2014 AlumniKeegan-Michael Key Fellow ’96g A&A 2014 Alumni Fellow

Keegan-Michael Key is a producer, actor, and writer currently starring on Comedy Central’s Key and Peele, USA Network’s Playing House, and FX’s Fargo.

Key started his career with the improvisation theatre troupe, The Second City, in his native Detroit. He was soon invited to Chicago to work at the original The Second City. He left Second City to join the cast of MADtv and was soon offered the host role on The Planet’s Funniest Animals on Animal Planet. He later appeared in a series of commercials for GMC and starred in several episodes of Reno 911! on Comedy Central. He also co-starred on the CBS sitcom, Gary Unmarried. While a cast member on MADtv for five seasons, he worked with Jordan Peele, with whom he launched Key and Peele on Comedy Central. The sketch-comedy show is in its fourth season.

Key founded the Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck, Mich., and co-founded the Detroit Creativity Project, which teaches students improvisation skills as a way of improving their overall communication skills. He’s also a member of The 313, an improvisation group made up of former residents of Detroit—which has an area code of 313—who are now members of The Second City Hollywood. Key’s comedic chops and star power have led to an invitation to meet President Barack Obama and numerous magazine appearances, including cover appearances on TIME and New York Times Magazine. He and Peele made two “lists” in 2014: TIME’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” andGQ’s “15 Funniest Comedians in America.”

A life member of the Penn State Alumni Association, Key lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Cynthia Blaise.

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