WEBVTT - Kel Mitchell 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.520 And I remember one time when they started writing in 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:06.000 all that scripts and they laugh about this. They wrote 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:11.639 and then Kill does something physical, Kill goes crazy, and 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:13.520 they wouldn't even like give the action because they just 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:16.000 didn't know what I might do. So they go next, 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:26.639 which was fun. Man, Hey, what's up everybody? This is 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:30.760 Keil Mitchell, and I love the quote that says, it's 0:00:30.800 --> 0:00:32.720 a great day for a good day. 0:00:32.920 --> 0:00:33.560 Let's go. 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:43.080 Here we are again, everybody. Yep, you guessed it. This 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:47.120 is another episode of Off the Beat. I am your host, 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:52.240 Brian Bomgartner. You might say my guest today is all 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:57.040 that he's a good guy. Yes, I'm talking about the 0:00:57.160 --> 0:01:02.000 very very funny Kill Mitchell. You've probably known Kel for 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:05.040 a long time, like since he was just a kid. 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:08.720 He was on the Nickelodeon Sketch comedy show, all that 0:01:09.400 --> 0:01:12.679 groundbreaking in its time. But you probably didn't even need 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:15.240 me to say his last name because he's also half 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:19.240 of the iconic duo Keenan and Kell, the other half, 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:23.600 of course, being SNL's own Keenan Thompson. The pair were 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:28.560 also the brains behind another iconic duo, Ed and Dex 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:33.120 from the hit Sketch Turned movie Good Burger, and you 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:37.560 can watch the brand new sequel, Good Burger two on 0:01:37.680 --> 0:01:43.200 Paramount Plus right now, breaking records for Paramount Plus twenty 0:01:43.440 --> 0:01:47.559 five years after the original Good Burger. But he doesn't 0:01:47.640 --> 0:01:52.000 just serve burgers. Did you hear that transition? Kell is 0:01:52.040 --> 0:01:55.720 also a voiceover artist. He's worked on cartoons like Clifford, 0:01:55.800 --> 0:01:59.200 the Big Red Dog, The Proud Family, Pink Panther in Friends. 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:03.520 He's a licensed pastor. He's a musician who not only 0:02:03.560 --> 0:02:05.920 writes and records his own music, but he has appeared 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:09.720 on tracks with big names like Khalid and Mature and 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:12.480 Kanye West. So let's just hear what he has to 0:02:12.520 --> 0:02:17.480 say about all this, shall we. Here's the precocious kel 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:19.600 or kel Mitchell. 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:28.520 If you must, Bubble and squeak, I love it, Bubble 0:02:28.600 --> 0:02:30.160 and Squeakna. 0:02:31.720 --> 0:02:35.480 Bubble and squeak. I cook get every month left over 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:37.119 from the ninety before. 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:48.360 What's up? Kell? 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:49.839 What's up? Man? 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:51.160 How are you? 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:53.080 I'm good? Good to see you. 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:55.480 Good to see you as well? What's going on? Where 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:55.760 are you? 0:02:56.320 --> 0:02:57.960 I am in Los Angeles? 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:03.919 Los Angeles, the city of Angels Now? Is that where 0:03:03.960 --> 0:03:04.360 you live? 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:05.680 That's where I live? 0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:06.720 Yeah? Right? 0:03:08.400 --> 0:03:11.000 You know I was talking to somebody the other day 0:03:11.680 --> 0:03:14.080 and they were talking about walking the dog and walking 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:17.840 with their kid, and the kid melted down, and then 0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:21.519 they sent me a picture saying he's fine now he 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:25.160 got a cookie, and she sent the picture, and I 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:27.440 wasn't thinking about the cookie or the melting down. I 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:30.160 was thinking about the fact that the kid had a 0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:35.280 snow cap on and like a gigantic coat and gloves, 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:40.320 and I'm like, oh, yeah, it's cold other places right now, 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:44.560 Like I had like forgotten that we're in towards the 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:46.240 middle of December right now. 0:03:46.880 --> 0:03:49.040 Yeah. Man, off from Chicago originally, So. 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:53.119 I know that you were born in Chicago. 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:57.720 Yeah, right, So are you do you consider that your 0:03:57.760 --> 0:03:59.760 home or is Los Angeles your home now? 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:03.640 I mean I was born and raised in Chicago. 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:07.000 I'm always gonna love Chicago be in Chicago, and but 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:08.600 Los Angeles home. 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:13.800 When did you start performing? How old were you? 