Saturday Night Live icon Kenan Thompson took over hosting duties for the 74th Emmy Awards, and started out the night in a big way with a dance number to some beloved TV theme tunes. A more traditional monologue followed, and – unsurprisingly – he nailed all of the comedic bits of the job. But possibly the biggest highlight of him as host was his unexpected reunion with none other than Kel Mitchell, a.k.a. his Kenan & Kel and Good Burger co-star from the ’90s.
The reunion came at the end of a sketch all about Kumail Nanjiani playing bartender and being too busy to banter with the host, followed by Kenan Thompson approaching a man who seemed to be passed out with his head on the bar. This wasn’t a random man who needed a drink, however – he was Kel Mitchell, and he was in the mood for a Good Burger! Whether or not Thompson knew that the reveal was coming, he was clearly delighted and wasted no time in hugging his former co-star and jumping around with him.
Kenan Thompson may have made a joke about viewers over 50 not knowing what Peacock is and viewers under 20 not knowing what NBC is, but I think it’s safe to say that millennials (and maybe anybody who discovered Kenan & Kel on Netflix) knew something special when we saw it with the Good Burger reunion! The timing couldn’t be better, as it comes less than a month after Thompson dropped some promising comments about a possible Good Burger 2.
I’m also not alone in finding the Kenan Thompson/Kel Mitchell reunion a highlight of the night, even compared to the reveal of the 2022 Emmy winners. There were plenty on Twitter who were also enjoying the blast to the ’90s past:
Who could have guessed ahead of the Emmys that Kel Mitchell would show up to support Kenan Thompson? He did tweet a “let’s go” message to his former co-star ahead of the Emmys to show his support, but fans had no way of knowing that he’d show up in the flesh as well.
I can’t speak for anybody else, but I was about ready to hit up my Netflix subscription during the Emmys’ commercial breaks to revisit their days on Kenan & Kel and All That, both of which are available streaming now. It was both a fun blast the past and a pretty wholesome interlude in the broadcast:
Truly warms my millennial heart to know that Kenan and Kel remain friends all these years laterSeptember 13, 2022
If your heart wasn’t already warmed by how excited the two actors seemed to be about their reunion during the live broadcast, Kenan Thompson made sure to get the message across himself with a Twitter post of his own. Take a look:
My brotha!!✊🏾 #KenanAndKel #GoodBurger #Reunion #Emmys #Emmys2022 pic.twitter.com/9y1Ngz9NcASeptember 13, 2022
Kel Mitchell (who retweeted Thompson’s post) recently shared that he loves watching Kenan on Saturday Night Live and that they “talk all the time,” but fans can enjoy that this reunion happened live and in front of cameras for the world to enjoy. Is this a sign that Good Burger 2 truly could be on the way?
Only time will tell on that front, but if seeing the dynamic duo put you in the mood to revisit their movie, you can find Good Burger streaming with a Hulu subscription. If you’re in the market for some newer options (and/or are looking forward to the return of SNL in the not-too-distant future), be sure to check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule.