Kenan Thompson, Keke Palmer reboots ‘Kenan & Kel’ with gritty twist on ‘SNL’

Kenan Thompson and Keke Palmer took it back to the ’90s as they recreated Kenan & Kel for a Saturday Night Live sketch on December 3, 2022.

Thompson and Kel Mitchell starred in Kenan & Kel for four seasons from 1996 to 2000 after making their onscreen debut with as part of the original All That cast in 1994.

The hilariously ridiculous sketch began with the Emmy Award winner, 44, as he recalled Palmer, 29, pitching him an idea for a reboot in a documentary-style confessional.

"I should have asked questions. I thought it was gonna be a Jordan Peele-produced streaming series. I would have said yes to Kenan & Kel, but now it's just Kelly,” Thompson said of the new show, Kenan & Kelly.

The duo also recreated the show's theme song with new cast member Devon Walker, before returning to Rigby's grocery store.

Keke channelled Mitchell’s memorable and whimsical character, giving her own twist to the iconic catchphrase ‘Aw, here it goes’ to ‘Uh-oh, here comes the bus!’

Palmer, who revealed earlier in the show that she is pregnant with her first child with boyfriend Darius Jackson, also incorporated her bump in the sketch.

"Keke was gunning for an Emmy Award, so she wanted gritty and dramatic moments in it,” Thompson said as he sat in a docu-style interview. “I thought, 'That won't work.' And I was right!”

Moreover, Walker, 31, was also seen demonstrating impeccable impression of Mitchell in the duo's hit 1997 comedy Good Burger, based on their All That sketch. "Well thank you, Devon. But I think we already found someone," Thompson told him.

That’s when Mitchell, 44, enters the scene amid applause.

Watch the whole sketch here: