Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele made sketch comedy cool again for the first time since Chappelle’s Show went off the air. And although relatively short-lived with just over 50 episodes across five seasons, it left its mark and stands as one of the best cult sketch shows ever. But long gone are those days of Key & Peele, both the show and the duo.
This is something that still bugs Keegan-Michael Key, who told People, “We don’t see each other that often anymore. Which is, to me, a tragedy.” As for why Key & Jordan Peele don’t hang out, it comes down to simply moving on and finding new interests. “Your lives start to evolve and move in different directions. 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… Both of us jumped to another platform — but we needed that first platform.”
That first platform, Key & Peele, brought us some of the most memorable bits in recent memory, with standouts including East/West College Bowl, Continental Breakfast and, maybe the reigning champ of all Key & Peele skits, Substitute Teacher. But since the show went off the air back in 2015, Jordan Peele almost immediately went into the horror game, delivering one of the most acclaimed of this century so far, Get Out, which earned him an Oscar for the screenplay. Keegan Michael-Key, meanwhile, has continued turning up in some high-profile projects, primarily through voice work, such as Chip ‘n Dale, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Transformers One, voicing Bumblebee.
Despite the two going on different professional paths, they did deliver the awesome Keanu after Key & Peele went off the air and Henry Selick’s immensely enjoyable Wendell & Wild. As for future – but separate projects – Key has the Jack Black-co-starring Dear Santa and the Shane Black-directed Play Dirty lined up, while Peele is producing the sport horror flick Him and setting up his next feature for 2026.
What is your favorite Key & Peele skit? Give us your picks in the comments section below.