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:14.560 Oh? 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:17.280 Man, Well that was if you ask my parents, I 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:20.000 was very young out the womb. My mom not busted 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:24.160 out smiling when I came. But yeah, man, I was 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:27.640 always like making people laugh, get in trouble in school, 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:31.880 and so my parents tried to try everything to get 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:34.360 me in some type of hobby and we tried everything, 0:04:34.440 --> 0:04:37.640 and the one that stuck was actually doing theater. It 0:04:37.800 --> 0:04:40.719 was a community theater in Chicago that we saw a 0:04:40.720 --> 0:04:44.000 few plays at and they had a summer course. My 0:04:44.040 --> 0:04:45.800 parents were like, yo, just go to the summer course. 0:04:45.839 --> 0:04:47.960 See what you know, We'll see what happens. Just something 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:50.680 to keep you busy. It wasn't like on TV or anything. 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:54.320 I just fell in love with the art of acting. 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:56.840 This was like, oh, this, this is my people. This 0:04:56.920 --> 0:04:58.520 is where I could do all the things I do 0:04:58.640 --> 0:05:03.200 in school and get in trouble. And it went from 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:06.640 me doing showcases there too, it turned into an actual 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:10.039 job where I did plays at night with adults and 0:05:10.160 --> 0:05:12.360 had to rehearse and so I wasn't acting up as 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:13.359 much as I was used to in. 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:16.280 School because now it's a job. So it was it's 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:16.800 kind of cool. 0:05:17.640 --> 0:05:21.200 So how old were you here when this starts to 0:05:21.240 --> 0:05:24.279 become like a real thing and you're doing You're doing 0:05:24.480 --> 0:05:27.440 you know, shows with adults and not just sparting around. 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:32.200 This was I want to say, twelve, okay, twelve and 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:34.360 to thirteen, yeah, like around that age. 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:38.920 Yeah, okay, now are you are you taking classes too? 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:41.840 Is there a class? Okay, yeah, yeah, there were classes. 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:44.920 So then I started after the summer course, then it 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:47.480 was classes. I think they were like every Wednesday or 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:49.520 something like that after school, you know what I mean. 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:52.400 But we would do these acting classes at the theater. 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:55.960 So shout out to Runako Jahi who's my drama teacher. 0:05:56.000 --> 0:05:58.400 I recently just talked to him recently about Gerberger too. 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:01.360 We were, you know, talking back and forth. But but yeah, man, 0:06:01.520 --> 0:06:04.040 I just I loved it, and I went from working 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:07.599 there to doing stuff at Goodman Theater, Victory Gardens Theater. 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:09.920 You know, I love the city in Chicago, so they 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:11.120 have a great theater district. 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:15.240 So yeah, man, were you doing any comedy? Were you 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:20.000 doing any stand up or improv at this point or yeah, 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:20.640 it was. 0:06:20.440 --> 0:06:23.440 It was a lot of comedy, definitely, definitely a lot 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:26.479 of improv in drama. So I was doing drama plays. 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:29.040 I started with the drama. But it was such a 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:32.160 beautiful thing in theater because I learned, you know, the dance. 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:35.159 We also took dancing. We also you know, took acting 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:37.560 classes in prov classes like the whole thing. And so 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:40.719 that's why I'm always into like the rat Pack and 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:44.240 like that, you know, triple threat type of vibe, you 0:06:44.320 --> 0:06:47.279 know what I mean. And because I do music, a dance, 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:51.880 tell jokes, comedy, drama, all the entertainment you know, I'm into. 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:54.160 I want to talk about your music career a little 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:56.839 bit later, but at this age are you singing at 0:06:56.839 --> 0:06:59.120 this age like within. 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:02.520 Plays with play as I am? At this time, I 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:05.120 had a rap group that I was involved in. 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:06.479 Uh really yeah. 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:09.240 We got a song on w gc I, which is 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:11.760 local at this point, right, you know what I mean, 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:14.720 and doing stuff there in Chicago. And you know, my 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:18.600 sister worked at Metro Music, which was like a record 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:20.640 company that a lot of the artists used to go 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.920 to and sign autographs back then. And so like she 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:27.080 got all the all the tapes you know before before 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:30.720 they came out, all the samples like l COOJ and another, 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:33.560 Bacorasan Crisscross, all the dope stuff, you know what I mean. 