Kenan Thompson went from not even saying a single word in his "Saturday Night Live" debut to achieving a mind-boggling milestone in his "SNL" career this past weekend: 1,500 sketches.
It all began when Thompson, 43, who has been on the show for a record 19 seasons, appeared during a monologue by Jack Black in the show's season 29 premiere in 2003.
Black is trying to show how success hasn't gone to his head when he encounters Thompson and another then-new "SNL" cast member, Finesse Mitchell.
"Oh my God are you guys the new dudes? What’s your names?" Black asks.
Before they can even respond, he's blown past them.
"Like I care," Black says.
Nineteen years later, millions of "SNL" fans care, as Thompson has become a fixture on the show with signature sketches like "What's Up With That?" "Black Jeopardy!" and "Family Feud," where he impersonates host Steve Harvey.
The milestone sketch for the Emmy winner came this past Saturday when he played wannabe DIY expert Gus Van Tant on "In Over Your Head," a show about people who tried to do home repairs themselves with disastrous results.
Guest star Oscar Isaac played a man who electrocuted himself trying to install a circuit breaker. Castmate Ego Nwodim ended the sketch by playing Van Tant's exasperated wife, who reminds him of how their house is a wreck even though he's supposed to be a home repair expert.
Thompson went backstage in his costume after the sketch, holding up a one and a five to mark his milestone. He was greeted with a round of applause from the "SNL" cast and crew.
The show later shared a video of the moment on Instagram.
"You're gonna make me cry," he said.
He later expressed his gratitude in an Instagram post on Sunday that included a shot of him in a New York Mets jersey from his first "SNL" appearance.
"Beyond blessed!! 1500?! 🤯🤯🤯" he wrote. "Nbc and @nbcsnl has been my home for 19 years and counting!!! Love everyone that’s helped me get to this amazing milestone!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️"