Kristin Key (born September 25, 1980) is an American

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

who has appeared at

The Improv The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s. History Originally, it was a ...

, and on the series ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...

'' and ''

Bring the Funny ''Bring the Funny'' is an American comedy competition series that aired on NBC from July 9 to September 17, 2019. Hosted by comedian Amanda Seales, the series features various comedy acts performing in front of an audience for a chance to win $2 ...

''. She favors a self-deprecating, physical, and improvisational style of comedy and incorporates the guitar to create original musical comedy. Key was born in

Aurora, Missouri Aurora is a city in Lawrence County, Missouri, Lawrence County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,432. History The Honey Creek area, near Aurora was originally settled by p ...

, to a young

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

minister and his homemaker wife. She has an older brother. She was raised in

Liberal, Kansas Liberal is the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 19,825. Liberal is home of Seward County Community College. History Early settler S. S. Rogers built the first house ...

, until the age of 11, when she moved to

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...

. In Amarillo, Key attended middle school, high school, and college, where she majored in Paramedicine Technology. Key began stand-up comedy at the age of 19 as the house MC for the Amarillo Comedy Club. Frustrated at the limitations for success in a small town and desperate to find another way, she set out to try open mic night at the local comedy club. The owner, Kevin Moran, told her she was too young to get into the club. The owners eventually softened, let her on stage, and instantly realized her potential. She was offered a standing M.C. position which she took advantage of week after week. In January 2006, the Amarillo Comedy Club shut down after the death of co-owner, comedian, and Key's mentor, Kelly Moran. Following the club's closing, she moved to

San Marcos, Texas San Marcos ( ) is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, as well. San Marcos is within the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area and on the Interstate 35 ...

, to pursue comedy in the Austin scene. Three months after moving to San Marcos, she auditioned for ''

'' and was chosen to make the house. After several episodes, she finished 6th of thousands and has since been heard on XM and

Sirius Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...

Satellite radio, is a regular on ''

The Bob & Tom Show ''The Bob & Tom Show'' is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995. Originally syndicated by Premiere ...

'', has been seen on ''

Comics Unleashed ''Comics Unleashed'' is a half-hour comedic talk show produced by the Entertainment Studios production company (formerly CF Entertainment) and hosted by Byron Allen, with John Cramer as announcer and DJ Cobra or sometimes DJ A1 providing music s ...

'' as well as many major networks including

VH-1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communic ...

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...

TV Guide Channel The American cable television, cable and satellite television network Pop (American TV channel), Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized electronic program guide, channel and program listings ...

, and

Fox Reality Fox Reality Channel was an American pay television channel. It was launched on May 24, 2005, and was owned by the Fox Entertainment Group. It featured many shows that were originally on the Fox network (or produced by Fox). The channel also featu ...

. In 2019, Key competed in the American reality television comedy competition series ''

'', making it to the second round (the "Comedy Clash"). She now lives in

Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ''round'') is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Sa ...

; she is touring and pursuing various ventures in television. After surviving a car accident in the summer of 2013, Key decided she needed to focus on her own happiness. "The car caught on fire. It opened my eyes to taking more risks with my stand-up and not being so private on stage. Since I've been doing that, I feel like the laughs are bigger, and the moments I share with the audience are a lot more genuine.

References

External links

Official homepage

Myspace page

Facebook page
1980s births Living people American women comedians Last Comic Standing contestants People from Liberal, Kansas Lesbian comedians American lesbian actresses American lesbian writers American LGBT screenwriters LGBT people from Texas People from Aurora, Missouri 21st-century American comedians Bring the Funny contestants 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American women American LGBT comedians {{US-comedian-stub