Kenan Thompson Shares How His Reba McEntire Impression On SNL Actually Happened (And What The Voice Star Thought About It)

by

Kenan Thompson has become a legendary figure after spending so long on *Saturday Night Live*. He’s been creating memorable characters since his early days on *All That*, like Pierre Escargot, and continued to do so alongside Kel Mitchell on their Nickelodeon show. He’s also created a ton of beloved characters on *Saturday Night Live*, and many other projects. Thompson recently shared the story of how Reba McEntire came to be on the show in 2009, and what her reaction was.

Before rejoining the cast of *Saturday Night Live* for its 51st season, Kenan Thompson discussed his time on *30 Rock* with The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers on their podcast. The conversation quickly turned to a particularly funny digital short from 2000, featuring a parody of Reba McEntire. The sketch involved Andy Samberg and Thompson tricking Samberg into believing he was actually talking to McEntire.

Before working with Andy Samberg and his team, Kenan Thompson had initially attempted to create a standard sketch on his own. This came after he noticed a country singer starring in a very detailed commercial, which sparked his idea to imitate her, as he explained.

You know, Andy came to me and suggested we revisit something I’d been working on the previous week. I’d done a quick sketch – basically a parody of a commercial – inspired by Reba McEntire’s American Eagle ad, the one where she was trying to help protect bald eagles. I just thought it would be funny to recreate that style, so that’s what I did.

The story behind this bit is honestly wild. After seeing a Reba McEntire commercial, I apparently started casually doing my impression of her – just for fun! Then, a friend and I actually created a whole parody commercial for Fiddle Faddle popcorn. I somehow pitched *that* – completely straight-faced, with no explanation for the red wig, mind you – but it didn’t land. But even though that pitch failed, it surprisingly paved the way for the now-famous “Two Worlds Collide” digital short with Reba herself!

However, since there wasn’t a good reason for the 47-year-old to take the part, the idea was dropped. He explained that’s when the unusual phrase was abandoned, stating:

That’s pretty much what happened, and it didn’t really make sense because I never clarified why I was acting like Reba.

I’m thrilled The Lonely Island team recognized the potential in Thompson’s unexpected reaction and developed it into something great. The initial concept quickly evolved into the hilarious short film we see today, and it’s brilliantly crafted. The way the music video’s story unfolds cleverly explains why Thompson always wears that iconic red wig.

In addition to the well-received online sketch, Reba McEntire herself reportedly loved the impersonation. Seth Meyers initially mentioned that McEntire enjoyed Kenan Thompson’s portrayal of her, and others confirmed this. The impersonator even got to accompany McEntire to the Country Music Awards in 2010, appearing as her alongside her. He described it as a fantastic experience, noting that she happily showed him around that evening.

She was great. Like, she welcomed me. Like, she was arm-in-arm with me.

Okay, I definitely need to do some digging online to connect the dots between that original commercial and the clip they shared from the CMAs. But honestly, it doesn’t surprise me she enjoyed the bit – she always seems like someone who doesn’t take herself too seriously. This pairing is just brilliant! I never knew I needed to see these two together, but now I’m completely obsessed.

Hopefully, Reba McEntire will make a guest appearance on *Saturday Night Live* now that her show, *Happy’s Place*, is coming back for the 2025 season this November. I’d also love to see Kenan Thompson reprise his hilarious impression of her, maybe even unexpectedly, like when he first started doing it.

Don’t miss the return of *Saturday Night Live* for its 51st season on October 4th at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time. If you can’t catch it live, you can stream it on Peacock the next day.

Read More

2025-09-26 13:08