Unhinged & Immoral, Episode 40: "Kev On Stage is Unhinged"

Date: August 21, 2025
Hosts: Jamila Bell, Mecca Evans
Guest: Kev On Stage (Kevin Fredericks)

OVERVIEW

This episode is a lively and unfiltered deep dive with Kev On Stage—comedian, content pioneer, TV show creator, and internet mentor. Jamila and Mecca dig into Kev’s journey across internet and TV comedy, “church kid” roots, inventive digital content, and his approach to authenticity and community in entertainment. The trio keep things hilarious, irreverent, and real, swapping stories about success, faith, internet culture, and the business of being Black and funny in a digital world.

MAIN THEMES

• The evolution of Kev On Stage from internet sketches to TV creator
• Navigating "clean" comedy and church culture in the mainstream
• Building community and platforming others in comedy
• Staying relevant in the rapidly changing media and social landscape
• The joy and irony of internet fame (and backlash)
• Reflections on creativity, collaboration, and legacy

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction, Vibes, and Church Kid Fashion

[01:00–03:30]

• Jamila and Mecca welcome Kev On Stage, reading off his numerous accolades ("Internet icon, stand-up comedian, author, creator of BET’s Churchy… our self-acclaimed mentor and friend").
• Banter about “church kid” fashion: Kev ponders their Pentecostal skirts and New Balances (“This is like the church kids going to Six Flags!” - Kev, [02:14]).
• Weather complaints and Atlanta anecdotes kick off the easy, playful chemistry among the three.

Landing TV Shows & “The Hospital” Story

[03:45–07:35]

• Kev announces his new BET show, The Hospital, premiering Sept 10, made quickly and on a shoestring budget ("We shot that show in two and a half days... could not even afford the third day!" - Kev, [04:02]).
• Filming trials: No AC, shooting in LA’s hot valley, “sweating like crazy.”
• The Hospital started as Patreon-only, but social media and fans propelled it to TV ("I never planned on it being a TV show at all… It was just for Patreon" – Kev, [05:28]).
• Bidding war with multiple networks thanks to success online.

Platforming Community & Identifying Talent

[07:13–11:27]

• Kev gives Mecca and Jamila their flowers ("I remember seeing both of y’all separately on TikTok… I can see why y’all are friends. You built a community of people!" - Kev, [07:43–08:47]).
• His superpower? “I’m not intimidated by talented people. What I do is a team game… there's room for everybody to win.” – Kev, [12:34]
• Reflections on collaborative comedy, supporting rising comedians, and creative chemistry in the “Safe Space” show and beyond.

“Clean” Comedy: Misconceptions and Practice

[12:42–17:25]

• Kev clarifies “clean comedy”: “I talk about everything. I just don’t cuss. But I say nigga. I say hell. When I do church gigs, though, I don’t say hell or nigga.” – Kev, [13:51]
• Growing up, cussing was a sin, even “worse” than other stuff (“Fully fornicated, but cussing is crazy!” - Kev, [14:10])
• His North Star: Sinbad, not Cosby. “Sinbad is one where people didn’t realize he was not cussing… But he’s not like, ‘Hey, guys, God is good.’ That’s just corny to me.” – Kev, [15:30]
• Cussing as comedic tool: “Cussing makes things funnier. Sometimes the cuss word is the perfect button. If you don’t have that, you gotta be really creative.” – Kev, [16:20]

Family, Church Upbringing, and Personality

[17:54–21:47]

• The hosts swap stories about “church mom vs. street dad” upbringings, multiple denominations, and pulling personality traits from both parents.
• Kev reflects on his kids: “My youngest son, he’s jerk to the max. My oldest, the diplomat—like me, but more chill.” – Kev, [19:43]

“Kev On Stage” – The Brand and the Path

[22:23–29:18]

• The name confusion (“People thought my name was Kevon, or Stage was my last name!” – Kev, [22:01])
• Becoming a production studio owner wasn’t Kev’s original plan. He “fell into his purpose”: wanted to be ‘great,’ originally thought he’d go to the NBA!
• “I never wanted to hold people down. A star isn’t meant to be held. I work with people while they’re in my orbit, and if they surpass me, let them go.” – Kev, [27:48]
• Story about discovering comedy wasn’t just for church, but for building opportunities for others too.

Church, Fame, and Authenticity in Mainstream

[29:18–36:55]

• Kev discusses straddling “church fame” and mainstream: “Church people don’t get upset with me. I know my path’s not for only the church.”
• Critique of performative church behavior: “We end up just trying to be more saved than the other church people... The whole point is to go out and bring more people to God.” – Kev, [30:23]
• “I’m a comedian who’s a Christian, not a Christian comedian… My conduct is my reflection.”
• Hilarious anecdotes about hypocrisy, like finding Zimas behind grandma’s TV.

