And I remember one time when they started writing in all that scripts and they laugh about this. They wrote and then Kill does something physical, Kill goes crazy, and they wouldn't even like give the action because they just didn't know what I might do. So they go next, which was fun. Man, Hey, what's up everybody? This is Keil Mitchell, and I love the quote that says, it's a great day for a good day.
Let's go.
Here we are again, everybody. Yep, you guessed it. This is another episode of Off the Beat. I am your host, Brian Bomgartner. You might say my guest today is all that he's a good guy. Yes, I'm talking about the very very funny Kill Mitchell. You've probably known Kel for a long time, like since he was just a kid. He was on the Nickelodeon Sketch comedy show, all that
groundbreaking in its time. But you probably didn't even need me to say his last name because he's also half of the iconic duo Keenan and Kell, the other half, of course, being SNL's own Keenan Thompson. The pair were also the brains behind another iconic duo, Ed and Dex from the hit Sketch Turned movie Good Burger, and you can watch the brand new sequel, Good Burger two on Paramount Plus right now, breaking records for Paramount Plus twenty
five years after the original Good Burger. But he doesn't just serve burgers. Did you hear that transition? Kell is also a voiceover artist. He's worked on cartoons like Clifford, the Big Red Dog, The Proud Family, Pink Panther in Friends. He's a licensed pastor. He's a musician who not only writes and records his own music, but he has appeared on tracks with big names like Khalid and Mature and Kanye West. So let's just hear what he has to
say about all this, shall we. Here's the precocious kel or kel Mitchell.
If you must, Bubble and squeak, I love it, Bubble and Squeakna.
Bubble and squeak. I cook get every month left over from the ninety before.
What's up? Kell?
What's up? Man?
How are you?
I'm good? Good to see you.
Good to see you as well? What's going on? Where are you?
I am in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles, the city of Angels Now? Is that where you live?
That's where I live?
Yeah? Right?
You know I was talking to somebody the other day and they were talking about walking the dog and walking with their kid, and the kid melted down, and then they sent me a picture saying he's fine now he got a cookie, and she sent the picture, and I
wasn't thinking about the cookie or the melting down. I was thinking about the fact that the kid had a snow cap on and like a gigantic coat and gloves, and I'm like, oh, yeah, it's cold other places right now, Like I had like forgotten that we're in towards the middle of December right now.
Yeah. Man, off from Chicago originally, So.
I know that you were born in Chicago.
Yeah, right, So are you do you consider that your home or is Los Angeles your home now?
I mean I was born and raised in Chicago.
I'm always gonna love Chicago be in Chicago, and but Los Angeles home.
When did you start performing? How old were you?
Oh?
Man, Well that was if you ask my parents, I was very young out the womb. My mom not busted out smiling when I came. But yeah, man, I was always like making people laugh, get in trouble in school, and so my parents tried to try everything to get me in some type of hobby and we tried everything, and the one that stuck was actually doing theater. It was a community theater in Chicago that we saw a few plays at and they had a summer course. My parents were like, yo, just go to the summer course.
See what you know, We'll see what happens. Just something to keep you busy. It wasn't like on TV or anything. I just fell in love with the art of acting. This was like, oh, this, this is my people. This is where I could do all the things I do in school and get in trouble. And it went from me doing showcases there too, it turned into an actual job where I did plays at night with adults and had to rehearse and so I wasn't acting up as much as I was used to in.
School because now it's a job. So it was it's kind of cool.
So how old were you here when this starts to become like a real thing and you're doing You're doing you know, shows with adults and not just sparting around.
This was I want to say, twelve, okay, twelve and to thirteen, yeah, like around that age.
Yeah, okay, now are you are you taking classes too?
Is there a class? Okay, yeah, yeah, there were classes.
So then I started after the summer course, then it was classes. I think they were like every Wednesday or something like that after school, you know what I mean. But we would do these acting classes at the theater. So shout out to Runako Jahi who's my drama teacher. I recently just talked to him recently about Gerberger too. We were, you know, talking back and forth. But but yeah, man, I just I loved it, and I went from working there to doing stuff at Goodman Theater, Victory Gardens Theater.
You know, I love the city in Chicago, so they have a great theater district.
So yeah, man, were you doing any comedy? Were you doing any stand up or improv at this point or yeah, it was.
It was a lot of comedy, definitely, definitely a lot of improv in drama. So I was doing drama plays. I started with the drama. But it was such a beautiful thing in theater because I learned, you know, the dance. We also took dancing. We also you know, took acting classes in prov classes like the whole thing. And so that's why I'm always into like the rat Pack and like that, you know, triple threat type of vibe, you
know what I mean. And because I do music, a dance, tell jokes, comedy, drama, all the entertainment you know, I'm into.
I want to talk about your music career a little bit later, but at this age are you singing at this age like within.
Plays with play as I am? At this time, I had a rap group that I was involved in.
Uh really yeah.
We got a song on w gc I, which is local at this point, right, you know what I mean, and doing stuff there in Chicago. And you know, my sister worked at Metro Music, which was like a record company that a lot of the artists used to go to and sign autographs back then. And so like she got all the all the tapes you know before before they came out, all the samples like l COOJ and another, Bacorasan Crisscross, all the dope stuff, you know what I mean.
So I was, I was into it. I used to play the B side with instrumental and just make my records.
That's awesome, that's awesome. Where your where your folks?
I mean, I know you said before if they wanted you not to get in trouble so much, so they were trying to find an activity. Now, I mean, this is a lot of running around from place to place. Are they supportive at this point? Are they like, yeah, you go kel or or what's what's there? What's their feeling?
They're supportive, man, They're supportive.
They liked that I was having a positive votlet because I had buddies that were on the up and up, and then I had buddies that weren't, you know what I mean. So it was good that I was doing something positives right with that, you know. And they always always in everything, you know, as far as like church boy scouts we were. They kept us very active. My parents were really into education. My dad is a retired psychologist and my mom is a retired teacher.
So like it was very well, yeah, right, and they had this kid that's doing you know, class clown stuff.
And so I like to talk to my guests about this because to me, it's interesting. And you kind of touched on it a little bit like from a child who says like I want to, you know, be a professional basketball player, or you know, I want to be in the movies or whatever, and then that sort of goes away or you're doing activities because you're a kid and you need to stay busy and that tea wich
is you important social lessons and blah blah blah. But you know, at what point for you and how old when you're like, this is what I want to do, Like I want to be an entertainer and also special two part question, because you were doing so much in the theater, which is which is where I started. Was it about doing theater being an actor or did you start thinking about other mediums?
Man?
I okay, So to as to that, I think as a parent because then also being a parent too, I think it's very important to kind of lean into those things that you see your kids have interest in or a desire to do, because that could be one of the things that leads to their purpose in life, of one of the doors that open and have them experience different things that are you know, positive but experiencing different things.
Because of that fact doors were like open that I was like, oh, okay, this is another part of this thing that I enjoy because it's like when I was doing theater, then all of a sudden, you know, we had this shoot because they came to see some kids that had, like you know, hip hop style or whatever, and they were just like, hey, we want you guys to model for Captain crunch What then, so now we take a picture. So I always tell people I was a model first. So I booked that and I got
on the back of the Crunchberry's box. That was from me doing theater, you know, Downtown Theater, Vidrick Gardens and Goodman, and then that turned to meet an agent, and then from me getting that agent, then that turned into going on auditions and movies, and so it wasn't a thing of like we knew exactly. My parents were like experiencing with me along the way and just being very supportive and me going, Okay, I want to try this now. I want to try this. This door is open, and
I want to try this now. And so shout out to them for being very very supportive doing that process, because I know it was a lot to even for them to process at that point.
Right.
No, absolutely, and I mean it's very different now. But I grew up in Atlanta and at the time, I think, you know, it had a very solid, you know, stable of theaters that you could go and act in and so forth. Now it's of course it's totally different. It's like the entertainment capital of the world and everything under the sun is shot there. But at the time, I don't know, like it just it wasn't even like a part of my con No one was asking me to
be on the back of crunch berries. Like there wasn't like that modeling stuff or like commercials or at least it was just not in my consciousness, Like I never even saw that as an opportunity. But it sounds like pretty early you start having a diverse experiences. Talk to me a little bit, because You're still young at this point. I mean, I'm not a great at math, but it seems like sixteen ish you end up auditioning for a new show called All That Talk. Do me a little
bit about that experience. How did that audition come about and how did you end up getting the job?
Yeah, that was I feel like I was like fifteen. Okay, you're almost right there right in the bah Man So similar like what you were saying back then as far as the opportunities, because now Chicago they filmed everything there now right as well as in Atlanta. But around this time it was infomercials, a lot of modeling gigs, things of that nature. But then all that came along and it was like a sketch comedy for kids, and you know that was new too because that hadn't been done.
I mean because you had SNL yeah, Living Color, but an all kids sketch show had not been done. And so except for like I want to say, Roundhouse, but it still wasn't the same.
No, I was shown.
I mean in getting ready to talk to you today, you know, I did a deep dive back into all that, and you know, I was familiar with your work and your sketches and specifically what we'll talk about you and Keenan together, but I wasn't aware of this show and how groundbreaking it was. What you just said, I don't mean to be reductive, but basically SNL but for kids, yeah, literally, and the idea of that, it's just like, well, of course why would we not have that, But at the time,
it hadn't been done. So where how do you you just get an audition to meet with them?
Yeah, So how it kicked off was that I was already going on auditions out in Chicago. Yeah, and then nothing like this had ever came through the pipeline. So when that came along, and you know, this is back in the day where they didn't have to zoom auditions or nothing like that. They were really scouting kids across America and they went everywhere. Man, so they came to Chicago at this point. You know, I'm a sophomore, like in high school. I remember I had finals that day
and we had this audition. Ended up getting there late because it was like way downtown. I lived on the Southside, and I remember to get in LA and I did the audition with for Brian Robbins. You know, you're talking about the head of class. These are shows that I watched, you know, and they say, hey, do you want to do any personations? And instead of doing people that were like famous, I didn't people that were that I grew up around.
Like people saw that I was, you know, on the l you.
Know, riding on the subway, you know, my uncles, all these different people, my coach in my high school, and ultimately all those characters that I did in the room ended up being on the show. But it was deep because within this audition process, it took like, I want to say, two weeks before they even called back. So I'm thinking I didn't get it. And then I remember it was a late night phone call at my house and my mom was like, hello, huh who whoa thank you?
Jesus said, we went to La. Then it was like when we went to La it was the Avengers. It was like every funny kid that they found from all these different cities and states battling out. And so at the battle about one more time and I got in there and made the top top seven for all that. But the thing about it is that it was just a special. And so because Nickelodeon was they were afraid. They were like because I compared it to a living color as well, because it was very diverse too as well.
We had a lot of you.
Know, the hip hop acts and you know, we're all different colors and all these different things. So and so for Nickelodeon, they were just like, let's try it. Let's see it kicked off. I mean the ratings were through the roof. But for us, all of the kids, we thought, hey, this is a one off, it's a special. Let's see what happened to us. So we all went back home, you know, just to see what happened.
Got it.
So you thought you were just shooting one. Yeah, Yeah, we thought how much later is it that you find out like that they want to do more.
I want to say it was a few months later, because when the special went off, the kids were going crazy. Kids, We're going crazy. They're like, what is the show all that? Oh my goodness. TLC was our like first guest. They sung the theme song, you know what I mean, and it was like it really spoke to the time. Now we all have the same vibe as kids watching it at that point. So they brought us all back and
life changed right there. Like, you know, my mom was pregnant with my younger sister and it just so happened, you know that she was on leave for that, and so she had time to fly with me to go to Florida to film this show, and it just really it really kicked off, and you know, to shoot at Universal Studios in Florida, you know.
On the back plot. Yeah, man, it was awesome.
Yeah. How many episodes did you do?
Were you there for like a long time or did you kind of shoot them back and back and bang them?
Yeah?
We shot I want to say season one might have been like twelve episodes, I believe. Yeah, and then we would do it like a small heatius and then come back. And we kept going and we went from season and season. Then all of a sudden they stopped me and Keenan, and then all of a sudden it was hey, you guys, stay back on this next hiatus, next break, you all stay here. And we were like why, and they were like, well, we want to create a show with you and Keenan,
and we're like what. They're like, this is going to be different. This is going to be like Martin or Fresh Prince bel Air, you know that type of show family matters.
I said, whoa Okay.
Did you and Keenan hit it off pretty quickly?
Yeah?
I mean it was such a beautiful thing where it's like, of course we size each other up, like okay, okay, this kid.
Is similar to me.
Okay. And then it was a thing of us both killing it and sketches alone. And then what happened was there was a sketch called Magas and Clavin's where we prayed two old guys. We both saw it in that sketch where it was like I would say something, heople say something. I knew what he was about to say right before he said it. And in that moment, it was this magic where it was just like okay, and
they started putting us in all sketches like together. It was great, man, in that moment, and we both remember that moment too as well.
Yeah, so this was the writers who saw that. I mean, you guys felt it when. This was the writers who in that next hiatus said hey, you guys, you're not you're you're not going home. This was from them watching you guys work together.
Yeah.
Man.
And then because you know, Brian always says it was like he would watch us off camera too, and you know, because our life off camera was very hilarious too. And so they wanted to create this key and the Kille world and it was it was awesome, man. And you know they came to us and with the sketch, I mean not sketch, but the show idea. And I remember it had a bunch of different names. I remember we had a dinner and it was like these two guys
and like the title were just really crazy. Somebody there decided to say, hey, just name it after the kids. And that was great because I remember Will Smith talking about when he decided to have his name be Will on the show. He was like, well, you were all your fans are going to grow what you would always know your name, And I was like genius. I'm glad we did that because that was they know us. It's Kim to Kel's kimy to Kell. You know, they grow with us.
Yeah, Kenan and Kel launches. It is a big rating success, very big deal at the time for a whole new generation of young people. Did you feel it at the time, like did you were you like, oh, now it's hard to go to the grocery store, Like were you feeling it? Or were you just like, hey, I'm doing what I love, I'm having a great time. You know, how was that for you? Did your life change?
It took it like okay, because I always playing this like back in the day.
It wasn't like how it is now out where they put the shows out and it's like instant because it's on social media.
But it was a.
Slow burn because it was like people had to you know, discover the show go crazy over it. So for us, we were just like in Florida, it was nuts. We couldn't really go anywhere because it was like our audience was all high school students that all like frequent around.
There, so we couldn't really go anywhere.
But then when the show really started taking off, like you know, when Ken Keel came out and then we were doing all that in keeny n Kel. At the same time, it did get crazy, like we couldn't go anywhere where, Like there were kids like you know, like chuck E cheese or the mall, the all the movie movie theaters, you know, all that tough stuff like that. And I remember going back home, I used to try to like be real low key, you know about you know what I mean, likemar was so people would know.
But after a while it was just it was crazy, like the fans were just going nuts over the show, which was which was amazing. I mean we got chased a lot and a lot of stuff like that, which is cool.
I mean, you we're still young. I mean you said like going to the movies. I mean, maybe you weren't going to chuck e cheese so much. You were a little old for that, but but yeah, like that's what you would do, right, I mean, at least at that time. You know, a teenager, you go to the mall, you watch the movies, your hold hands or you know, whatever you're doing there and you can't. You can't do that. Do you feel isolated or is it just that you were happy with what you're doing?
Man, you know, we were happy with what we were doing. Was just an experience, like just like, man, we're just we're having a blast with that. I think as we started to get to the adulting stage, because there was also a point in between this where we are now, you know, turning seventeen eighteen, you know what I mean, within this process and having this you know, adult within
the limelight, So that was different things. We're like trying to not isolate it, but everybody doesn't really understand the dynamic, you know what I mean, having a public opinion and being in the public and who can you trust and ieople are trying to you know, do certain things wrong, like all those different things, you know what I mean. So that did happen within the process. You know, there was a turn within it, but it was still enjoyable time.
Yeah, at eighteen, ANDed and Decks finally get to graduate from the little screen and go make a movie Good Burger.
Yeah, tell me about making that movie.
I mean, you'd been working together and in some ways you've been working on these even specific characters for a while.
Ye did this feel special?
Yeah? Man, I mean it was.
It was the same thing again where the producers and the writers because we always know they meet us a different dresser rope, like hey we got to meet and yeah, over and we sat down and they're like, okay, so check it out. We want to, you know, have Good Burger turn into a movie. Now, Goudburger had already had like some success even more because like the musical guests always wanted to be in a Good Burger sketch, which was cool for me, you know, because I love hip
hop and music and all that. And so it had already put out a single with the top like R and B kid group around that time called Immature, and so I had already been on the billboard charge soul trained as ed you know what I mean, doing all right, And then it was a thing where like okay, this they were looking at the model, same again with you know SNL. But you know, you take a sketch to a movie. So it was like, all right, let's take
this d character and do that. And then the first script I remember was about this stick and it.
Had every character, so all my characters were in there.
All of Keenan's characters were in there from all that, but then they Paramount doubt us down and was like, let's just keep it to ed in that world of it. And for Keenan, they were trying to create a characters. Keenan had already done Mighty Ducks and even before all that, so they were trying to create like, does he shitty Doe lester Oaks construction worker was a character he did
on all that? Or make him just the kid this goes through these you know this issue And I'm glad they did that because his story in Good Burger it was just.
You know, amazing.
And yeah, man, this was my first film, and you know, Keenan had already done one already, so he was giving me a lot of you know, advice on the film world. But it was great, man, to have this movie come out and just be amazing. I remember seeing the billboard or sunset boulevard of us surfboarding on a pickle, you know what I mean, tomatoes with the mundy, the mustard flying and everything.
So and it took off very well. I mean it. Good Burger is the gift that keeps on giving, right.
Awesome, man, I want to go back for one second, because you keep talking about these meetings, these big meetings, you get the secret nod like here we go, let's go into there, and you know something's going to happen. I mean, it's interesting. I know it's got to be somewhat different from SNL, But I want to know about the collaboration that happens. Because you are kids, you have writers. How much say are you giving?
Again?
Two parter? I don't even usually do two parters, but I don't know. Two part question, how much say do you have in the conception or writing direction of scripts? And then two my least favorite question of all time when people ask me this, but I am curious again because you're still so young at this time, how much freedom are you given to improvise while you're shooting?
Man?
So, with all that, it was a ton which is kind of cool because you're talking about like our producers on the show were also in the industry as kids too, but now they were you know, adults, young adults, and so they were this was like their first show, especially with all that, and so they were like enjoying this process with us, and so a lot of the characters,
especially from my side. I brought a lot of characters in from these voices right had already been doing, and so they used to say, hey, do it film it twice the way we wrote it, and I was like, okay, cool, and then it was go crazy.
Yeah.
I remember one time when I did improv and the place went crazy, cracking up, laughing, and then they their like lights went off, like.
Okay, hey, kell what else you got? Keep it going, keep going, hey, Keenan, what else you got? What you got?
And then that started to turn into us having these fun banters with the writers, but like what if we take it there? When you take it there? And this is what I mean about a delli Within the process. Now you start to understand like, oh wait, I should have been being paid as a writer.
It's all good.
It was like what I've learned, what I learned through that process was amazing, man. And we have amazing writing staff. Not to jump too far ahead, but you know Kevin Heath who also paying Good Burger too, and they pinned the first one. These are people that have known us for for years, so you know that in that machine
of what we have worked so well. And I remember one time when they started writing in all that scripts and they laugh about this they wrote, and then Kill does something physical, Kill goes crazy and they wouldn't even like give the action because they just didn't know what I might do.
So they were just like go nuts, which was fun. Man.
Yeah, an iconic movie for its time. Now you're going back twenty five years later. What made you want to do it? Besides the obvious reasons like did someone approach you? Were you pushing for it? Like how did it come about to get you guys together again?
Well, I remember the first time it spoke about.
I was doing a show back on Nickelodeon you called Game Shakers.
I was playing this wild hip hop mungul.
That owned a company with these young teenage girls that were coders, right, and it was a fun, fun show. And I remember at that time Jimmy Fallon hit us up and said, hey, I would love to do this Keenan and kel reunion of Good Burger and on his.
Show, on his show. Yeah, just watched that this morning, So okay, So now all right, so go ahead. I didn't know that's where it started. Okay, go ahead, Yeah, so Jay, Jimmy's part of it. So if behind you know the scenes.
We had already a lot of whispers about, oh, we need to do good Burger too, we need a good burger too, and we were trying to get all the minds together from you know, the beginning of all of this and all that, to come together and try to put this together. We had done a few ideas, had
the meetings about where it could go. But when it got real was when Jimmy did that and if the internet went crazy, even Keenan and I both and we talked, you know, we talked about this where I remember we were behind the curtain and we were like, man, yo, we've done people like a disservice, Like you know what I mean, We should have done this way back, you know what I mean. But this is awesome. You know
it's God's timing. Let's do this again. We need to figure this out, you know what I mean of you know this kend the kale world of good Burger or where we want to take it. Then the conversations I get more real. We started having you know, real script conversations. Some of it was like where they were taking the story, it was something would and then some of it was good. And then we finally found the right story for a dexter in for it because you know, now they're adults and where are they now?
They have kids? What's happening? And it's the fun story.
And we wanted, well, it was very important us to have Good Burger to stand on its own where that it can be its own movie, like you could see two and it'll be okay you need if you didn't see one, you know, And so that was very important to us. And then then I'm also making us producers on the project too as well, because that was a beautiful thing too.
For a shot out to Paramount. Shout to Nickelodeon for doing that.
Just so that Ed wouldn't turn into something that the nineties kids would be like Edwin.
You know what I mean.
So I had to make sure that the characters stayed to true to who he is. Yeah wow, yeah man.
You know, so such a long period of time passes in between the two movies. How much communication did you and Keenan have during this really long period of time?
Yeah? Man, so it was like on and off, you know what I mean.
But then I think because people, you know, people see us, you know, they still look at us as kids.
They don't realize, like, you know, we have lives.
You know what I mean.
We experience different things, you know, but it's so beautiful, like because he was on the he's on the East Coast and I was in Los Angeles, and you know, different worlds.
You know what I mean.
But we try to stay in contact. Always explain it like, you know, it's a friend you had in high school and then you all go off to college to different places, all these different things and try to stay in contact.
But I remember us having a real conversation on the phone one time, and that was around the Gameshacker time, in the talent time, and we were like, look, man, let's stay in contact, you know, because it was a lot within that conversation where it was like, okay, you know, let's talk about life and what went on back in the day and the crazy things people were telling us and all this stuff.
And it was cool to.
Be able to experience each other's as adults now, which is great, and to have this friendship from when we were you know, man, eiighteen years old, you know, all the way down you know, forty five.
That's awesome.
That's so crazy.
I mean I was thinking about it today watching some
of your old stuff and thinking about your relationship. And I was thinking about the first time when I was working on NBC and he was working on NBC, And I mean, I can't exactly put it together, but it's got to be like early on for him, but like two thousand and five, two thousand and six somewhere in there, and I read that he started doing US and now two thousand and three, So you guys were done a couple of years before that, and it feels like so long ago.
And yet you all have a lifetime before that. Like it's crazy.
I mean, it goes to the staying power of you and him and the two of you together that after so many years and so much success, that you've birthed this thing again. I just think it's so awesome.
Yeah, it's a it's a it's a blessing man.
And I mean too, when we got the call that Good Burger was number one, you know, most streamed doing Paramount blessed us it launched, that was emotional time for us just to you know, because that many years you know, as an actor, sure as an actor, to go back to a character whereas you know it's been that long. That's that's awesome, man. And then to to open it
up to another generation. There's kids that are five or six years old and good Burger birthday parties and actually Keenan and Keale and you know, all these shows cool and experiencely with my kids like my you know, my two youngest, Honor and Wisdom are in the movie.
You know what I mean as kids. So that's just awesome.
Did you have any hesitance going back to it after so long?
To ed? No?
I did.
In twenty nineteen, we launched the Return of All That and so we brought it, brought it back, and so I jumped on there with the kids. Even though I was producing. I did some of the characters like Coach Creeden and it and brought them back. So I was kind of in the shoes of it again already, so it didn't feel too crazy a few years later to be doing it again. It didn't really kick in until I want to say, the week before it came out like it was. It was kind of like, okay, we
are how was they going to respond to this? And that's what it kicked in. But man, thank god, everybody loves it. Man, And they're digging and.
They're on this journey with us, and I think that's what's cool.
I kind of compare it to like New Addition, you know, for me, like I grew up with New Addition, you know, I followed them along the journey since they were kids too, So it's kind of like that where people kind of grew up with us here.
You've done a lot of voiceover and animation work, you Clifford, the Big Red Dog of Note for sure, Pink Panther and Pals, Wild Gardeners.
Do you enjoy it the voiceover work? Dude?
I love the voiceover world. It's so great. I mean, you know you can you can go do it in your pajamas if you wanted to.
I just I just did this morning.
Yes, I know, it's great man, and and but it's because it takes some real, some real work and comedy work too.
You know.
I was blessed to be on a show with Chrese Summers, which is like, I mean, she's like amazing legend legend in the voiceover world, and so she was able to give me a lot of advice. And you know, you're, you know, really going all out with these voices. You know, with your voice can still you know, so I I enjoyed doing it. Man, it's fun, especially doing character work. It's a bleast.
Yeah, there's a freedom that you have, you know, I haven't done a sketch show like you're as where you're you're you're able to play a variety of characters within you know, one show. But having that freedom of just using your voice and creating characters, I find truly like really fun.
I just love doing it.
Yeah, I love it.
And then I'm in the animation too, because you know, I go to the comic cons and I love you know, all the all the animation in animated cartoons. You know that helped with my comedy too as well. So, and I love the Muppets that's not animation but voice.
Well, that's true.
How is it for you being so hugely associated with children's programming, Like do you love that? Do you wish that you had more opportunities I don't know for an older audience? And do does the fact that you have kids? Does that influence for you any of the types of projects that you're interested in doing.
Yeah, man, it's really what I feel, you know when I'm reading the script, because I have done adult stuff.
I've done a very deep period period.
Piece with John Sales of course all honey dripper, But it's something about I love family entertainment, you know what I mean, just in general, because the whole family can enjoy it together. So it is really cool for me to put a smile on, you know, my kids face and then also other kids' faces. And I think too when you do that. What I started to notice was working a family and chairman for so long. You grew up with the parents, and then your kids grow up
with you too. Yeah, so you kind of you stay you know where. It's like you have these new fan base every time because you're being introduced over and over again. And I see that family timan not so not so much in the adult space as much as I do in the family space, which is which is cool.
It keeps you timeless, you know.
Yeah, you are the recipient of truly a huge award, a Kid's Choice Award also a kbe Ace Award. But those Kid Choice Awards are so much fun and it's a significant and noteworthy honor. Is that something you're very proud of?
Of course? Man? Yeah, you know.
When that happen and you know it was it was awesome. You know, to be in a category with so many great other comedians, and every time if there's an award that happens, it's always a humbler feeling and an awesome feeling, you know, to get that award, you know, he be nominated. You know, even through all those different things, it's been great.
Yeah, it's funny. Adults can fake laugh. Kids don't fake laugh, right, Like, like you have to really make them laugh and make them make them love you because they're not going to pretend. Now I'm witnessed to it every day when I think I'm hilarious and a dead stare comes back at you.
So it'll a way you have. You have conquered the greatest critics in the world.
Oh yeah, man, yeah, man. Kids keep it real. They keep it all the way one hundred and that's what I do. Man. Like even here, like I tell a joke, see my kids the crack up.
Yeah exactly, I'm like, oh yeah, that'll work. That'll that'll that'll work, that'll work. You're an accomplished musician. I did want to ask you about your time on all that. I mean, much like the structure of SNL a music group. You mentioned it before every week. Did you learn anything from them or was there anything about your experience working with them? And as you mentioned, so many of them wanting to be in in the Good Burger sketch at
the time. Getting to know them, how do you think that that affected and potentially help your music career?
Man?
Seeing these performances, the type of team that they had that they came along with, the preparation before they perform, you know, the artists that were laid, the artists that were on time, the artists that you know, practice their dance moves on the stage, practice with us, the ones that were talkative and cool, and the ones that weren't, you know what I mean, Like you just got to It really prepared me for what I wanted to do as far as like in entertainment, how I wanted to
be perceived. Those moments of you know, dance battling against Cisco or dance battle against Usher TLC, hanging out with me and my siblings and you know all this and we're still all in contact now, Like this is awesome, man, Like you're talking about walking through Chicago streets on my walkman, listening to these people, and then like a few months later, I'm kicking it with them, hanging with them, have their phone numbers. That's crazy.
Yeah, you have a new single out fairly recently, go time. You've been writing making music for a long long time, and in fact, you did the theme song to Good Burger We're All Dudes Now? Did you have that in mind? Was there a secret room where you got the nod and pulled in and someone told you to do the song?
Like how did that come about?
So it was like, you know, when all that sketches was start, there's a bit of like the camera would pan in on for d so it was a moment of dead air. So I used to say, like, okay, what is it doing at that moment? You know how sitcoms people walk in and have this ridiculous improv conversation.
Like you just dat an orange?
So I did this little ditty like m dude, he's a dude, and I was bang on the register and it became part of the sketch that little Diddy needed to turn into a song, you know.
And so it had already had.
Success with doing the immature song and all this stuff like that, and then when we did the movie, it was like, let's make I'm a dude, a song, an actual, like for real song. And I remember Brian because his mind is just like he's ready, like right then and there, he's like, kill write the song. After you write the song, we're having a meeting at Paramount for Capitol Records what so like, I wrote it, literally wrote it versus to this hook that was already you know, all the kids knew,
and I wrote the hook. I drove over there. I had not sung the song out loud. I remember we were all out dinner at the Bataramount lunch and he said sing it, and Solar had to singing in front of everybody, and they loved it. They said, oh, this is awesome.
And Brian hadn't he hadn't heard it yet.
He hadn't heard it.
Well that's confidence right there.
Yeah, he had trusted me because yeah, I was in music. Shout out to Bryant. I rocked it within there. I knew how important this was. You know, he's like a big brother to me. So I was like, okay, let's do it. And then after that it was less than Jake was on Capitol Records, and so at that time they were a sky band and next thing I know, I'm flying to Florida because I was in La at that.
Point, to to Florida, did the song with them, and it just took off. Man, that's inredible. It took up. Man.
Yeah, you have another career outside of entertainment. You're a pastor.
Yeah.
Does music play a big role for you in your ministry? Yeah?
Man, I you know, being how I played before with the whole Brat pack, and I'm into all of that and also within my faith everything that I'm involved in the same thing, because just like you said, with the teens, you know, it's like they're very very real with.
You, you know what I mean.
So if you want to reach them, you got to, you know, reach them and let them know, Hey, you know,
I've been through the same things you've been through. I know, understanding type of music you listen to and all these different things, and introduce faith to them in that way too, because they're bombarded with so much, you know, as far as the social media, and so within my music, within my summons, within all that I do, it's relatable to them, but then also leads them to their faith and knowing that they're beautifully and wonderfully made by God.
Man.
So I've been I've been doing that for years, you know what I mean behind the scenes as well, be doing that for years, and you know, people started to get a wind of it, you know at my church, which is has been awesome man, and I love doing it. You know a lot of my teams now they've graduated, they're in college now, and you know, it's it's cool to see them, you know, hit me up, send me letters and go, hey, man, thank you Pastor Kale for the things you told me years ago.
I'm still utilizing it today. So it's been awesome, man.
Yeah, that's awesome.
Yeah.
Is there gonna be a good Burger three?
Hey?
Okay, So I say it at the end because Keenan and I are like, yo, look, let's been Diesel, this thing bro gid Burger in space fast Burger's like whatever, man, So people want it. I mean, if they want it, let's let's give it to them. We're not gonna make them wait another twenty six years though, but that might be funny.
At a certain point, it's gonna be really difficult. It's gonna be really difficult. Maybe not in twenty six years, but in fifty two years, it's gonna start getting tough for the physical comedy for sure, as good as you are at a certain point. Yeah, it's gonna it's gonna be tough for you know, it's so funny about this genre.
I have an eight year old and she is watching in Living color, no joke, after what I have been watching and reminding myself again over the next twenty four hours, I'm gonna show her Keenan and Kel because it's probably even better. But there's something so incredible and fun and spirited about the physical comedy that you and and really everybody was doing. And my daughter loves it watching it in living color.
Jim Carrey and.
All those guys just going nuts. It's just funny, right, I mean, like they're used to fully produced digital streaming entertainment, you know, with what you know back in the day would have been twenty five million dollar budgets, and yet she's sitting there on YouTube watching these old, kind of grainy, rusted out clips from in Living Color and just has
marized by just the theatricality of it. I mean, I feel like in entertainment we've lost that sort of boldness of performance, you know, having that I'm excited now to show her can she watch Good Burger too. Yeah, yeah, of course, yeah, okay, yes, total it's okay, it's okay.
Yeah, yeah, it's PG. So she'd be good, she'd be good.
Yeah, it's funny, man. But yeah, this is the legends I tell comedians outsid go back and and then watch them because those guys are like legendary, you know what I mean, and show you so much. You know, I was inspired by Living Color and SNL and all the physical comedy and you know, Tommy Davis and Jami five, all these guys.
Man.
So yeah, man, were you watching in Living Color? Yes, while you were doing this, you were watching it.
When I was a kid.
Oh yeah, because the Living Color was before I even got on all that, and I was like a staple in my household. And so Jim Carrey, you know, Tommy Davison, Keenan Avy, Waynms and then to now you know know the Waynes hang out with them, you know, it's awesome, and we were doing Keenan mc keil. They were doing the Waynes Brothers show around the same time. So it's awesome.
Awesome, dude.
Congratulations, I appreciate you coming and talking to all of us, and good luck with Good Burger two, three, four, five, six, How many Fast and Furious but seven? I think there's at least nine Good Burgers. I wish you all the best, congratulations, good luck, and yeah, I'm not giving you lip service here. My eight year old is gonna be watching Good Burger well, I mean it's a school day, but by the end of the weekend she'll be watching it, so you'll have another viewer.
Thanks so much, Kel, Thank you brother, thanks for having me on.
Man cheers.
Kel, Thank you so much for coming on. It was great getting to know you a little bit. And yes, congratulations on all your recent success. Listeners, if you want a little nineties nostalgia or well just a good laugh with you and maybe your kids, watch Good Burger two on Paramount Plus.
Thanks for listening.
I'm going to be back next week with another episode of Off the Beat. I'm going to have a great week this week, I can tell. I hope you do too. Off the Beat is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside are executive producer lingg Lee. Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and Emily carr Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary
and our intern is Ali Amir Sahed. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak performed by the one and only Creed Bratton