Kev On Stage is Unhinged | Ep. 4o

Summary

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!

Transcript

[A]

Prime delivery is fast. How fast are we talking? We're talking puzzle toys and lick pad delivered so fast you can get this puppy under control fast. Pad's cooling mat, pet camera fast and fast. And those training treats faster than you can say sit. Fast, fast. Free delivery. It's on Prime. This episode is brought to you by Greenlight. Get this, adults with financial literacy skills have 82% more wealth than those who don't. From swimming lessons to piano classes, us parents invest in so many things to enrich our kids lives. But are we investing in their future financial success? With Greenlight, you can teach your kids financial literacy skills like earning, saving and investing. And this investment costs less than that. After school treat start prioritizing their financial education and future. Today with a risk free trial at greenlight.com Spotify greenlight.com Spotify she flowing in that cash call Walk in the booth like Naomi on the catwalk and tell them bitches whoop whoop from the jaguar it ain't even right though push me and I might go she ain't getting money I'm like what the fuck a hype for when them bitches bite flow make my appetite go poof. Gone. Voila. Magic looking mad good just to pull up on them ramping. Welcome back to another episode of Unhinged and Immoral. I'm your host, Jamila. And I'm Mecca. And we have a very special guest here today. Let me read off his accolades.

[B]

Why y' all talk? Why are y' all doing this?

[A]

Why y'? All? We have to, we have to start so we can go somewhere. Yes. So introducing our next very special guest and Internet icon, stand up comedian, author and creator of the BET show Churchy and our self acclaimed mentor and friend, Kev on stage.

[B]

Yes, self acclaimed and so on. Thank you guys. This has been my dream. I asked Mek and Jameela to be on the podcast and they shaded me for like three months. They was like, yeah, yeah man, whatever. Whenever we get to it. And they pushed me down. They pushed me down on the ground.

[A]

You lie, you steal, you steal, you kill you. You lie, you lied, lie. Your name no good.

[B]

But no, honestly, I'm very happy to be here. This is great. I'm very proud of you guys. God be proud. Godly proud.

[A]

I'm so happy for you to be here.

[B]

I just want to say Mecca has a good pentecostal skirt and Jamila's feet.

[A]

Your pentecostal skirt and my socks and New Balances for Kev.

[B]

This is like the church kids going To Six Flags. This is how we had to dress to go to 6 flats.

[A]

My arms came.

[B]

I mean, she got a lot of arm out and there's too much change.

[A]

She was okay because she was from California. Well, no, the California. So hot. It's like 100 degrees in Cali.

[B]

Yeah, it's crazy.

[A]

So, like I was gonna say, this is actually. This could get away in July.

[B]

This is July in Atlanta's weather. Ben, what's going on?

[A]

I don't know, but it's not silk.

[B]

Press apart. No, it's not.

[A]

I tell you that. I had a bonnet on outside. I wasn't playing those games. She had the bonnet on all the way up until you got here.

[B]

I love this. I love this.

[A]

Exactly. I don't fool with Atlanta. It's been raining for 40 days and crazy.

[B]

I didn't even check the weather. Cause I was like, oh, it's cool. And I got here and I was like, what is this?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's super mugged out.

[A]

It's like thunderstorm rain.

[B]

Yeah. It's crazy. It's crazy. It's crazy.

[A]

Well. Well, I thought you were gonna ask your question first. Okay. Cause it was supposed to be 1, 2, 3, 4.

[B]

Do y' all have four questions total?

[A]

Yes. No. No. No, no, no. Really? Yes. Because we not. And who knows? If we get through the four questions, we actually have a ton of Guiding Lights.

[B]

Okay, let's do this.

[A]

Because I know how we can get. Being very talkative and things. I want to get into church. You just did something that. My God. On Today, imagine shout out to Dominique. So not only do we have season two of Churchy coming out very, very.

[B]

Soon, drop the date August 21st.

[A]

Yes. On BET.

[B]

All 10 episodes.

[A]

That's Jelani birthday.

[B]

That's Jelani baby. That's that baby birthday.

[A]

That's that baby birthday.

[B]

You should watch her for his birthday. Y' all should get together and watch it.

[A]

And we will. And we absolutely will. But you also just sold.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Sold a show. Another show to BET.

[B]

Yeah. The hospital is coming out on BET. The channel. Come on, linear. September 10th. Yeah. On cable TV. September 10th. And the crazy thing. This is not a flex. This is just how good God is. We shot that show in two and a half days. Like, I couldn't even afford the third day at the full rate. Cuz that hospital set was very, very expensive for me.

[A]

I bet it was.

[B]

It was a lot of bread. It was because it came like, set deck and all that stuff, like. But it was a lot of bread. Funny. Fun fact. There was no AC in there, and it was in the dead of summer and they didn't mention it.

[A]

This is in la.

[B]

This is in la, in the Valley, which. The Valley of LA is hotter than other parts. So, like Santa Monica, Hollywood, they don't get as hot as the Valley does. It could be, like 10, 15 degrees hotter in the Valley. So we were sweating like crazy. We had to pay extra to get an ac, but the AC was too loud to film with, so we'd have to turn it on and turn it off. We had to have PAs doing it. But anyway, we serve a God hello of Abraham.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

In two and a half days.

[A]

Where's Jerrell at? I will never let it go.

[B]

Two and a half days became four episodes of television.

[A]

So that's right.

[B]

It's amazing. God is amazing. It paid off.

[A]

Sometimes you got to just trust in yourself and take a chance and just be like, I know this is going to hit. But I was going to hit.

[B]

And it did. It did, it did.

[A]

You shot that last year?

[B]

I shot that last summer.

[A]

That's crazy.

[B]

And I did. I did. It was like, in July. That's. It was the hottest it would be. We shot it on, like, a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. And then I went to dreamcon, like, the next day. And I was like. And it was. I'm very happy. It came out, like, super great. I mean, but I never thought it would be a TV show. Like, I was like, it was just for Patreon. My Patreon loved it. People love the. You know, the clips we put on Social to try to get people to go to Patreon. But I didn't plan on it being a TV show at all. I was just, like, so cool.

[A]

So wait, how did it end up kind of becoming a TV show?

[B]

So I believe the success on Socials, you know, TV execs watch stuff. But we have partners who were like, y' all should pick this up before somebody else does. So the same people, Spring Hill, who worked with us on getting Churchy sold to bet, they went back to BET and was like. Cause other people. It was like a bidding war. Another company wanted it, too.

[A]

Come on, now.

[B]

Yeah, it was crazy. Come on, man. You better ask about Ms. Big Kev. Not to let her. My feet touch the ground. But, yeah, I mean. And the thing is, for me, like, I'm just really grateful. Cause it's been a lot of years of trying to do this and a lot of failures, and it feels like now the dominoes are starting to, like, tip over where things that used to be very hard are now less hard. Right. And I. Yeah. But it's taken a long time to get to that point. But now, like, I snuck my pinky toe in the door with Churchy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And in season two, I got my, you know, my. My next toe in hospital.

[A]

You only got a couple more left.

[B]

I only got a couple more toes. I'm about to get that door all the way open.

[A]

Once that big toe's in, you're good.

[B]

Once that big toe in. Because mine got a hook. The nail go hook off.

[A]

Mine got a crook on it.

[B]

Yeah, mine. My big toe bus must have been a mug. So if I get that big one in there, you might as well let me in. Cause that big toe gonna open. I'm gonna open it up. And I think for me, it's all about opening it up for other people too. Right. That's why Meka and Jamila are on my new show, Safe Space, which will, by the time this airs, I might be able to make that announcement. But I remember, you know, seeing both of y' all separately on TikTok. I was trying to think of the video that made me follow Mecca, but I know what it was. For Jameela. This is such a random video. It was Michael Jackson.

[A]

Oh, man, that girl. Oh, man. Hello.

[B]

This girl is freaking nuts. The first video, I said, oh, boom. And Mecca was yapping. Oh, I know what it was for you. It was. You was talking about. You had been. It was bbls. You was talking about drainage and stuff.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I had seen you before, but that bbl. And you. I said, you. The things you said casually. I said, this girl's talking about doo doo and stuff.

[A]

He said, backshot air.

[B]

Backshot air, yeah.

[A]

And I said, because when you're not used to, you know, having all that. But, you know, my mom taught you gotta take the hose and you get up in there.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You take the powder under the rolls and certain things that, you know, if you wasn't born with it, then you don't necessarily know. Yeah, you gotta think about that for real.

[B]

And people was always talking about you in other videos. And I saw Becca and I was like, she have no caption, no nothing. Just talking like she's being there. Like how people. And the people be in the comments know, knowing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they be referencing seven videos back. I said, oh, you built a community of people.

[A]

Yeah. It became ranch. So I'm a pandemic person. And I was just in my house going crazy.

[B]

So you just talking to that phone.

[A]

So I was just talking to that phone and people were messing with it. Yeah. And then also, I did not realize how sporadic I was.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Until. No, seriously. Until, like, big creators, like, you were like, so what the fuck?

[B]

Well. Cause she don't follow tradition. Tradition says caption thing. You was just like, man, I had a hot dog. I do enjoy hot dog. Next thing, getting ready for this concert.

[A]

She starts on the part two of the story Men Thought mid grade cinder.

[B]

And if you don't. You didn't see season one, you're like, did I miss season one? You season three, episode 27 with me.

[A]

I got so much better now. They've been in my comments, like, we haven't. And it's not the same. I'm like, yo, now. Now I got a team telling me I gotta be.

[B]

No, you gotta be who you were. And they'll throw a tick tock shop in there.

[A]

I'd be like, when I tick tock shop, I said, oh, it's lit.

[B]

And then, like, y' all are. And I see why y' all are friends. But like, I said, oh. And then I saw y' all were free. Because in the comments, it was like, mecca Jamila. Mecca Jamila. And I was like, oh, y'. All his friends.

[A]

The connection.

[B]

The connection. So it's been in.

[A]

They were sisters.

[B]

They were sisters. Roy Dale. And I was seeing Grandmother. And my grandmother. Okay. They were sisters.

[A]

I love people who get the Internet references and go straight, like, immediately. Yeah.

[B]

But anyway, y' all are in this show separately. I'm with a lot of other talented people, and I think this has the same potential to be, like, a really. I knew from the first thing angel, my partner in crime, did the first one. And I was like, I know.

[A]

She cut up. Oh, my God, she's such a hoot. We were her in the center spoof. I said, she's really there, y'. All. Y' all gonna have to pull her out of character.

[B]

It's really a freaking, like, dynamite tornado of brilliant energy. And I'm just so grateful to have met her. Cause she's plum crazy, but also, like, trained actress. Yeah, she, like, went to school for this, so she knows how to really do this stuff. So, yeah, I'm blessed to be surrounded by talented people. And that. I think that's my superpower, is I'm not intimidated by talented people.

[A]

You're not. Because we linked up with Mel. Mel shot earlier in the day. But after we.

[B]

Yeah, oh, friend of the pod.

[A]

Literally. We, you know, went and had crawfish after we got done shooting, and we were telling her, like, that's the most fun I've ever. Like, we were there six hours. It seemed like it was two.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Just.

[B]

It's a good time.

[A]

A ball of fun. It doesn't seem like you're trying to dull other people. Like, let's let me get my jewel. It's like, everybody get in where you fit in. But it's like, you. That's like, the breeding ground for excellence when it's like, dang, you funny. I want to out funny everybody. Like, I want to just. And like, that feels so good like, that. That spirit. So it just works.

[B]

I think I came from plays. Like, I was in plays, and in a play, everybody needs to be good for the show to be good.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

And I think that's my greatest thing is, like, I need to kill, but so do you, and I need to leave space for you. And then the background singers need to be good, and the band and the stage manager, like, we all got to work together, so I can't outshine my scene partner. Right. So I don't have the approach of only I can get mine. Like, my. The dude Rich, who's my development exec, he was like, yo, you. You can say funny stuff, too. Because I'm like, I want the people to be funny. He was like, yeah, but they. You know, people want to see you be funny, too. But I. I am blessed to, you know, have the ability to work with people and that. People want to work with me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I'm not intimidated at all. And I think it makes for better stuff.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Overall, I'm gonna get mine off. But, like, it's a team. What I do is a team game. You know what I'm saying? It's a team sport, and there's room for everybody to win.

[A]

So speaking of being, like, a comic, you're well known for being, like, a clean comic.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

30 years ago, Bill Cosby was known for being a clean comic. I'm not comparing you to Bill Cosby.

[B]

No, I appreciate it.

[A]

But what I'm saying. Look at that out there. What I'm saying is, what is a clean cut comic to you? Because when we were writing these questions, we were kind of talking. Jameela said, but Kev cuss. Bill Cosby Thing was, he didn't cuss, but you're absolutely considered, like, a clean cut comedian.

[B]

There's levels to it. So Bill Cosby on stage was the cleanest of the clean. And I mean, clean can be as simple as no cussing. And then there's also, like, the subject matter. So Bill Cosby. Yeah. No sex, no, like, things like that. So he was like, basically family oriented storyteller type of clean. So there's like, when you work at a college, you know, any black comedian now, they don't really want you to cuss. So you're just saying jokes, but you're not cussing. They don't care if you do sex jokes and stuff like that. So I talk about everything. I just don't cuss. But I say nigga. I say hell.

[A]

I feel like nigga don't count.

[B]

Nigga don't count to be black. Just a little sprinkle. Just a little sprinkle. And it's culturally relevant to black people. But when I do church gigs, I don't say hell or nigga. So I think I really just talk about my life. And I don't cuss because I didn't cuss for real as a kid. Like, my family was like, you cannot cuss. Like, cussing was a sin. Fully fornicated. You could have a baby out of wedlock, can curse, but cussing is crazy. Like, come on.

[A]

My mom had the sign that said the hate word nigga does not exist in this house. Or you cannot say, really, there's a sign.

[B]

It's like a sign.

[A]

Oh, I remember going to her house and she was yelling at her brother, stop saying that.

[B]

Your mom.

[A]

Well, I don't know if you know, my brother's insane and they're.

[B]

I just saw him.

[A]

Just bounce.

[B]

Darrington, he was defending you from one of your many attacks on the Internet. I think it was your clothes. He was like, y' all can't say Mecca can't dress. We can tell her that she can't dress. And I was like, oh, y' all families. It's are funny people. Yeah, but, yeah, I'm a clean comedian in the sense that I don't cuss, but I talk about eating coochie sex, whatever.

[A]

And they blame us for your yapping.

[B]

I said, oh, this was just great. Y' all didn't.

[A]

I never said say that.

[B]

No. Yeah.

[A]

First of all, can't be talking about eating chitlins. I don't endorse that. I don't endorse that at all. I said, now when we said yap.

[B]

Yeah. And I was yapping like you had.

[A]

Already pre planned comments.

[B]

Whoa. I had a list of yapping things.

[A]

I said, oh, okay. He's been waiting on this.

[B]

I've been waiting on my moment, but that's different for me. I just don't cuss. But I try to be like Sinbad. That's who my North Star was.

[A]

And what did we say?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Mind you, I think, and this is a compliment, when you can look at people's comedy and kind of look and tell who their people are who, like, inspired them. I always be like, thank you. Like, when people be like, you like Cat Williams, huh? Thank you. I actually love Cat Williams.

[B]

Yeah. And he's brilliant. He's brilliant. So I'm like, Sinbad and Arnes. J, R, S J's physical comedy was like, I'd be dying laughing. And you could be like, only he can do the stuff he can do. Sinbad is one where people didn't realize he was not cussing. He'd get off stage like, man, that was funny. Did he cuss? I don't remember him cussing. But he's not like, hey, guys, God is good. Like, I couldn't do that. Kind of like, that's just corny to me.

[A]

For me, I feel like that's the line. I think people hear clean cut comedy and they associate with corniness. And it's like, eh, not quite. There's a way.

[B]

And cussing makes things funnier. Like, so it can be a good cuss is a good, you know, emphasis on a joke. It's a good period or exclamation point. So sometimes without cussing, you gotta be funnier. Because sometimes the cuss word is the perfect button. But if you don't have that, then you gotta be really creating. Like, how do I get that laugh without the option of that word? But I wasn't, like, leaving out cuss words. I just grew up not cussing. So I've been trying to get into it lately. Cause I no longer feel like it's what I was taught. I no longer subscribe to that.

[A]

So you feel like you faking it when you like.

[B]

No, I don't feel like I'm faking it.

[A]

Damn. Nah, I practiced that. That was dope. That was good. That was good.

[B]

At home I practiced.

[A]

Yeah, let me go home on there. Let me just start throwing the things out like dice.

[B]

I practice at home exactly sometimes it's not really natural all the time. Because I didn't grow up, I don't have, like, a lot of experience cussing. So I stub my toe. That's my best practice. I always say, like, when I get it, like, I'm not. I get an audition with cussing, I feel like I cuss way too hard. And I don't book it because I'm like, ooh, I get to say it's for work.

[A]

Fuck yeah.

[B]

Probably do.

[A]

White people say, nigga, yeah, nigga, hey, nigga. Yeah.

[B]

That's what I've been practicing for a while. But, no, I'm not ready to release a debut album. Even though my kids cuss my oldest. At least he admitted it. And my youngest, I'm sure. I'm sure does as well.

[A]

Oh, yeah, they cuts up. I bet you. I know they do as soon as that, girl. I mean, yeah. Ask someone with a mama who doesn't curse. But my dad curses really bad.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

Oh, my parents are completely opposite. Like, so that. That's how this happened. Because it's like Howard. Even when, like, Jamila came for the first time, like, obviously years ago, I met my mom and was like. I was confused. I don't have. Her mom created this. I said, I don't think this. There's. There's missing information.

[B]

So your mom is way churchy.

[A]

My mom is very. And I mean, soft voice churchy. Her mother is like this. Hi, darling.

[B]

Really?

[A]

I mean, and when I tell you on the Internet, trying to be like, not only is she churchy, she's like an uppity black lady. She's like Claire Huxtable adjacent. Yes. Like, when people talk about, like, flips and rolls in the hair press. Really? Yes. She got told she went to the uppity church, and she said, well, why don't you come on up with me.

[B]

Girl?

[A]

Shut up.

[B]

Is your dad not churchy at all?

[A]

So my dad is.

[B]

Or is he Baptist? Are y' all Baptist?

[A]

So my mom is Baptist, and one of my aunts is Kojic. So that's how I. And we stayed with them a lot. So I went to both churches.

[B]

You're like, blade.

[A]

Yeah. Of church.

[B]

Of church.

[A]

And my dad is just. Was like, really, really in the streets, was Muslim, got himself cleaned up, and then got with my mom because she had, like, wanted a project and that she got. And that's what it comes down to. And then we got Mecca and Darius.

[B]

I love it. That makes so much sense. So when there's so much of your, like, you pull from each parent.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that becomes you. Like, my kids are like, that. They have some of me and some of lists but turned up to the max.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, I'm sarcastic and I can be a jerk, but I know when I'm being a jerk and I pull back, I try to. My youngest son, he's jerk to the max.

[A]

Oh, I love that. I love a little me.

[B]

Big sarcasm, like. And then my oldest son is a diplomat McGee, the way I am, but even more easygoing. Like, anybody's been like that since a baby. Like, it's crazy how much your children's personalities develop so early.

[A]

How you get that from me early? How did you even know that?

[B]

How did you even know it was. It was in the Criminal.

[A]

I'm watching that happen with my son out. Mind you, he's four. Half the sentences are gibberish.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But the other half. Was that a joke? Was that. Was that drama? Was that. He goes, oh, my God. How do you know how to clear your game, bruh? What? You're four. What are you talking about, bruh? Like that. And it's like. I laugh. It's gonna be very fun.

[B]

He'd be hearing you yap, though, at home.

[A]

And he stayed.

[B]

That's his background noise.

[A]

He yapped like. Wow.

[B]

Yeah. I love this.

[A]

I. Absolutely. You're kind of cool. Like, I can't even be mad. I would hate to have a boring kid. I never wanted that. That's my. That's my worst nightmare. Yeah.

[B]

Having a boring kid.

[A]

Yeah. Because I feel like with me and my brother, we were so, like. My mom was. We don't curse. We don't do anything. But see, my dad was always still at the house. Cause they were together. So when I was at school, I'd be like, fuck, bitch, ho. And I would just go off in just succession of curse words. And my mom would be like, I don't know where she's getting that from. I have an idea, actually. You know exactly where it's coming from.

[B]

That's hilarious. Yeah, that's funny.

[A]

Wow. Let's talk about Kev on stage.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

As an entity.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Oh, as in the entity.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because, you know, pause before we even get there. You know, there was a group of people, myself included, that thought your name was Kevon.

[B]

So many people thought my name was Kevon.

[A]

When that tweet dropped that you let us know that your name was Kevin. I said, well, who the hell is Kevon? I didn't know it was three words. First of all, he always capitalizes the O. You know, sometimes capitalize random letters and names. You know, we do that. We like Kevin on stage. You know, you thought it was a play on words. I thought it was like, Jamie Foxx. J. What? You know, just. You know, just. Because it just give, like. Yeah, Kevon. Stage. That is my stage. Oh, stage was your last name.

[B]

People thought stage Was my last name like I can give you Kevon.

[A]

I thought it was like a stage last name. Like it was something he. He made up. Yes, but I said okay. Like I literally. I spammed his tweet for so long. He capitalized the K, the O and the S on everything. You know what I mean?

[B]

Shamila just ran past all that.

[A]

Come on. Come on.

[B]

That's so funny.

[A]

You do got a nice ring to it though. It's a lot of.

[B]

Come on. That's a regular black.

[A]

Come on.

[B]

There's a lot of. Come on.

[A]

I'm not looking at all the spaces. That part makes sense. It's a stage that doesn't. That's what I track. You know what I'm saying?

[B]

That stage gotta let you know that.

[A]

It ain't something different now that we know Back to the entity. I just had to get that off. Was it always your plan to get to this point where you have full on production studios and like kind of have the Kevin on stage studios or was it kind of just like it led you to there?

[B]

No, not my plan at all. Not even in the least. Zero ever. I'm going to tell you what's crazy about aging and growing. I believe you. You fall into your purpose. I mean some people know from jump like you said. I know I'm meant to be famous and this like. And you know exactly how I want to be an actor. But that's your desire of who you want to be. I don't think that's necessarily your purpose. Not for you, I mean just like your purpose. So I feel like I fell into my purpose. I always wanted to be in entertainment or actually let me back up. I always wanted to be great. At the time I thought I was going to be in the NBA.

[A]

What time was it? Just so we're clear, like the year where you middle school. Cause I was in. I played ball too.

[B]

I don't know if you saw. I played ball too. Were you hooping though?

[A]

I was hooping.

[B]

Was you hooping? The fundamental game of basketball. The W in hello.

[A]

I wasn't hooped too. I was an upward bound. That's a Christian basketball league. I remember I went down Bible scripture. No score, huh?

[B]

Were you good?

[A]

I was the only point guard. Were you? So I was important. I don't know if I was good, but I was important. I never sat out. That's what I.

[B]

So I was really actually a solid basketball player. Like I was an AAU player when I was young. I remember we had. We had got to Go to tournament to Orlando. And then my dad was like, you ain't got the money. So I was solid. I wasn't amazing.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But in my mind, you are only going to do the best of whatever you're doing. So if I'm playing basketball, I'm going to the NBA. And I remember the moment I realized I was not going. Two things early on, I should have known. But when I was in high school, when I was a junior, they were. My coach was like. Because I was like an over or undersized forward. I was six foot tall, but I wasn't like.

[A]

You were six feet.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I'm six feet now.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, we were just trying to get that. Details.

[B]

5 11. I was 5 11.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I didn't hit six foot talls in college.

[A]

Gotcha.

[B]

But I wasn't. I wasn't a crazy handle guard. Like, I was just playing. I wasn't like training. But in my junior year of high school, there's this guy named Reggie Williams who played my position. And there was a dude named Quinn Dre. Reggie Williams is like 6, 5, 2, 40. He ran like a 4 4.

[A]

Not much you could do about that.

[B]

Yeah. And my coach was like. And he went to the NFL like he was drafted number nine. We went to the same high school, same college. He was playing my position. My coach was like, look, you can be on the varsity team, but you're not going. He's gonna play.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And Quin Dre's gonna play. You gonna be with us. But as far as like. But you gonna be here and you gonna be close. So he's like, you could either sit the bitch on varsity or you could play jv. And I was like, I'll play. Like, I had no ego even then. I was like, nah, I like playing basketball. I did not care about, like, what people thought. None of my games were at 3:30 and nobody was there. But I enjoyed playing. You could come and play.

[A]

You enjoyed the hustle.

[B]

I liked playing basketball. It didn't make sense for me to sit in. Should have known then, but I didn't. I said, my time's gonna come. Jordan was cut. That was my thing that was holding me. Jordan got cut. Didn't realize he got cut as a freshman from the varsity team, but didn't matter.

[A]

But what do Christians. They booed Jesus too, 1000%.

[B]

So after my senior year, my coach set me up a tryout at like some Division 2 way college. Pinehurst Valley College, something like that. When I tell you these white boys in the woods was cooking me so bad.

[A]

Ooh. He was getting cooked by whites.

[B]

Jameela, I'm talking about. I went to guard the bigs, and the dude dunked on me about three times in a row.

[A]

That's racist. Boom.

[B]

Boom. Big racism.

[A]

Just call me a nigga.

[B]

Threw it off the backboard. Boom. So I said, let me guard the guard, right? This white boy was so fast and so strong. He was cooking me. I'm going here. He over here. Cash. Cash. I went. The coach subbed me out. I sat down and I did this. I said, oh, yeah.

[A]

And that's it.

[B]

This for sure.

[A]

It's done for.

[B]

I took my shoes off.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I said, the NBA is not for me.

[A]

It's not happening.

[B]

I think the people are trying to get our attention.

[A]

Oh, three minutes. But that was three minutes ago.

[B]

Three minutes to what? Oh, an ad break. Oh, my bad. I messed it up. And I saw y' all wasn't catching the notes.

[A]

I wasn't.

[B]

I was like, they both throwing up gang signs.

[A]

And y' all was just like, you couldn't make it to the NBA. And he knew he wasn't getting there.

[B]

So fast forward to all deaf. I remember I was the head of talent and the head of content, so my job was to find and develop talent and approve, help develop shows, create them, massage them, make them good and stuff. And I realized I love to find talent, place them in stuff, get them paid, help them elevate, go on to stuff. I never wanted to, like, hold them down. You know, one of the, you know, adages there is, like, you are not a star is not meant to be held. You should. You should work with them while they're in your orbit, and if they go past, then let them go. And that's been my philosophy. I don't try to hold on to people like that. So that's when I feel like I develop my purpose. Like, I want to get my stuff off, get my jokes off, but I also want to create opportunities for other people. And that's where Kevin Stage Studios came from. It's like, I want to help and work with people. Like, don't get me wrong, it's not like a charity. I benefit as well. But I love to find new people, work with them, help develop them, help get them out there more, or just showcase a different part of them that they don't get to do on their own. So that's why, like, finding you guys and then finding how you guys want to act and be like, oh, come act with me, and I will but if y' all become, like, stars and you get on Abbott or whatever, I'll be like, hell, yeah. Like, and I won't feel like, get me on it. Like, I don't work like that. Like, people have. Like, Trevor Wallace, for example. White dude. He was my intern. Josh was my intern, too, but he wouldn't get me a turkey sandwich on the first day at all. Death. And I respected him so much. I was like, yeah, can you go give me a turkey sandwich? And he was like, no. And I was like, wow. And I never asked him nor anybody else to get me anything. I went and got my lunch. But Trevor Wallace was also my intern, and he surpassed me years ago. Like, he's touring theaters, killing and stuff. But he was funny then. So I don't be like, no, Trevor, take me on tour. Like, do your thing, man. If you become big and you smash, like, kill it. You know what I'm saying? So I think that has always served me well, because people, if they can look out for me or if it ever works, they do. But if they. They don't, it's not. I don't owe. I don't feel owed from anybody I've ever worked with.

[A]

So, Kev, you definitely, like, been crossing over into mainstream. As we talked about. You have churchy, and now you have the hospital on bet. What is it like battling between the idea of being deemed secular when it's kind of like you came up doing churchy type content? And how are you being authentic and true to yourself? We prepared well. You know, we went to school. We went to school of journalism. We went to school first. I know you did. I'm proud. You know, we got the questions on the cards.

[B]

School.

[A]

Yes. Come on. They gonna sit there and talk like, we ain't been. We don't have no degree. No, no, no, no. We did do that.

[B]

You got your degree. Here's what I will say. Church people don't get upset with me. I feel like I know my path, and it's not just for people in the church. And I don't think it ever really was. I honestly think church people don't get mad at me. Y' all be so mad at me. Don't be so mad at me.

[A]

They do be mad, and I grew up this way.

[B]

That's how I know it's true.

[A]

Not when they got mad at me.

[B]

I loved it. I think sometimes, and I'll answer your question, but I think sometimes as church people, we forget that the whole point is to go out and bring more people To God. The whole thing is to spread the good news. We. And I'm saying we because I was guilty of this, too. We end up just trying to be more saved than the other church people. We don't do know. It's a big old who's the most saved competition. How you know, who has the most titles and degrees and all that type of stuff. And the, like, people who are not saved are not part of the equation anymore. So to answer your question, I feel like I am a Christian comedian who is a comedian. I mean, I'm a comedian who's a Christian. A Christian comedian is like a person to me. Like, everything is about God, which. There's nothing wrong with that. But I think I'm more built to bridge the gap and to show people what it means to be a Christian, how a Christian can look. Cause a lot of times people have had a lot of bad examples of Christianity, and that's the only example. And they either write off the religion or the person. And that's not my approach. I think I need to be able to go everywhere, and how I conduct myself should be a reflection of God. And the thing. This is my personal thing a lot of times, who we respect as good Christians, when I know these people, who they really are, and they feel like they have to keep up this version of themselves because that's what the church demands. But that mask, it's not for me. And that's a personal issue with Kevin. Like, I grew up in many churches, including my own family, where we. Everybody kind of wore the mask at church. And I felt like, well, this is because I believed it. I thought we was being for real. And even my own family member, like, drinking is a sin. Drinking is a sin. Drinking is a sin. And I found, like, Seagram's bottle behind my grandma's tv.

[A]

And I'm like, you be drunk.

[B]

What is.

[A]

You lied.

[B]

What is this?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I was, like, 8, and I felt gypped. I felt lied to. Like, I thought this was a sin. And then when I was, like, 19, I went to my grandma's house, and they had Zimas in there. My aunt had some Zimas in there. And I was like, come. What? I said, can we drink? She was like, you can't glove. Glub, glub. So I was like, so is it a sin or is it not a sin? And then when I was older, one of my pastors was like, you know, Kev, you know how you can't. Technically, you can drink. Amen. But I don't Want the people to fall so. So I drink. I drink at home, you know, And I'll be on the cruise and international waters, I'd be. I'd be having a good time, good carnival. You feel me?

[A]

Hello.

[B]

So I was like, why are we doing this? Yeah, why are we doing this? Then when I was starting off in stand up, I used to work at Nate Jackson's comedy club. And the church people would pull up and they'd have drinks and be having a good time. They'd be like, don't tell my pastor. And I'm like, I'm in here. Yeah, I'm finna go on stage, actually, so I don't subscribe to that. Yeah, if you don't like me or like how I live, that's fine. But I can tell you this is really who I am. You won't have no dark secret of, like, Kev actually punches dogs, y'.

[A]

All.

[B]

Like, there's nothing coming out like that. Like, who I present myself is who I am. And I think so many of the pastors, I know, they actually are funny, cool people, but they're, like, trapped in the version of what it means to be a pastor. And I think that's part of the reason I think I'll never go into pastoral ship, because you get put on this pedestal, and I think that's too dangerous. And I think the world is too big to just cater to the church only. I think we should be people who are bringing people to the church and whatever that means. And I will also add, this is just my role. The Bible says, amen. One plants, one waters, God gets the increase. So I think there's room for Mike Todd, because he's great for getting young people who are New Mecca. Stay with me, y'. All.

[A]

You're losing me.

[B]

There's room for him, right? Because there's certain people who can only hear from him. There's room for B. Simone in her journey. My niece sees herself in B. Simone. She's not ready for. Yeah. And Sarah Jakes, she's such a perfect, like, version of the Jakes for this generation. When I was a kid, TD was, you know, td.

[A]

She found herself.

[B]

Oh, my God, please. My mom had that album.

[A]

I love it. I see how they was getting crunk to it.

[B]

But I think there's also room for, like, Clarence McClendon, who was the only pastor that challenged me when I moved to la. Like, challenged, like, my mind when I first moved, because I had been in church my whole life. You start hearing the same sermons, and I Think there's. There's room for all these people, and they're all necessary for the kingdom because you're at different journeys. When you're a young person in Christ, you might need this pastor, and you might outgrow that person because you've been studying, study, studying. You might need somebody different. So I think my role is for the people who will find God in me, and hopefully they'll go to whatever place there is. But I think sometimes we try to focus on making everybody like us, and then it's just to save the Olympics. And that's what I learned early. That's actually the thing that turned me off, is when I was doing straight up Christian comedy, only in the church with my boy, they were like, you shouldn't even be laughing about this. God, this is. God is not clean.

[A]

You're just too serious for me.

[B]

And I said, you can't.

[A]

You can't laugh about nothing. I don't remember that.

[B]

The Bible says laughter is like a medicine. So I remember this district missionary we was doing. We was doing. We used to do this thing called Clayton and Earl, me and my boy Ant. We dressed up with old man wigs. He wore, like, a fat stomach. And we had makeup and stuff. And we would just be in there having fun. Super churchy, though. Like, nothing even risque. And this district ministry just was like, this is not of God. She stood up and said that, this is not of God. This is not a Christian in church. And she walked out. And when she left, like, all her role left. And it was like how Birdman left the Breakfast Club.

[A]

This is sacrilegious.

[B]

And then it was just weird in there. But before that, everybody was laughing. But once she didn't think it was funny. Funny. We was just doing stuff that we had, like, aunt grew up in church, too.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So we're just doing stuff that we saw, like, really was the old Playmakers videos. We're just doing that on stage. So I was like, oh, we can't please all these people anyway. Even we're doing Playmakers video. People be in the comments like, this is blasphemous. Y' all don't even know what that means.

[A]

Don't even know. Just.

[B]

You literally don't know what that word means.

[A]

You don't know what's going on.

[B]

You don't know what you're talking about.

[A]

Words mean things and then, like, definitions. Yes.

[B]

Do you remember Carlton Pierce?

[A]

Yes. I still love his music. I don't care. Yes.

[B]

You got to know God. I want you to Come over here and get to know him for real.

[A]

Cause you not.

[B]

Cause everything's not a game. Jesus is coming back. He's coming back. Javita. He gonna ring that bell. And are you gonna be there with the rapture? Woo.

[A]

I'll bring that bell.

[B]

But Carlton Pearson commented on our YouTube video from his YouTube channel, it was 10 black preachers we were making fun of. It was like the ten styles. And he was like, yo, the playmakers paraphrasing. He was like, they're showing you how much of this is theatrics and not rooted in anything but, like, charisma. And I was like, oh, my God. Carlson Briston commented on a YouTube video. So these were like my heroes. So I knew we were on the right track then because they completely ostracized.

[A]

Him, I was going to say.

[B]

And then adopted his. A lot of his ideologies later.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Kev knows ball.

[B]

Yeah. He was a heretic. He was a heretic before. When I was a kid, he was a heretic.

[A]

And now Kirk Franklin walked around saying the same thing he was saying. That's why I have such an appreciation for a Kirk Franklin, because he has a way of blending that secular, worldly sound.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And I think it's funny because a lot of really, really devout Christians, some who don't necessarily take to him, but some who do don't even realize so much of what he does is sampled.

[B]

One from.

[A]

From the world. From worldly, secular sounds.

[B]

I had a YouTube video about how much of Christian music is sampled. Boy, they tore me to shreds.

[A]

A lot of it.

[B]

A lot of it sampled. They good back and forth. Even stuff that's not directly sampled. Like Fred Hammond and then was pulling from R and B themes.

[A]

Boys. Boys to Men.

[B]

Boys to Men. Commissioned and that. And R and B singers used to have basically a gospel music soul. Child's song Love was really titled Lord, but his record label made him change it, so he changed it to Love. But Kirk's another good example. Like, he's going to connect with people that. That only he can connect with. When I was a kid, he was making the only fun gospel music.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Hip hop music.

[A]

Be scary.

[B]

It be scary.

[A]

Going, wait, my mom played that. I used to be. So am I going to die? That's. I'm like, this is a. Where I'm going.

[B]

I'm going up beyond.

[A]

Like, it. It sounds six. Yeah. And it's like a spell. Like, I think I'm going to die. So he made it, like, cool and fun and Stuff. And it's like, then now when you see him in more like, the social space, like, doing interviews, he be cussing.

[B]

It's like he be cussing regular on Dinner King. Once he released that mixtape, he.

[A]

He.

[B]

He let it go.

[A]

Kirk is sw. I know. He a different.

[B]

No reason.

[A]

No reason. He.

[B]

You don't need to be that strong, sir. Really, like a little muscular man. He like Maurice Jones drew, like, trying.

[A]

To show a little bit of that little clap.

[B]

Little clap.

[A]

Come on, listen. I see.

[B]

But at the same time, he puts on a show, and if you gonna sell a ticket, I want a show. Don't get me in here and be like, this is for worship. Then why. They know why did it cost my dollar?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I could have went, why cost my dollar?

[A]

Speaking of that concert. Because you know the. You know the one, the real.

[B]

Where they tore me up.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Because I had one margarita.

[A]

Here's the thing. I, during that same period, went to the same concert. We have different content, different audience, though. So my whole bit was, I'm gonna catch the spirit off the spirits. I made a video of me and my homegirl pre gaming and going into the concert and losing our minds to the Clark Sisters. I'm like, look at Ms. Karen with that pink in her head. Go ahead, girl. Like, drunk out my mind, Mind you.

[B]

My.

[A]

My comments.

[B]

Didn't you say something about Marvin Sapp?

[A]

And that's the bishop. We on YouTube.

[B]

That's the video, too.

[A]

That's the video at that. Marvin Sapp is a noob. He's a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. And on stage, he was trying to do a little. He was bishop. Yeah.

[B]

That little Gucci shirt.

[A]

Yeah, a little. A little. Close the doors of the church.

[B]

Close the doors. It was Close the doors.

[A]

Close the doors of the church. It was the second. It was the.

[B]

Close the doors.

[A]

Close the doors.

[B]

Close the doors.

[A]

And what was even funnier about when that happened, this is after me and him have had our online interactions. They. In my comments, Mecca, what you got to say about Marvin saying, close the door? I said, y' all ain't never been in no revival.

[B]

I literally did that.

[A]

Close the doors of the church. I said, it gets kind of. It gets kind of weird. I said, well, honestly. Honestly, it makes me feel like y' all haven't been to church or you're.

[B]

Not as churchy as you're trying to make it seem.

[A]

It is because him saying close the doors of the church was me and my brother would have been, yeah, close the doors.

[B]

Close the doors.

[A]

Close the doors.

[B]

Y' all gonna get the money knowing.

[A]

I wasn't gonna put nothing in place, right? Yeah, please. So how did you respond to them going off on you?

[B]

Oh boy.

[A]

For your marg. For your skinny margarita.

[B]

We were pre gramming too, me and Melissa, Mel and Greg. We went to this little Mexican restaurant before the show. We was just having time.

[A]

We just was that was that first. That first. I mean I went to the second one too. But it was really good the first time around just cause it was new.

[B]

So it was like a church kid's dream. And the funny thing about it is I wasn't gonna drink. Not because of any like felt away. The line was stupid long, like way longer than. Cause I just saw Bruno there and the lines weren't as long as. And I was gonna get a drink. I was like, oh man, this line is long. I'm not getting no drink. My brother in law brought me one. He was like, kev, I got one, you want one? I was like, absolutely.

[A]

Now we're talking.

[B]

Didn't even think about it. I just, you know, my mind to video make is very quick. And I made the video and didn't think about it. And then once you enter the Christian content creators realm, they get their sights on you. Woo. Sometimes I feel like all they do is search out other Christians to line up.

[A]

I can say I'm glad I entered that realm on like I was raised in church. But don't come over here with that shit. They already know how I get down over at Machiavelli's page. Don't come over here with that shit.

[B]

You know what? I'm so confident in who I am now, you can't really knock me off my square because first of all, they was selling the liquor. Sales was insane.

[A]

Hello.

[B]

Down to the reunion.

[A]

They wouldn't have had them liquor things 1000%. Second of all, you passed it at my church in the line to get drink.

[B]

Of course. And I'm not at church. I am at the forum. Like this is an event. Two or more are gathered, right? And guess what? You can't whoop me.

[A]

Hello.

[B]

What you finna do? I'm grown. What you, you gonna make a YouTube video about me? I'm now used to being content. My choices being people's content. I'm now used to my name when you, when you say something about me. It gets more videos than some of your other videos. So sometimes it's just good. It's just.

[A]

And you be like, yeah, go ahead.

[B]

This is good content. I had church People like, what you should have did. DMing me. What you should have did is minding your business.

[A]

Hello. Because you should have said, mind your damn business.

[B]

Because I'm not. Go again. I'm not doing nothing that I'm not. I'm not putting a version of me that's not out there. And the funny thing is I had. When I went on tour, I had so many pastors who, when we did the backy tour, so many who's like, kev, I ain't gonna hold you. I was drinking there too. Some of them were like, I. I have a church in this city. I went and saw it in another city just so I could have a drink.

[A]

This is insane. You okay? This is insane.

[B]

You spent 2,000 more dollars, whatever is to buy a flight and a hotel just so you can have a drink at a concert. And they came to your city. I'm not doing all that. So if God is upset with me, he gonna have to deal with me. You ain't got no heaven or hell it to put. Put me in. You'll be okay.

[A]

You will be okay.

[B]

You will be all right. And that's the thing. Like, as a content creator, you gotta. You got to let people be okay being mad about you. And I wouldn't even find hardly anything if people didn't tag me like, kev, you seen this? Yes.

[A]

I turned my tags off. Why are you sitting here?

[B]

I turned out about turning my tags off too.

[A]

I turned them off cuz I didn't. Like, I was just like, I don't care. I turned the tags. I just don't care. Contextually. Whenever. Whenever it gets hot. Let me just. Not today. If I can't see it, it don't exist once the coast.

[B]

Because sometimes I want to go and see, but it's like, you gonna be mad. And also as a content creator, I get it. But I'm all this is. I ain't never said this publicly, but I'm gonna say it now. I'm. I'm always leery. Like, when you are a Christian and Christianity is your business.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And it's how you pay your bills, then you. You. There's things you will say and do that you have to say and do.

[A]

Wake it up.

[B]

And if. And that might not be how you feel, but you know, your audience will either know what. So you know, there's nothing you can. I gotta say this. You become a politician, this is what my base will be. You know what's so funny about that? Beyonce? I can follow my road through Christianity Based on Beyonce. When I first went to my first Beyonce concert, me and this were just talking about this. It was. It was on the run, I believe.

[A]

The first one or the second one?

[B]

It was the first one before Jay Z. No, no, it was on the run too. You're right. And she came with Jay Z. And I was. We sat in the Rose bowl way up. We didn't have bread like that. And I took a picture of the Rose Bowl. I was like, no, no, just the seats. And them Christians from back home was like, I know you. You have changed. You went to Beyonce's concert. Everything we thought was gonna happen to you. Now I be on the flow.

[A]

Hello. Hello.

[B]

Cause what you finna do?

[A]

What are you finna do?

[B]

You're not gonna stop me from seeing the greatest living entertainment.

[A]

You know what's crazy? You won't stop me reading her mama's book. I knew, you know, she's a singer. So, you know, back then, singers were coming up in church. They're very churchy.

[B]

Very churchy.

[A]

Ms. Tina is still connected to St. John's and he. Like, they still do work. And even when she was describing how she raised them in terms of, like, I said, oh, dang. Y' all had to go feed the homeless, too. And y' all had to go do this too. I'm like, oh, well, now I really don't feel bad, right? Y' all really not gonna make me feel no type of way. She over here telling y' all how she raised the kids.

[B]

And if you live in la, their bands, they are the band for Noel Jones and all like that. They the best musician in the world.

[A]

Musicians being in the church. Best singers from the church.

[B]

Hello, their church.

[A]

That's what's the problem with R B 1000%.

[B]

And I feel like it's. I can't live. This is my one life. I can't live it how you want me to live it because oh, oh. Y' all want to know what changed my mind? Helped me so bad? Erica Campbell had a song called I Love God. You don't love God.

[A]

What's wrong with you, right?

[B]

Lady?

[A]

You a hood classic.

[B]

Hood classic. Love it. Love E. She is my pastor. She's my first lady. I go to her church when I go, right? But loved the song. I thought it was so fun. And this lady made a video about it. She was in a van and she just was like, God is not pleased with this. Y' all are going to hell.

[A]

Just cause it got a beat.

[B]

Just cause I got a beat. So I I made a video in return to her video. And then she set her sights on me. Kev on stage is a Christian clown. I mean, lit me up, right? Cause I listened to that song. Many years later, somebody in the stage crew sent me a video. That lady denounced Christianity.

[A]

Because when you go so hard, sometimes you got to. What is the. I just said this. That's so crazy. We just. From the episode. You know what? My bad.

[B]

And I just thought, had I listened to her. She don't even believe in God no more. You love him so much that you don't love him at all now. He ain't even real.

[A]

It's too much. I just can't.

[B]

You didn't want me to listen to a categorical gospel song. Now you don't believe in God at all.

[A]

All them beats and drums.

[B]

All them beats and drums.

[A]

That ain't right.

[B]

Holiness is right.

[A]

I need to find out if she's a witch. Cause that's usually that pipeline. She probably a witch now.

[B]

So I was just like, man, I'm still with him. You don't love him no more. You don't care about him. You don't know if he's real. And you was mad at a gospel song.

[A]

See what happens when you're too worried about other people and you trying to judge.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And chastise.

[B]

So y' all just gonna have to be cool. Like, my grandma don't even like everything I do. She come to my shows and she's like, well, you know, it's so funny. Me and angel went on tour. Boy, she came. My grandma came to the dressing room. She said, you know, it's a little filthy for me and Angel. You. You really are filthy.

[A]

Really nasty.

[B]

It just kept going that.

[A]

I ain't like that other girl. I don't like that.

[B]

But I'm sorry. This is. You gonna have to live with it. Like, I'm 42 years old.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You can't whoop me. You can't tell my pastor on me. And my grandma been to my shows. I'm not doing anything that I don't believe in. But I can't live my life. For there's too many people with too many opinions, and those opinions change too much. So y' all going to be okay. You can be mad. That's your right. You can make your video. I hope it does well, but it won't stop me.

[A]

Lessons we had to learn. Lessons we had to learn.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I be watching y' all go through. And I'd be like, my sweet summer.

[A]

Children Sidelines hun get whooped.

[B]

Well, the thing is, I'll be texting y' all sometimes, you know, but the thing is, that only happens if you are the nigga.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It only happens when you. When talking about you will get my video views. If you are nobody, no one cares. So once they start setting their eyes on you, and I don't mean this as, like, y' all ain't nobody, but, like, categorically, I do.

[A]

Yeah, I absolutely do.

[B]

I literally mean, it only happens when. When people see you as a person worthy of taking a shot at. Because when y' all were small content creators, nobody was like, look who Jamilia.

[A]

I said this. I was like, you know, when I was anywhere, probably 50k to 100k, I was like, that was my best time on TikTok. I had cultivated the perfect audience. They got every joke. Everyone loved me. I was like, this is great, you know, not the same no more, but that's what I want.

[B]

And the same thing happened to me when it was funny.

[A]

Like, you, you dumb ass bitch, your.

[B]

Feet don't even touch the ground. Now, see how you had to edit that in there? But the thing is, even when I was on YouTube, it was the same way. Like you. You followed me, but it's actually worse for y'. All. And what I mean, like, back in the day, when it was just like, old nigga, but when it was just YouTube, things didn't go this viral this quickly. You couldn't find the wrong side of the Internet.

[A]

It, like, stayed in a certain box.

[B]

It stayed in because. Because what happened is if I wanted you to see this funny video of Kevin Them, you would click the link and you would text it, and then you would text it to Mecca. The algorithm didn't share it to you.

[A]

Now, TikTok, so interesting. YouTube damn near still like that.

[B]

YouTube now. Yeah. But now things go viral in. Outside of the intended audience. So. Same way, as you were just saying early on this, this never happened. Things never went outside of, like, Kev fans for, like, years.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

And then all of a sudden, it.

[A]

Was like, wait, Exposed to everybody. Yeah.

[B]

And once everybody likes you, once everybody knows about you, that you can't be loved universally, it's impossible.

[A]

All right, so you was featured in the African American History Museum for making some comedic content on social media. And, well, we would consider you a pioneer in this space. How have you stayed relevant with the digital media constantly evolving?

[B]

Well, first, the fact. Funny story about the museum. That video didn't do anything. Absolutely Nothing. Like on YouTube, was not a zero views. Like, nothing. I made it. We were about to move to la. I had that thought, made it, and literally we packed that couch and left within like, a week or two. And many years later, I got an email, and anytime people ask me if they could license my video, I'm like, yes, I don't care. Put me everywhere. Send me my little check. Or don't. I don't care, because I feel like you gonna take it anyway. So I didn't even read the email for real. I was just, oh, Smithsonian, cool. Put on your little TV show. Didn't know what it was.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Museum comes out and people are like.

