CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Kenan Thompson’s Ultimate Comedy Showcase heads to Chicago this weekend. The comedian joined “Morning in America” to share his excitement as the competition enters its 11th season.
“We’re very excited. We have two shows,” Thompson said on “Morning in America.” “I think it’s a great opportunity to discover some undiscovered talent out there.”
The Chicago competition will be held Sunday, April 10 at the Laugh Factory Chicago. The comedy showcase will have stops in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Dallas and other major cities before the final showcase at Caroline’s Comedy Club in New York City.
Fifteen to 20 comedians will perform their best five-minute set to prove they are worthy of the top prize, which includes cash, tickets to “Saturday Night Live” and more.
Thompson, the longest-running cast member on “SNL” and star of his own show “Kenan” says the nation needs more laughter.
“Comedy has always been the hand holder of society, I believe. It’s nice to figure out a new way for people to get into it,” he said.
As for the competition, he says upcoming comedians should “do their homework.”
“Like any job, you should be educated in what you do,” Thompson said. “If you plan to appeal to a large variety of people, you should know how to not step on toes without it being an artistic humorous kind of processing of it.”
“Morning in America” host Adrienne Bankert will judge the Chicago showcase.
His advice for Adrienne, “Keep it real.”
“Just don’t front. The worst thing you can do is pacify people,” Thompson said.
Click here for tickets to the showcase