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:35.360 So I was, I was into it. I used to 0:07:35.360 --> 0:07:38.120 play the B side with instrumental and just make my records. 0:07:39.160 --> 0:07:43.080 That's awesome, that's awesome. Where your where your folks? 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:47.559 I mean, I know you said before if they wanted 0:07:47.600 --> 0:07:49.680 you not to get in trouble so much, so they 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:51.600 were trying to find an activity. Now, I mean, this 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:53.600 is a lot of running around from place to place. 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:56.360 Are they supportive at this point? Are they like, yeah, 0:07:56.520 --> 0:08:00.200 you go kel or or what's what's there? What's their feeling? 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:02.280 They're supportive, man, They're supportive. 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:04.920 They liked that I was having a positive votlet because 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:07.120 I had buddies that were on the up and up, 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:08.800 and then I had buddies that weren't, you know what 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:11.240 I mean. So it was good that I was doing 0:08:11.280 --> 0:08:14.560 something positives right with that, you know. And they always 0:08:15.080 --> 0:08:17.680 always in everything, you know, as far as like church 0:08:18.120 --> 0:08:21.640 boy scouts we were. They kept us very active. My 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:24.720 parents were really into education. My dad is a retired 0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:27.200 psychologist and my mom is a retired teacher. 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:30.560 So like it was very well, yeah, right, and they 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:33.319 had this kid that's doing you know, class clown stuff. 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:39.800 And so I like to talk to my guests about 0:08:39.840 --> 0:08:42.160 this because to me, it's interesting. And you kind of 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:44.840 touched on it a little bit like from a child 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:47.360 who says like I want to, you know, be a 0:08:47.400 --> 0:08:51.160 professional basketball player, or you know, I want to be 0:08:51.920 --> 0:08:54.199 in the movies or whatever, and then that sort of 0:08:54.240 --> 0:08:58.120 goes away or you're doing activities because you're a kid 0:08:58.200 --> 0:09:00.120 and you need to stay busy and that tea wich 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:03.000 is you important social lessons and blah blah blah. But 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:06.520 you know, at what point for you and how old 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:09.559 when you're like, this is what I want to do, 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:13.840 Like I want to be an entertainer and also special 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:16.319 two part question, because you were doing so much in 0:09:16.360 --> 0:09:19.200 the theater, which is which is where I started. Was 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:22.040 it about doing theater being an actor or did you 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:25.040 start thinking about other mediums? 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:25.680 Man? 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:28.120 I okay, So to as to that, I think as 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:30.360 a parent because then also being a parent too, I 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:33.839 think it's very important to kind of lean into those 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:37.040 things that you see your kids have interest in or 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.560 a desire to do, because that could be one of 0:09:39.559 --> 0:09:41.920 the things that leads to their purpose in life, of 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:45.600 one of the doors that open and have them experience 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:49.120 different things that are you know, positive but experiencing different things. 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:53.560 Because of that fact doors were like open that I 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:57.280 was like, oh, okay, this is another part of this 0:09:57.360 --> 0:09:59.480 thing that I enjoy because it's like when I was 0:10:00.120 --> 0:10:02.480 doing theater, then all of a sudden, you know, we 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:05.120 had this shoot because they came to see some kids 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:07.720 that had, like you know, hip hop style or whatever, 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:09.840 and they were just like, hey, we want you guys 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:13.680 to model for Captain crunch What then, so now we 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:15.320 take a picture. So I always tell people I was 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:18.320 a model first. So I booked that and I got 0:10:18.400 --> 0:10:21.240 on the back of the Crunchberry's box. That was from 0:10:21.400 --> 0:10:25.520 me doing theater, you know, Downtown Theater, Vidrick Gardens and Goodman, 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:29.240 and then that turned to meet an agent, and then 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:32.320 from me getting that agent, then that turned into going 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:35.439 on auditions and movies, and so it wasn't a thing 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:39.280 of like we knew exactly. My parents were like experiencing 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:42.640 with me along the way and just being very supportive 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:44.720 and me going, Okay, I want to try this now. 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:46.880 I want to try this. This door is open, and 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:49.360 I want to try this now. And so shout out 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.680 to them for being very very supportive doing that process, 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:54.320 because I know it was a lot to even for 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:55.640 them to process at that point. 0:10:55.960 --> 0:10:56.160 Right. 0:10:56.600 --> 0:11:00.760 No, absolutely, and I mean it's very different now. But 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:03.960 I grew up in Atlanta and at the time, I think, 0:11:04.440 --> 0:11:08.040 you know, it had a very solid, you know, stable 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:10.360 of theaters that you could go and act in and 0:11:10.400 --> 0:11:13.240 so forth. Now it's of course it's totally different. It's 0:11:13.280 --> 0:11:16.240 like the entertainment capital of the world and everything under 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:18.760 the sun is shot there. But at the time, I 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:21.240 don't know, like it just it wasn't even like a 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:23.320 part of my con No one was asking me to 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:25.760 be on the back of crunch berries. Like there wasn't 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:30.240 like that modeling stuff or like commercials or at least 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:33.040 it was just not in my consciousness, Like I never 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:36.840 even saw that as an opportunity. But it sounds like 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:41.960 pretty early you start having a diverse experiences. Talk to 0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:45.480 me a little bit, because You're still young at this point. 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:48.360 I mean, I'm not a great at math, but it 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:56.720 seems like sixteen ish you end up auditioning for a 0:11:56.800 --> 0:12:00.560 new show called All That Talk. Do me a little 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:03.600 bit about that experience. How did that audition come about 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:05.840 and how did you end up getting the job? 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:10.120 Yeah, that was I feel like I was like fifteen. Okay, 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:13.280 you're almost right there right in the bah Man So 0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:17.240 similar like what you were saying back then as far 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:20.240 as the opportunities, because now Chicago they filmed everything there 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:23.240 now right as well as in Atlanta. But around this 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:25.920 time it was infomercials, a lot of modeling gigs, things 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:29.080 of that nature. But then all that came along and 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:31.000 it was like a sketch comedy for kids, and you 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:33.560 know that was new too because that hadn't been done. 0:12:33.679 --> 0:12:35.760 I mean because you had SNL yeah, Living Color, but 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:39.679 an all kids sketch show had not been done. And 0:12:39.800 --> 0:12:43.000 so except for like I want to say, Roundhouse, but 0:12:43.080 --> 0:12:44.400 it still wasn't the same. 0:12:45.040 --> 0:12:46.400 No, I was shown. 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:49.640 I mean in getting ready to talk to you today, 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:52.800 you know, I did a deep dive back into all that, 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:57.040 and you know, I was familiar with your work and 0:12:57.080 --> 0:13:00.480 your sketches and specifically what we'll talk about you and 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:04.920 Keenan together, but I wasn't aware of this show and 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:08.880 how groundbreaking it was. What you just said, I don't 0:13:08.920 --> 0:13:14.640 mean to be reductive, but basically SNL but for kids, yeah, literally, 0:13:15.160 --> 0:13:19.400 and the idea of that, it's just like, well, of 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:23.040 course why would we not have that, But at the time, 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:26.080 it hadn't been done. So where how do you you 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:28.000 just get an audition to meet with them? 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:30.360 Yeah, So how it kicked off was that I was 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.360 already going on auditions out in Chicago. Yeah, and then 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:36.080 nothing like this had ever came through the pipeline. So 0:13:36.160 --> 0:13:38.400 when that came along, and you know, this is back 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:41.280 in the day where they didn't have to zoom auditions 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:43.640 or nothing like that. They were really scouting kids across 0:13:43.640 --> 0:13:47.040 America and they went everywhere. Man, so they came to 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:50.280 Chicago at this point. You know, I'm a sophomore, like 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:53.760 in high school. I remember I had finals that day 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:57.720 and we had this audition. Ended up getting there late 0:13:58.400 --> 0:14:00.800 because it was like way downtown. I lived on the Southside, 0:14:01.040 --> 0:14:03.760 and I remember to get in LA and I did 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:06.439 the audition with for Brian Robbins. You know, you're talking 0:14:06.480 --> 0:14:08.720 about the head of class. These are shows that I watched, 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:11.120 you know, and they say, hey, do you want to 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:14.440 do any personations? And instead of doing people that were 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:17.440 like famous, I didn't people that were that I grew 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:18.360 up around. 0:14:18.080 --> 0:14:20.800 Like people saw that I was, you know, on the 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:21.440 l you. 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:24.720 Know, riding on the subway, you know, my uncles, all 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:27.760 these different people, my coach in my high school, and 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.400 ultimately all those characters that I did in the room 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:33.400 ended up being on the show. But it was deep 0:14:33.440 --> 0:14:37.160 because within this audition process, it took like, I want 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:39.080 to say, two weeks before they even called back. So 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:42.520 I'm thinking I didn't get it. And then I remember 0:14:42.520 --> 0:14:44.880 it was a late night phone call at my house 0:14:44.920 --> 0:14:48.000 and my mom was like, hello, huh who whoa thank you? 0:14:48.080 --> 0:14:50.600 Jesus said, we went to La. Then it was like 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:53.320 when we went to La it was the Avengers. It 0:14:53.400 --> 0:14:56.520 was like every funny kid that they found from all 0:14:56.520 --> 0:15:00.160 these different cities and states battling out. And so at 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:03.080 the battle about one more time and I got in 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:06.040 there and made the top top seven for all that. 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:08.120 But the thing about it is that it was just 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:11.720 a special. And so because Nickelodeon was they were afraid. 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:13.480 They were like because I compared it to a living 0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:16.680 color as well, because it was very diverse too as well. 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:17.440 We had a lot of you. 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:19.680 Know, the hip hop acts and you know, we're all 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:22.880 different colors and all these different things. So and so 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:26.520 for Nickelodeon, they were just like, let's try it. Let's 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:30.600 see it kicked off. I mean the ratings were through 0:15:30.640 --> 0:15:34.040 the roof. But for us, all of the kids, we thought, hey, 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:36.000 this is a one off, it's a special. Let's see 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:37.720 what happened to us. So we all went back home, 0:15:38.200 --> 0:15:39.600 you know, just to see what happened. 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:40.720 Got it. 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:44.640 So you thought you were just shooting one. Yeah, Yeah, 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:48.560 we thought how much later is it that you find 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:50.640 out like that they want to do more. 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:52.320 I want to say it was a few months later, 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:56.840 because when the special went off, the kids were going crazy. Kids, 0:15:56.880 --> 0:15:59.120 We're going crazy. They're like, what is the show all that? 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:02.560 Oh my goodness. TLC was our like first guest. They 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:05.360 sung the theme song, you know what I mean, and 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:07.280 it was like it really spoke to the time. Now 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:09.480 we all have the same vibe as kids watching it 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:12.600 at that point. So they brought us all back and 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:15.080 life changed right there. Like, you know, my mom was 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:18.360 pregnant with my younger sister and it just so happened, 0:16:18.680 --> 0:16:20.880 you know that she was on leave for that, and 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:22.960 so she had time to fly with me to go 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:25.920 to Florida to film this show, and it just really 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:27.560 it really kicked off, and you know, to shoot at 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:31.160 Universal Studios in Florida, you know. 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:33.840 On the back plot. Yeah, man, it was awesome. 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:36.840 Yeah. How many episodes did you do? 0:16:37.200 --> 0:16:38.960 Were you there for like a long time or did 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:40.880 you kind of shoot them back and back and bang them? 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:41.320 Yeah? 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:43.560 We shot I want to say season one might have 0:16:43.640 --> 0:16:47.080 been like twelve episodes, I believe. Yeah, and then we 0:16:47.120 --> 0:16:49.160 would do it like a small heatius and then come back. 0:16:49.200 --> 0:16:52.080 And we kept going and we went from season and season. 