Kenan Thompson Reveals a Crooked Accountant Stole $1.5 Million From Him During His Nickelodeon Days | Video
February 2, 2024 @ 7:22 PM
Kenan Thompson is by all measures one of the most successful comedians in the world, having followed his celebrated run as a child and young adult actor on Nickelodeon with becoming the longest-tenured cast member in āSaturday Night Liveā history.
But during an appearance this week on āThe Breakfast Club,ā Thompson got real about a serious setback early in his career, revealing that when he left Nickelodeon in 2000, he was effectively broke ā because heād been basically robbed blind by his accountant.
āI had a bad accountant,ā Thompson explained. āAnd it came to the light around ā99, around 2000. Which was really bad timing because thatās right when I left my consistent gigā¦ when I went into being an adult actor for hire, and that is very hit and miss.ā
Thompson said that he was ābroke,ā and that though he was getting work, it was ājust money enough for rent kind of thing. And, yeah, you know, the accountant was was dirty, and I ended up not letting that be the end all be all of what my life is going to be.ā
Thompson told āThe Breakfast Clubā co-host Charlamagne tha God that the $1.5 million his accountant stole from him amounted to most of what he earned during his years at Nickelodeon. Asked how that happened, Thompson explained it was because the accountant was someone his family thought they could trust.
āWe gave him power of attorney when we shouldnāt have,ā Thompson said. āI was a kid and my mom was trying to protect me. You know, I mean, and he had helped her out of her tax situationsā¦ so she thought she could trust him. But she could trust him with, like, the $30 to $50 grand issues kind of thing.ā
But,ā he continued, āwhen itās like a million dollars on the table, you never know what people gonna turn into and apparently he turned into a demon.ā
Thompson found out about the theft when the IRS came at him for unpaid taxes, and he had to sue his former accountant to establish that he wasnāt responsible for that. He won the case, but he also said he knew heād never see the money again,
As rough as that sounds, Thompson told āThe Breakfast Clubā that it might have played a role in where his career went.
āIf it wasnāt for that I donāt know if my track would be the same. Because I was ready to settle into Atlanta. You know what I mean? Like I was ready to just be like, āNah, Iām goodā and āthree and a half hours to LA so if they need me, they can call meā kind of thing. But I donāt think I would have been as hungryā¦ or as dedicated, necessarily,ā he said.
You can watch the full, wide-ranging interview, which among other things includes Thompsonās perspective as a parent and how he landed the āSNLā gig, at the top of the page.
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