Kenan Thompson Opens Up About Losing His Biggest Child Star Earnings To A Con Artist

Demi Lovato’s new documentary "Child Star" offers an in-depth look at the complexities of growing up in the spotlight, featuring candid reflections from fellow actors like Kenan Thompson, Drew Barrymore, Raven-Symoné, and others.

The Hulu special, which debuted on September 17, marks Demi's directorial debut and highlights her own experiences with child stardom while advocating for improved protections for young entertainers.

46-year-old comedian Kenan Thompson, who kickstarted his career with a string of roles at Nickelodeon before making a major leap to "Saturday Night Live" in 2003, opened up about a cycle of "rags to riches and then back to rags" he faced during his childhood.

Of course, with fame often comes substantial paychecks, which, for young stars, can feel more like a treasure trove of candy and toys rather than a financial asset to be saved for the future. Fortunately, many of these young celebrities had parents who were there to teach them the value of a dollar.

“That first commercial when they paid me, it was $800,” Thompson told Lovato about his journey as a child star. “I was 12 so that may as well have been a million dollars.”

As Thompson’s rise to stardom continued, he admitted he went from “rags to riches and then back to rags” again after running into a con artist.

“In Florida, they didn’t have the same labor laws," he told Lovato. "My mom met this dude either through church or the community who claimed to be good at getting you out of your tax problems. He was basically a con artist and ran away with my biggest earnings up to that point."

"By the time it was discovered, it was at the end of that Nickelodeon tenure," the star added. "It was devastating because I discovered it in front of others. I was going to buy a house in Atlanta — my first home — and he didn’t show up with the f-cking check.”

Money is something that another child star, Raven-Symoné, opened up about in the docuseries, telling Lovato, “I knew it was work immediately. My parents made sure that I understood this was a job. I get paid for it and you show up professionally."

She added, "[You know what money is] when you are told how much you are getting paid for the job that you do. So I knew at 3 how much I was making and I understood it was a job. If you lose it, you don’t make that money.”

Thompson began his career as a child performer, becoming an original cast member of the teenage sketch show "All That" and appearing alongside Kel Mitchell in the sitcom "Kenan & Kel" and the film "Good Burger," all produced by Nickelodeon.

While he was not part of the bombshell docuseries "Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV," which revealed behind-the-scenes work environments that child stars dealt with, he did break his silence, telling Tamron Hall that his heart is with all of those children who suffered any abuse.

“It’s a tough subject. It’s tough for me because I can’t really speak on things that I never witnessed," he said, per Variety. "All these things happened after I left, basically. Dan [Schneider] wasn’t really on ‘Kenan & Kel’ like that. He got a ‘Created by’ credit, but it was a different showrunner."

Thompson added, "All that negativity kind of started happening outside of our tenure [at Nickelodeon]. I wasn’t really aware of a lot of it, but my heart goes out to anyone that’s been victimized, or their families.”

“It’s a good thing that the doc is out and it’s putting things on display that need to be, stories that need to be told for accountability’s sake. But it’s definitely tough to watch because I have fond memories of that place,” the comedian continued. “I have fond memories of my co-stars. To hear that they’ve gone through terrible things like that, it’s really tough.”

When Hall mentioned that the talk show had contacted Nickelodeon and the network had stated it was investigating all allegations, Thompson interjected: “Well, investigate more. It’s supposed to be a safe space. It’s supposed to be a safe place for kids. So to hear all that is like, ‘How dare you.'”

"Child Star" is now streaming on Hulu, while "Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV" is airing on MAX.