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:55.080 Then all of a sudden they stopped me and Keenan, 0:16:55.160 --> 0:16:57.520 and then all of a sudden it was hey, you guys, 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:01.000 stay back on this next hiatus, next break, you all 0:17:01.080 --> 0:17:03.320 stay here. And we were like why, and they were like, well, 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:05.600 we want to create a show with you and Keenan, 0:17:05.640 --> 0:17:07.720 and we're like what. They're like, this is going to 0:17:07.800 --> 0:17:10.919 be different. This is going to be like Martin or 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:13.639 Fresh Prince bel Air, you know that type of show 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:14.679 family matters. 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:53.560 I said, whoa Okay. 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:39.040 Did you and Keenan hit it off pretty quickly? 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:39.920 Yeah? 0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:42.639 I mean it was such a beautiful thing where it's like, 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:44.520 of course we size each other up, like okay, okay, 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:45.040 this kid. 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:45.520 Is similar to me. 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:50.280 Okay. And then it was a thing of us both 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:53.840 killing it and sketches alone. And then what happened was 0:17:54.200 --> 0:17:57.200 there was a sketch called Magas and Clavin's where we 0:17:57.359 --> 0:18:01.280 prayed two old guys. We both saw it in that 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:04.080 sketch where it was like I would say something, heople 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:05.280 say something. I knew what he was about to say 0:18:05.320 --> 0:18:07.720 right before he said it. And in that moment, it 0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:10.199 was this magic where it was just like okay, and 0:18:10.240 --> 0:18:13.840 they started putting us in all sketches like together. It 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:16.440 was great, man, in that moment, and we both remember 0:18:16.480 --> 0:18:17.480 that moment too as well. 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:21.800 Yeah, so this was the writers who saw that. I mean, 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:25.000 you guys felt it when. This was the writers who 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:28.760 in that next hiatus said hey, you guys, you're not 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:34.160 you're you're not going home. This was from them watching 0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:35.200 you guys work together. 0:18:36.000 --> 0:18:36.240 Yeah. 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:36.480 Man. 0:18:36.520 --> 0:18:39.119 And then because you know, Brian always says it was 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:42.359 like he would watch us off camera too, and you know, 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:45.600 because our life off camera was very hilarious too. And 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:47.760 so they wanted to create this key and the Kille 0:18:47.800 --> 0:18:50.639 world and it was it was awesome, man. And you 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:53.159 know they came to us and with the sketch, I 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:55.440 mean not sketch, but the show idea. And I remember 0:18:55.480 --> 0:18:57.119 it had a bunch of different names. I remember we 0:18:57.160 --> 0:18:59.280 had a dinner and it was like these two guys 0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:02.360 and like the title were just really crazy. Somebody there 0:19:02.520 --> 0:19:05.040 decided to say, hey, just name it after the kids. 0:19:06.440 --> 0:19:09.240 And that was great because I remember Will Smith talking 0:19:09.280 --> 0:19:11.840 about when he decided to have his name be Will 0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:14.280 on the show. He was like, well, you were all 0:19:14.680 --> 0:19:16.080 your fans are going to grow what you would always 0:19:16.119 --> 0:19:19.280 know your name, And I was like genius. I'm glad 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:21.919 we did that because that was they know us. It's 0:19:22.000 --> 0:19:23.840 Kim to Kel's kimy to Kell. You know, they grow 0:19:23.880 --> 0:19:24.199 with us. 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:31.639 Yeah, Kenan and Kel launches. It is a big rating success, 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:35.680 very big deal at the time for a whole new 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:40.800 generation of young people. Did you feel it at the time, 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:44.760 like did you were you like, oh, now it's hard 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:47.679 to go to the grocery store, Like were you feeling it? 0:19:47.760 --> 0:19:49.680 Or were you just like, hey, I'm doing what I love, 0:19:49.760 --> 0:19:52.880 I'm having a great time. You know, how was that 0:19:52.920 --> 0:19:54.480 for you? Did your life change? 0:19:55.119 --> 0:19:57.560 It took it like okay, because I always playing this 0:19:57.680 --> 0:19:58.920 like back in the day. 0:19:58.960 --> 0:20:00.439 It wasn't like how it is now out where they 0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:03.120 put the shows out and it's like instant because it's 0:20:03.119 --> 0:20:03.879 on social media. 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:05.200 But it was a. 0:20:05.160 --> 0:20:07.800 Slow burn because it was like people had to you know, 0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:11.000 discover the show go crazy over it. So for us, 0:20:11.080 --> 0:20:13.600 we were just like in Florida, it was nuts. We 0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:16.280 couldn't really go anywhere because it was like our audience 0:20:16.359 --> 0:20:19.600 was all high school students that all like frequent around. 0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:21.000