Keegan-Michael Key was born on March 22, 1971, in Southfield, Michigan, outside Detroit, and adopted as a young child by a Detroit couple, a Black social worker and his white wife. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater from the University of Detroit Mercy in 1993 and a Master of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania State University in 1996, and helped found the Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck. After graduate school he joined the Second City improv theater in Chicago, where he first worked alongside Jordan Peele.
In 2004, Key joined the cast of MADtv midway through its ninth season, where he spent six seasons creating characters, including the fearsome Coach Hines. There he reunited with fellow cast member Peele, with whom he co-created Key & Peele, the Comedy Central sketch series that ran five seasons from 2012 to 2015.
Key & Peele received a Peabody Award for 2013 and collected two Primetime Emmy Awards during its run. The Peabody citation praised the series’ satire of racial divisions and shared cultural experiences, crediting its stars and creative team, including director Peter Atencio and a group of writers, producers and editors. One recurring sketch paired Peele’s restrained portrayal of Barack Obama with Key’s Luther, a character who voiced the anger the president kept contained. Key performed Luther at the 2015 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, introduced by Obama himself.
His work since has ranged across comedy and stage. He won a Primetime Emmy for his work on Key & Peele, from ten nominations. He played Hamlet in an Off Broadway staging, then made his Broadway debut in Steve Martin’s comic play Meteor Shower in 2017, with film roles including Dolemite Is My Name and Wonka.
