Hosting an awards show is a massive honor, and with that comes a lot of pressure. Fortunately, Kenan Thompson has been in the business for over 30 years, and it shows. Thompson has consistently worked in comedy, but as anyone who grew up watching movies like “Heavyweights” or shows like “Kenan and Kel” could tell you, Thompson has always been a low-key funny guy. Sure, he’s more than capable of playing larger than life or cartoonish characters, but his strength has always been in playing the straight man to someone else’s nonsense.
Thompson thrived as a host because he wasn’t worried about telling the edgiest jokes possible like some stand-up comedians do when given the chance, or camping it up like comedy actors have often felt pressured to do to prove their talents. This was most evident compared to some of the presenters, namely Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, and even Amy Poehler. The internet is currently petitioning to have the “Only Murders in the Building” trio host a show in the future, and Poehler has a solid track record of hosting the Golden Globes with Tina Fey. All four came prepared with textbook, rock solid funny “awards show presenter banter,” which felt more traditional than Thompsons low-key delivery.
Thompson was a refreshing change from the usual awards show host schtick, and surely got a huge pop from millennial viewers when he reunited with Kel Mitchell for a short “Good Burger” bit. Dude showed up, delivered some solid albeit safe jokes, and left without inspiring any think pieces. His best moments were when he was given someone to play off of (Thank you, Bowen Yang and Kumail Nanjiani), but ultimately, Kenan was fine! This shouldn’t be a revelation but the bar for good hosting is so low it’s in hell.