Keegan-Michael Key and Tituss Burgess

Episode notes

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Keegan-Michael Key’s comedy is inexorably tied with his experiences straddling cultural and racial lines as a young man in the Midwest, and he became a keen observer of his surroundings as a child.

His work with his partner Jordan Peele on the Comedy Central show Key & Peele has earned Key Emmy nominations in five categories including Outstanding Variety sketch series, Writing for a Variety Series, Writing for a Variety Special, Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program, and Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Key sits down with Jesse to talk about the differences of approaching comedy from stand up or improv backgrounds, why it’s so easy to immerse himself in distinctive characters like the substitute teacher Mr. Garvey, and why Key & Peele’s fifth season will be its last.

Key and Peele’s movie Keanu is now availible on digital HD

Tituss Burgess is an actor who has pursued the truth within himself and his performances. Whether it’s been in a church choir or on the Broadway stage, Burgess is ready to give it his all.

His successful audition for a small recurring role on 30 Rock put him on Tina Fey’s radar, and he’s since been cast as Titus Andromedon on the Netflix original series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Burgess’s performance on the show has earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Burgess joins us to discuss his early days growing up in Georgia, inhabiting the character of Titus Andromedon on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and how he contended with a broken microphone while performing live at the Tony Awards.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is available for streaming on Netflix.

Jesse explores the top-notch bluffing going on in this week’s recommendation, the 1985 Chevy Chase movie Fletch.