Christian Entertainment & Internet Outrage

[36:46–49:37]

• Discussion about backlash for blending “secular” and religious content: drinking at gospel concerts, criticism from Christian content creators.
• “If God is upset with me, He gonna have to deal with me. You ain’t got no heaven or hell to put me in.” – Kev, [44:40]
• Advice for new digital stars: You’ll know you made it when “talking about you gets someone else views.” [50:24]
• Classic moment: “My grandma don’t even like everything I do… I’m 42 years old. You can’t whoop me!” – Kev, [49:47]

Staying Relevant in Digital Media

[52:16–63:30]

• The story of being featured in the National Museum of African American History & Culture: “That video didn’t do anything [online]… But now, in a museum for 20 years. That’s insane!” – Kev, [54:10]
• Survival and adaptation in changing platforms: YouTube, then listicles, then TikTok, and now Facebook. “I’ve always been doing things the way they are done on the main platform.” – Kev, [61:39]
• Hosts share generational differences in social media use, Facebook vs. MySpace, virality, and the “family vs. fanpage” divide.

Studs, Stunkles, and Black Queer Culture

[67:33–73:36]

• A digression into “stud” culture (masculine Black lesbians), generational divides, and family stories about “stunkles” (“stud uncles”).
• Hilarious, loving, and irreverent; classic Unhinged & Immoral tangent.

TV Showmaking, Structure, & Collaboration

[73:41–87:48]

• Churchy season 2: “It’s bigger, better, funnier and longer. Ten episodes instead of eight. Better written, more cameos, and story builds into a crescendo.” – Kev, [73:49]
• Learning about TV writing vs. YouTube: “There’s a science. When done well, you don’t even realize how well it’s done. TV is loyal to the story; comedians are loyal to the joke.” – Kev, [75:58–76:45]
• Lessons about working for a network: “He who pays, stays. Who pays for it gets the final say.” – Kev, [88:10–88:16]
• On collaboration: “The best thing is knowing what you love and letting others do what they’re good at… Film is very collaborative.” – Kev, [81:17]

Legacy, All Def Digital, and Black Internet Comedy

[91:16–103:22]

• Kev and the hosts reflect on All Def Digital as a “digital In Living Color”: a springboard for a generation of Black internet comedians.
• Touching tributes to the genius of Teddy Ray (“He was our generation’s Robin Harris. Everything he said was funny.” – Kev, [97:15–98:13])
• “We created y’all age… That era was like digital media college. I was a man, but y’all were young. I had kids!” – Kev, [93:19]

Notable Quotes

• “My superpower? I’m not intimidated by talented people.” – Kev, [12:34]
• “Cussing makes things funnier… but if you don’t have that, you gotta be really creative.” – Kev, [16:20]
• “If God is upset with me, He gonna have to deal with me. You ain’t got no heaven or hell to put me in!” – Kev, [44:40]
• “He who pays, stays. Whoever pays for it has the final say.” – Kev, [88:16]
• “We created y’all age… That era was like digital media college.” – Kev, [93:19]
• “I’m a comedian who’s a Christian, not a Christian comedian… My conduct is my reflection.” – Kev, [30:23]
• "You’re doing what you’re meant to do, and somebody is going to be inspired by you… it already happened for me." – Kev, [96:01–96:27]

Important Timestamps

• [03:45] – Kev On Stage new show “The Hospital” announced
• [07:13] – Kev describes discovering Mecca and Jamila on TikTok
• [12:42] – The myth of “clean comedy” and what it means to Kev
• [22:23] – Misconceptions around the “Kev On Stage” name and the journey to becoming a studio boss
• [27:48] – Philosophy about mentoring and not holding people back
• [36:46] – Blending secular and faith-based content; authenticity and criticism
• [44:40] – Response to Christian internet backlash
• [54:10] – National Museum of African American History & Culture story
• [61:39] – Adapting to all major social media shifts
• [73:41] – Churchy season two, the science of TV writing and collaboration
• [91:16] – Legacy of All Def Digital, Teddy Ray tribute
• [103:22] – The legacy of digital Black comedy collectives

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• **Kev’s candidness about failures, pivots, and “falling into his purpose” rather than planning it all.
• Hosts teasing Kev about church, family, and “stud” stories.
• The constant back-and-forth about church and internet pettiness—“You can’t whoop me!”
• Kev’s humility about being featured in the Smithsonian, and his joy at being outdone by former mentees.
• Mailing humor and family warmth, even through wild church, queer, and internet anecdotes.
• Real talk about the politics of collaborating with networks, and the business of “he who pays, stays.”
• A moving endnote about building platforms for the next generation—as All Def Digital did for them.

CLOSING

The episode wraps with plugs for Kev’s current projects (Churchy Season 2, The Hospital, his new book, BET+, TBS, Patreon), and Jamila and Mecca’s own Unhinged & Immoral merch, promising plenty more unfiltered and insightful conversations ahead.

Summary prepared for listeners seeking the full sweep of comedy, industry wisdom, and laughs this episode delivers, minus the ads and admin!