The cast of Saturday Night Live had a fun treat for 90’s babies involving Keke Palmer, Kenan Thompson, and Kel Mitchell. The episode in question featured a mock documentary about the production of an official reboot of Thompson and Mitchell’s classic Nickelodeon sitcom, Kenan & Kel. The sketch itself can be viewed below.

The skit follows Palmer as she pitches a new project to Thompson. Much to his surprise, the project ends up being a reboot of the popular 90’s series rather than a “Jordan Peele-produced streaming series” titled “Kenan and Kelly.” Palmer’s just-announced pregnancy is used as a gag, where her character dramatically reveals she is pregnant with Kenan’s child. In the words of Thompson, “Keke was gunny for an Emmy Award.”

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Soon after, who should walk through the door other than Kel Mitchell? Thompson walks forward for a hug, saying how much he missed his friend, while Mitchell runs right past him toward the cooler, holding his favorite sugary drink. It isn’t long before James Austin Thompson enters the scene as a robber, shooting Mitchel and sending him shaking to the floor. Kenan and Keke loom over him crying, with Keke then revealing that the baby is really Kel’s before it all goes black. The sketch ends with Thompson and Mitchell announcing that Jordan Peele called them to do a sequel to Nope.

Aw, Here it Goes! The Legacy of Kenan & Kel

     Nickelodeon

Kenan & Kel premiered in 1996 on Nickelodeon and was created by Kim Bass. The show starred Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell as Kenan Rockmore and Kel Kimble, two teenagers that got into all sorts of shenanigans. Kenan would play the straight man that came up with plots or schemes, with Kel as the comedy foil. Starring alongside them as Kenan’s family were Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead), Teal Marchande, and Vanessa Baden (Gullah Gullah Island). According to Mitchell, the series was conceived after he and Thompson would often goof around on the set of All That.

Kenan & Kel would run for four full seasons, followed by the television film Two Heads are Better than None. The film follows the Rockmores, with Kel as the stowaway, on a long road trip that gets them tangled in the path of The Headless Knight. The film features guest star appearances of Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) and Milton Berle (It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World). This would be Berle’s final acting role before his passing in 2002 of cancer.

Kenan & Kel continues to stand firm among the other big names of the classic 90’s era of Nickelodeon, next to the likes of Ren & Stimpy, All That, Doug, Hey Arnold, and more. Since the show’s finale, Thompson has been busy in numerous roles; especially SNL, where earlier this year he celebrated his 20th anniversary working on the show. Mitchell, meanwhile, has made numerous appearances on other shows like the 2019 reboot of All That, Dancing with the Stars, and Spongebob Squarepants. But the two are not afraid to step back to their roots. In 2015, the two reprised their Goodburger roles on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.