Kenan Thompson has added a new title to his résumé with Unfunny Bunny, a children’s book centered on self discovery.
The book follows a bunny who wants to be the funniest kid in class and learns that being yourself, instead of trying too hard, can make all the difference.
During a recent interview with Tamron Hall, Thompson shared that his two daughters inspired the book.
“I love doing things in the kids’ space, anything that they can discover and share with their friends. So it was always a touching thing. I dedicated the book to them and everything. I had them on my mind kind of from the beginning.”
He said his daughters immediately connected with the book, especially after struggling to relate to his memoir.
“They were actually really excited, because it’s something they can really relate to,” he said. “I did my memoir and they were like, ‘There’s too many and there’s no pictures in it. There’s too many words.’”
The conversation later turned to parenthood and the ways it has shaped him. Asked what has been most humbling, Thompson answered, “All of it. From moment one. You go from not being a parent to being a parent. It’s different for women because you carry it for nine months, but when it arrives for us, it’s like, “Oh snap. This wasn’t the case for me yesterday.”
“Now we have this thing, and we have to take care of it and watch it grow,” he added.
When Tamron teased him for repeatedly referring to children as a “thing”, Thompson laughed and clarified, “That little — it’s a thing until it starts to talk.”
Patience, he said, is nonnegotiable. “Absolutely. Otherwise you’d drive yourself crazy. You have to repeat yourself fifty times just to make sure you’re heard once. Fifty and one. That’s the ratio.”
He said he’s usually a gentle parent, but he knows when to be firm.
“I want them to take me seriously, but I do a lot of humor.”
As both a father and storyteller, Thompson hopes Unfunny Bunny encourages kids to build friendships and confidence beyond screens. “Different times now. They have information in the palm of their hand, but I want them to learn how to navigate the world without a machine, person to person.”
