Kel Johari Rice Mitchell (born August 25, 1978) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was an original cast member of the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and ...
series ''
All That
''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins ...
'' for its first five seasons (1994–1999), where he was often paired as one-half of a
comedic duo opposite
Kenan Thompson, most notably the sketch ''Mavis and Clavis''. His role as Ed in the ''All That'' sketch was reprised for the 1997 theatrical film ''
Good Burger
''Good Burger'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by
Dan Schneider with Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert. Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, it is based on the comedy sketch of the same name on the Nick ...
''. He portrayed Kel Kimble on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''
Kenan & Kel
''Kenan & Kel'' is an American buddy comedy sitcom created by Kim Bass. The show originally aired on the Nickelodeon network for four seasons, from July 15, 1996, to July 15, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, the series follows mischievous Ken ...
'' from 1996 to 2000. Mitchell was nominated for the
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for his role as T-Bone in the 2000s animated series ''
Clifford the Big Red Dog'' in both 2001 and 2002 respectively. From 2015 to 2019, he starred as Double G on the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
comedy series ''
Game Shakers''.
Early life
Mitchell was born on August 25, 1978 in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
, Illinois, and is from the
South Side. He attended Chicago Vocational High School and took drama classes at the ETA Creative Arts Foundation. He has two sisters, Kenyatta and Kyra.
Career
Mitchell started his acting career alongside
Kenan Thompson at the age of 15, in the Nickelodeon comedy sketch series, ''All That'', from 1994 to 1999. He and Thompson worked on the series ''Kenan & Kel'' from 1996 to 2000. They starred in the 1997 film, ''
Good Burger
''Good Burger'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by
Dan Schneider with Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert. Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, it is based on the comedy sketch of the same name on the Nick ...
'', which grew out of one of Mitchell's sketches from ''All That''. The duo appeared together in an episode of ''
Sister, Sister'' with
Tia and
Tamera Mowry, four episodes of ''
The Steve Harvey Show'', and in a special two-part episode of ''
Cousin Skeeter''. They were also featured in an episode of ''
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch''.
Outside of his ventures with Kenan Thompson, Mitchell provided the voice of a mild-mannered and playful dog named T-Bone in the children's cartoon series ''
Clifford the Big Red Dog'', alongside
John Ritter, from 2000 to 2003. Additionally, he made an appearance in the 2004
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
music video "
All Falls Down" as a valet. Mitchell co-hosted ''
Dance 360'' with
Fredro Starr
Fred Lee Scruggs Jr. (born April 18, 1971), better known by his stage name Fredro Starr, is an American rapper and actor best known as a member of the hardcore rap group Onyx. Fredro Starr was discovered by the late hip hop star Jam Master Jay o ...
; the show lasted for only one season. From 2005 until 2006, Mitchell portrayed Manny Sellers in the sitcom ''
One on One'', and in 2007 Mitchell starred in
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
's ''
Take the Cake''. Some of his other credits include ''
Honeydripper'' and ''
Mystery Men''. He auditioned for ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'' in 2003, but lost to his ''
Kenan & Kel
''Kenan & Kel'' is an American buddy comedy sitcom created by Kim Bass. The show originally aired on the Nickelodeon network for four seasons, from July 15, 1996, to July 15, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, the series follows mischievous Ken ...
'' co-star
Kenan Thompson. In 2006, Mitchell was the subject of a
death hoax, when a rumor was spread around
Myspace.
In March 2008, he filmed his writing and producing debut, ''
Dance Fu'', in which he also starred as the lead role. Also in 2008, Mitchell appeared in two Detroit-based stage productions, ''Affairs'' and ''Laundromat'', the latter written by Carlos Faison and also starred comedian
Buddy Lewis, Leanne "Lelee" Lyons of R&B group
SWV, celebrity impersonator/stage actor Matt Macis, and vocalist and performer Lauren "Lexxi" Alexis. Mitchell was a part of
G4's ''
Attack of the Show!
''Attack of the Show!'' (''AOTS'') is an American live television program and that aired on G4. AOTS features segments on pop culture, video games, and movies. After an initial run from 2005 to 2013 (which originally aired from 2005 until 2013 ...
'', playing various characters. He also has a recurring role on the PBS Kids show ''Curious George''.
Mitchell appeared at the 2011
Comikaze Expo with several of his ''All That'' cast members, and has appeared in numerous panels of the same kind since, including at
New York Comic-Con
The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006.
History
The New York Comic Con is a f ...
in 2015, and filmed segments with them for the show's 22nd anniversary celebration on
The Splat
NickRewind (formerly The '90s Are All That, The Splat, and NickSplat) was an American late night programming block that broadcast nightly over the channel space of TeenNick. The block showed reruns of mid-late 1980s, 1990s, and early-mid 2000 ...
in April 2016. Mitchell guest starred on ''
Sam & Cat'' as rapper Peezy B, in the episode "#Peezy B".
Mitchell was a cast member on
Dan Schneider's sitcom, ''
Game Shakers'', which premiered on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
on September 12, 2015. Mitchell played the role of rap superstar and business partner of the Game Shakers company, Double G.
Mitchell also starred in the
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...
's ''
Loiter Squad'' in 2015, and
TV One's ''
Love That Girl!
''Love That Girl!'' is an American sitcom that airs on TV One and debuted on January 19, 2010. The series started off as a four episode, independently produced series presentation that aired as a special three-night event, and was later ordered ...
'', as well as writing and directing the inspirational film, ''She Is Not My Sister'' and several music videos.
On September 23, 2015, Mitchell appeared on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' in a skit featuring his iconic role as Ed from ''
Good Burger
''Good Burger'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by
Dan Schneider with Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert. Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, it is based on the comedy sketch of the same name on the Nick ...
''. Mitchell was also reunited with his former ''
Kenan & Kel
''Kenan & Kel'' is an American buddy comedy sitcom created by Kim Bass. The show originally aired on the Nickelodeon network for four seasons, from July 15, 1996, to July 15, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, the series follows mischievous Ken ...
'' costar
Kenan Thompson, who reprised his role as "Lester Oakes, Construction Worker". They later competed against one another in an episode of the revived Nickelodeon game show ''
Double Dare'' that aired in November 2018. They also teamed as executive producers for the
reboot of ''
All That
''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins ...
'' which premiered in June 2019 and ran until 2020. Mitchell also returned as a recurring cast member.
Mitchell hosted the TV series ''Tails of Valor'', which focused on true stories of service animals whose work has changed people's lives. Also in 2019, Mitchell competed as a celebrity contestant on the
28th season of ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...
'', and finished in second place. Starting in December 2020, Mitchell appeared as a panelists for
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's ''
Ridiculousness'' spinoff, ''Deliciousness''.
In 2022, Mitchell released a book entitled, ''Blessed Mode: 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith'', available physically, digitally, and as an audiobook. A song titled, "Blessed Mode", was later released to streaming services like
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active use ...
and
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
. He and wife Asia also competed in an episode of ''
Guy's Grocery Games'' against
Ross Mathews.
The same year, Mitchell would team up with Thompson once more on ''Saturday Night Live'' for the "Kenan and Kelly" sketch in the December 3, 2022 episode hosted by
Keke Palmer. He also starred in the
VH1 television movie ''All I Didn't Want For Christmas'' with
Gabourey Sidibe, which premiered on December 7.
Personal life
Mitchell was married to Tyisha Hampton from 1999 until their divorce in 2005. They have two children together, a son born Lyric Mitchell and a daughter Allure Mitchell. Tyisha Mitchell helped out his career by creating KVL (Kel Videos Live, and Ganked), which she wrote and produced for Kel.
Mitchell married rapper Asia Lee on February 25, 2012. They have two children together, a daughter born in July 2017 and a son born in October 2020.
[
Mitchell and Lee received an award from the Carson Black Chamber in 2016 for their show ''The Back House Party''. He is the spokesperson for Black College Expo.
He is a convert to ]Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
. In December 2019, he became a youth pastor at Spirit Food Christian Center in Winnetka, Los Angeles
Winnetka (IPA: wɪˈnɛtkə) is a neighborhood in the west-central San Fernando Valley in the city of Los Angeles. It is a highly ethnically diverse area, both for the city and for Los Angeles County, with a relatively large percentage of Hisp ...
.
Filmography
Television
Film
Music videos
Discography
Singles
:Source:
* 1995: "Chillin" (by Aftermath feat. Kel Mitchell) from ''All That
''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins ...
'' live performance on April 1, 1995
* 1996: "Watch Me Do My Thing" (by Immature
Mature is the adjectival form of maturity, as immature is the adjectival form of immaturity, which have several meanings.
Mature or immature may also refer to:
* Mature, a character from ''The King of Fighters'' series
*"Mature 17+", a rating in ...
featuring Smooth and Kel Mitchell) from '' All That: The Album''
* 1997: "We're All Dudes" (by Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Matt Yonker (drums), Buddy Schaub (trombone), and Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxop ...
and Kel Mitchell) from the ''Good Burger
''Good Burger'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by
Dan Schneider with Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert. Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, it is based on the comedy sketch of the same name on the Nick ...
'' soundtrack
* 1999: "Who Are Those Mystery Men" (by Kel Mitchell and the M.A.F.T. Emcees featuring Romaine Jones and Simbi Khali) from the '' Mystery Men'' soundtrack
* 1999: "Pedal to the Steel" (by Youngstown featuring Kel Mitchell) from Youngstown's '' Let's Roll''
* 2015: "Kel Mitchell" (by Spec featuring Asia Lee and Kel Mitchell) from ''Spec Vacancy''
* 2022: "Blessed Mode" (by Kel Mitchell featuring nobigdyl and Scootie Wop)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Kel
1978 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
20th-century Christians
21st-century American male actors
21st-century Christians
African-American Christians
African-American stand-up comedians
American stand-up comedians
African-American male actors
African-American musicians
American male child actors
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Comedians from Illinois
Male actors from Chicago
Musicians from Chicago
Santa Monica College alumni
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American people