Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast (which is shared on YouTube), they reminisced about his audition when he was 23. Poehler brought up an “inviting” moment where the Good Burger star “zapped himself to the present” by telling himself, “Oh my God, SNL” before he began. He gave a simple explanation for the moment in a classic Thompson way. He said:I have to call it out because, if I don't, it'll be like it didn't happen kind of thing. So, I have to, like, put it in the words that, like, I recognize that this is crazy.Thompson has always been one to share insight his time on the sketch comedy show, and that even includes the harrowing reason he’s been on SNL for so long. Thompson can take a simple answer involving financial stability and turn into a clever retort about the “traveling salesman” life of an actor. And that’s one reason I’ve always enjoyed watching Thompson’s perform. So I’m not surprised that he instantly stood out in his audition. Even Poehler describes having watched his big moment, and her story is incredible. At the time, she was apparently on a private plane with SNL creator Lorne Michaels. While flying back from filming Mean Girls with Tina Fey and Lindsay Lohan, they gathered together to watch Thompson’s audition. But what Poehler remembered most was the way he used he “Oh my God, SNL” statement as a way to “secretly quiet [his] nerves.” The way Thompson described the moment as “silently putting that seatbelt on” is a lovely reminder of how quick the comedian can think on his feet. That's how his mention of Brad Pitt and Edward Norton-led cult classic came up film:Remember, in Fight Club, when he's just like, ‘You know what? I'm just going to get crazy with this and let this steering wheel go. I'm just going to let it go.’ And I just, like, let my mind just start rambling. My audition is so rambly, it’s crazy.Fight Club may not have struck a chord when it was first released back in 1999, but the David Fincher-directed film has since become a cult classic. It's filled to the brim with memorable scenes, including the one featuring Brad Pitt's Tyler Durden. While that may be an unexpected reference in this context, I'm certainly not mad at it.(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)Also, that way of thinking obviously worked out for the former Nickelodeon star. And, clearly, he impressed more than the Mean Girls cast, as Thompson would go on to take part in some fan-favorite sketches. For example, there's the "Scared Straight" segments, which Thompson and Colin Jost concocted while sharing an office. And Thompson has continued to impress audiences with comedy gold, as was the cast with that moment when he busted out a deep cut character, Jean K Jean, after having not played him for a while.However, just because he enjoys the stability of the skit series doesn’t mean Thompson doesn’t play outside of the long-running NBC show. He actually has a new gig outside of SNL, as he’ll be filling in as a guest judge on America’s Got Talent while Simon Cowell recovers from non-emergency back procedure. And that’s not all. The comedian has also joined Seth MacFarlane’s new Family Guy spin-off as the voice of Royal, one of Stewie’s new friends. Additionally, he can be seen in the Michael Tiddes’ Scary Movie 6.I, for one, am glad Kenan Thompson's audition worked out, because the public would otherwise be without his vast body of work on Saturday Night Live. His journey and Fight Club reference both argue the notion that some performers should understand what they can and can't control. Check out Thompson on SNL when Season 52 premieres on September 26 as part of the 2026 TV schedule. His various other appearances on the show can be streamed with a Peacock subscription.