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“Saturday Evening Reside” has been a fixture on late evening TV since its first episode aired on October 11, 1975. And whereas lots of of forged members have come and gone, one forged fixture is Kenan Thompson, who has been on “SNL” since 2003, making him the longest-tenured forged member within the present’s historical past.

With the TV present going into its fiftieth season, we spoke with Thompson about what retains him going between sketches throughout his 22 seasons on “Saturday Evening Reside.” Surprisingly sufficient, it’s his trusty Nintendo Swap.

“I’m an ‘OG’ Nintendo participant,” Thompson shares with Selection. “Nintendo video games have been like my sidekick on set all these years. I can simply decide up Nintendo Swap and play throughout downtime. It’s additionally sparked some creativity for me on the present; trace trace, I used to be Bowser!”

Thompson is referring to when he performed King Bowser in a sketch about HBO turning “Mario Kart” right into a darkish and gritty “Final of Us-type” status TV present. The faux trailer has since amassed greater than 17 million views on YouTube.

Exterior of the present, Thompson says the console has been part of his residence and household life too. “I get to play on the Nintendo Swap after I’m on set or at residence with my ladies. It’s such a good way to calm down and have enjoyable.” Actually, “Mario Kart” has performed such an enormous a part of his life that the actor says he’s been taking part in the sport along with his daughters, Georgia and Gianna.

“We positively began out with ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’ — that was the right sport to get began with — particularly since my older daughter is tremendous aggressive,” Thompson says. “She thinks she will be able to beat me, however come on — I’ve obtained many years of ‘Mario Kart’ expertise underneath my belt.”

And with all of that have behind the digital wheel, Thompson’s go-to characters when taking part in “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” are acquainted Nintendo staples, Mario and Luigi.

“I’m within the Mario and Luigi fan membership, so I normally go together with one in every of them. Luigi is surprisingly quick generally,” exclaims Thompson. “And naturally, if one of many ladies snags them I’ll go together with Funky Kong, as a result of I’ve performed with him and he’s superior! So underrated!” (And sure, the actor introduced Funky Kong to the “Weekend Replace” desk in 2023).

After all, “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” (and Booster Course) isn’t the one sport that Thompson likes to play when he’s along with his daughters.

“We additionally like to play ‘Tremendous Mario Bros. Marvel‘,” he provides. “That’s simply loopy cool to play and really visually thrilling, which they love. When Mario turns into an elephant, it’s hysterical and we now have a lot enjoyable with it!”

When he’s not taking part in video video games, you possibly can catch Thompson on “Saturday Evening Reside” Saturdays on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT. It’s additionally streaming on Peacock.

Within the meantime, for those who’re trying to decide up a Nintendo Swap for your self, or for the upcoming vacation season, we rounded up a number of of the very best offers on the gaming console — together with new vacation bundles beneath.

Need extra? Try extra offers on Mario Kart toys and collectibles from throughout the web: