Keegan-Michael Key and Tituss Burgess

25th July 2016

Jesse talks race and comedy with Keegan-Michael Key; the Tony Awards and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt with Tituss Burgess; and why Fletch is Chevy Chase’s greatest achievement.

Episode notes

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Photo: Jesse Thorn

Keegan-Michael Key on Race and Comedy and Why ‘Key & Peele’ Is Coming to an End

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 on Being ‘Titus Andromedon’ on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Following Your Instincts

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.

The Outshot: Fletch

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

In this episode...

Senior Producer
Producer
Maximum Fun Producer
Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Guests

  • Keegan-Michael Key
  • Tituss Burgess

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

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Senior Producer

Producer

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Maximum Fun Production Fellow

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