Kenan Thompson

In 2017 Kenan Thompson became the longest-serving cast member in the history of Saturday Night Live, and he has kept extending the record ever since. On a show built on turnover, where most performers stay a few seasons and move on, he has stayed for more than two decades. That staying power is the most unusual thing about a career that began when he was still a child.

He was born on May 10, 1978, in Columbus, Ohio, and his family moved to the Atlanta area when he was nine months old. His birth certificate gives 7:09 in the morning, which puts Gemini on the Ascendant, with the Moon and Venus, both in Gemini, in the first house, so the quick, chatty, mimicking side of him is the first thing anyone sees. But his Sun sign says plenty too. His Sun is in Taurus, the most steadfast sign in the zodiac, associated with loyalty, patience and staying put. Taurus does not jump from one opportunity to the next; it finds a good place and settles in. Thompson's long tenure at SNL is about as Taurus as a comedy career gets.

As a teenager he joined Nickelodeon's sketch show All That in 1994, alongside Kel Mitchell. The pair became so popular that they got their own sitcom, Kenan & Kel, and the 1997 film Good Burger, which returned for a sequel in 2023. He also played the hockey player Russ Tyler in D2: The Mighty Ducks, famous for his "knucklepuck."

Mercury in Aries gives a quick, impulsive and fearless mind, ideal for improvisation. Thompson is known on SNL for his ability to keep a straight face, or break it at exactly the right moment, and for holding together chaotic recurring sketches such as "What's Up with That?," in which his talk-show host keeps singing over his own guests.

Venus in Gemini adds charm, wit and versatility. He has played an enormous range of characters and impressions, from Bill Cosby and Steve Harvey to Al Sharpton and David Ortiz, and his comic voice is playful rather than cutting.

Mars and Saturn both sit in Leo. Leo is the sign of the stage, and Mars there brings performing energy and showmanship. Saturn adds discipline and longevity: success that is earned slowly and kept. Thompson joined SNL in 2003 and spent years in supporting roles before becoming one of its central performers.

In 2018 he shared an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for an SNL song, and he hosted the Emmy Awards in 2022. He has also led his own NBC sitcom, Kenan, about a widowed father raising two daughters. He married Christina Evangeline in 2011; they have two daughters and later separated.

Jupiter in Cancer brings warmth and a sense of family, and Thompson often describes the SNL cast and crew as a family he never wanted to leave. The Taurus Sun found its place early and stayed, and comedy history counted the years.