Emmy Awards Host Kenan Thompson Is Angling for 16 Outfit Changes

Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC Kenan Thompson

Kenan Thompson has a few ideas for his first time hosting the Emmy Awards.

The Saturday Night Live star, 44, spoke to PEOPLE about how he's feeling about taking the stage for television's biggest night on Monday.

When he first got the call, Thompson was "overjoyed and surprised," he shares. After taking the night to think it over, he jumped at the opportunity. "I am thoroughly up to the challenge, and I feel great about it," he says.

RELATED: Kenan Thompson to Host 74th Annual Emmy Awards: 'Ridiculously Exciting'

While it will be the comedian's first time hosting the event, he falls back on nearly two decades of experience on SNL (and many years as a beloved young performer before that), which have prepared him for the moment.

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"I feel like, weirdly enough, in life you train for things without even knowing that you're training for something in the future or whatever," he tells PEOPLE.

"I have all this experience that possibly could pertain to what a hosting duty could look like," he continues. "So I don't know, kismet or what, but I'm definitely well-prepared."

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As far as what to expect on the night of, Thompson said it's "more than likely" that music will be incorporated in some way — as it has in years past.

And when it comes to what the comedian will wear, Thompson has some big ideas.

"I want to do 16 outfits, and I want them to work it into where I'm talking and changing clothes at the same time," he said.

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NBC and the Television Academy announced in August that Thompson had been tapped to host the 74th annual Emmy Awards.

"Kenan is well-regarded as one of funniest, likeable and accomplished performers of the last two decades and his tenure on Saturday Night Live speaks for itself," Executive Vice President of Live Events for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Jen Neal said in the announcement. "We know he'll bring an excitement and professionalism to the Emmy Awards that a show of this stature deserves."

A six-time Emmy Award nominee himself, Thompson received two nominations in 2021 for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series for his comedy series Kenan, as well as a nod for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for SNL. The comedian previously received two Emmy nominations in 2018 and 2020 in the supporting actor category for his work on SNL.

Thompson won an Emmy for outstanding original music and lyrics in 2018 for the SNL song "Come Back, Barack," and received a nomination in the same category in 2017 for co-writing "Last Christmas" from the popular "Jingle Barack" SNL music video.

Maarten de Boer/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

RELATED: Watch PEOPLE & Entertainment Weekly's Live Red Carpet Show at the 2022 Emmys

This year's Emmy Awards are taking place Monday night at the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. PEOPLE and EW's Red Carpet Live show will begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, and the Emmys ceremony will air live on NBC from 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.