Keegan-Michael Key On Why He & Jordan Peele “Don’t See Each Other” Much After ‘Key & Peele’

Glenn Garner
·2-min read

Although their comedic chemistry is undeniable, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele‘s careers have gone in different directions.

Nearly a decade after their Comedy Central sketch comedy show Key & Peele ended, Key admitted that he and his former onscreen partner “don’t see each other that often anymore” amid their busy lives on opposite coasts.

More from Deadline

“Which is, to me, a tragedy,” he told People, noting that “your lives start to evolve and move in different directions.”

After the duo first appeared together on Fox’s Mad TV in 2004, they landed their own self-titled show on Comedy Central, which ran for five seasons from 2012 to 2015. The series earned them an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series in 2016.

Key and Peele also appeared together in 2016’s Keanu, which was co-written by Peele. Additionally, they’ve voiced characters together in Storks (2016), Toy Story 4 (2019) and Wendell & Wild (2022).

Key explained, “Our evolution, I think, is tied to both of what our desires are. His desire was to start exploring the horror genre, and my desire was to do more dramatic work like I had been trained in school.”

Following Key & Peele, the former has gone on to roles in films like The Disaster Artist, The Prom, Wonka, IF and Transformers One. He also starred alongside Cecily Strong, Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth in the Apple TV+ musical series Schmigadoon!.

While Peele still occasionally appears onscreen and in voice roles, he’s made a notable pivot to the director’s chair with his acclaimed horror films Get Out (2017), Us (2019) and Nope (2022). Get Out earned him his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Latest stories