Key and Peele predict election results for President Obama
theGRIO VIDEO - Comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele aren't running for office, but the two have certainly gained the attention of voters this election season...
Comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele aren’t running for office, but the two have certainly gained the attention of voters this election season.
The hilarious duo are the stars of Comedy Central’s Key & Peele show, which features sketches on everything from slavery to Halloween.
Key and Peele are perhaps best known for their series of sketches about President Barack Obama’s fictitious ‘anger translator’ Luther. Peele plays a calm, cool and convincing Obama while Key shouts and gyrates as his anger translator Luther.
The origin of the sketch dates back to September, 2009 – when South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson shouted “You lie” at the president during a nationally televised speech to Congress on healthcare. Wilson was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for what many considered a “breach of decorum.”
In an interview with theGrio.com’s Todd Johnson, Key said he couldn’t believe Obama didn’t strike back.
“You’re the most powerful man in the free world, hit him back,” Key remembers pleading.
“You also had things like the birther movement,” Peele adds, conceding Obama couldn’t lash out because it would not have been “presidential.”
Key and Peele put their improvisation skills to the test when asked to predict how the majority of African-Americans would respond to an Obama loss.
“It would be a disheartening thing,” Peele said. “It would be like ‘Really? Ya’ll chose [Romney] who you don’t even know what he represents over [Obama] who’s been working very very hard and made so much progress?'”Â
Comedy Central renewed Key and Peele’s unique antics for a second season in February. In June,  they met President Obama.
“We had no idea,” Key said after learning the president was a fan of their sketches.
Ardent Obama supporters, Key and Peele will reveal more about their comedic chemistry in part two of theGrio.com’s interview.
Follow theGrio’s Todd Johnson on Twitter at @rantoddj