[A]

Was this before the museum?

[B]

This was like, five years before the museum.

[A]

When they were still creating.

[B]

When they were still creating the archives.

[A]

I had no idea.

[B]

No idea. I thought it was gonna show on the Smithsonian because the Smithsonian reached out.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So technically, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is a Smithsonian museum. I didn't realize that, and I didn't hear about it. Like, I didn't connect the two. So Melissa gets so mad when I tell this story. The museum comes out, people are gone. People start tweeting me, yo, you in this museum. I was like, what? What museum? Smithsonian in D.C. like, text me a picture. Melissa was like, how do we miss this? So I searched Smithsonian. Them folks asked me to come to the opening. They was gonna fly me out. Oprah was there.

[A]

Oh, what? No. Melissa pissed.

[B]

Melissa was like, could have been there. Never followed up at all. So the crazy thing about that is that exhibit will be there for a minimum of 20 years.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

So, like, for something I said comedically, to be categorized as a museum exhibit is insane.

[A]

That's insane. Crazy.

[B]

That is crazy. That's a flex. But it is.

[A]

When they tried to say Kev isn't funny. I mean, but historically categorized, that unfortunately doesn't track with categorized history in a.

[B]

Museum, not only as funny, but as a part of black culture. So I'm funny and culturally relevant. So to answer your question, in order to stay relevant, you got to change. Like, when I was making YouTube videos, the first things we made was, like, before YouTube was even, like, a monetary thing. We were just throwing up anything. This is before Playmakers. I had a channel called K Fred926. And I remember we did, like, lean.

[A]

On your feet on the bank of America desk.

[B]

That was a key bank. But yes, at that time, yes, I got fired from that people time. And rightfully so. They said, you don't come here no more. And we Give you no more dollars. Yeah, Understand. But during that time, we used to. My boy had stolen a video camera from his school. We used to make YouTube videos with that. Lean on me in four minutes. Craig Lewis. Rest in peace to one of them. I didn't mean to be mean. Funny. One of them passed away, and I don't remember what it was. Maybe y' all don't put that part in. I just don't know if it was Craig or Lewis. I'm really not trying to be funny. Everybody's putting their heads down because it's the way you. I. I realized in that moment, I didn't realize it was Craig Lewis. Okay.

[A]

Why you kept going?

[B]

Well, I didn't know because the red light was on. But anyway, I'm not trying to be funny. Yeah, but those are our videos, and they were, like, getting 100 views. And we were like, oh, my God.

[A]

We got it going.

[B]

100 people saw this. We kill it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So then I remember stuff Girls say was going popular, right? And I've been studying YouTube for years at this point. And remember, Billy Sorrell's was a comedian I was aware of. And he did Sub Black Girls say. And he got like, 9 million views. And at that time, that was like.

[A]

That was everything.

[B]

Nine million views is crazy. He got so many opportunities because of that. So we. I just did a play that bombed. We lost all the investors money again. Second time, he gave us 20 grand. We didn't. We didn't give it back to him.

[A]

Are you still in debt?

[B]

No, no. He put his money up. He was a millionaire black dude. He owned a janitorial company. He knew what he was signing for. But everybody got paid.

[A]

Wonderful.

[B]

Except him and us. But everybody who worked for us got paid. I remember, it broke my heart because we had paid one actress $1,000, and my mortgage was around $1,000. And she came to my house to pick up the check. And I remember, like, I held it for a second. I was like, she like, thank you. And I was like, yeah, have a good day.

[A]

Could have used that.

[B]

Could have used that. My mortgage sitting around 12 Honda, right? And we did way more work than anybody, but when you own, that's the risk you take. So we were about to quit. I was gonna coach my son's basketball team. Zae Zae and all his cousins were playing our basketball team, Little Lakewood Longhorns. And I was like, God, if you not gonna let me make this, just take it away from me. Take the desire to even do this away from me. I I can't do this and fail. Like, I'll be happy. I will, you know, coach my son. We'll. I'll be at church. I'll be cool. Like, the next week that I prayed that he did not listen. He did not take it away from me. I saw that going viral, and I said, there's no church version of this. There's no stuff black church girls say. And it's wide open. So me and my brother and aunt did stuff black church girls say and stuff black parents say in the same night. Both those videos hit a million. And, like, the black church comedy part of YouTube was created. Nobody had done it.

[A]

And that's a. That's a good following right there. They're going to watch everything.

[B]

And we were going. Playmakers were going crazy. Every video we did was getting hundreds of thousands of views. We were getting, like 600 from YouTube. We were like, we getting 200 each. He's gonna pay my cell phone bill. Like, that was so much money. Yeah, 200 each. I was like, man, this is. And I, like, almost immediately started Kev on stage Page, because I was like, they ain't gonna box. I'm going solo. Immediately, they were rubbing on them. Not even. But I was like, in the moment. I was like, I can't just only make church videos because I was like, I'm gonna run out. Like, this is not infinite. So I remember I made, like, A T pain 5 o' clock in the Morning video where I preached that song. That's what I used to do as a YouTube, a youth pastor. I would take songs I knew my kids were listening to and find the message in that. And they used to love that. Because I know they're not gonna stop listening to T Pain like that. I was listening to that. But to answer your question, you have to evolve. Eventually, that went away, and it became listicles. 10 things this, 10 things that, 10 things, five ways, four things. Stuff to do with a black barbecue.

[A]

It takes me back to that time. That really was the era. Cause even when me and Jelani first started doing our videos, it was literally the black parents versus white parents.

[B]

Yeah. Oh.

[A]

It was a whole lot of racial stuff going on. I loved it.

[B]

That's all this was at first.

[A]

Yes. I love racial jokes and things like that. I can make fun of racists all day. Like, no. Like, the jokes are infinite.

[B]

Infinite. So we did that.

[A]

The church jokes, too. I always felt like, not that they're infinite, but if you're playing off of real people, you're seeing in church, Then it is infinite because you're always going to see that version of that person come in. But slightly different.

[B]

Yeah, 1,000%. But I remember when it was, when TikTok took over.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And because when I started, everything was widescreen, so most of my came on stage videos that went viral, it was me on the left side and the reference on the right. Like my Waffle House video, it was always like, reference on the right. During the pandemic, I realized TikTok was starting to dominate and TikTok filled the screen and I literally had to use my YouTube, like my study brain. And I was like, okay, I gotta turn my phone this way. Okay. I'm not even, like, used to doing this. Right. And then I remember reels, tried to copy them and shorts came in. And now the Tick Tock formula is it's everywhere. Like, everybody's been caught. All the platforms copy Tick Tock. All videos fill the screen now. And you. There's some similarities. Like, you can do 10 ways in that, but really, like yapping like, I'm watching who's good and who's killing on that platform and being like, okay, how can I put my spin on it? So watching both of y', all, I mean, okay, you guys are hilarious, but you have your own lane. You have what you think is funny and what you think is funny. What I think is funny is different. But the formula I can borrow from you. Right. So I think I have to fall in line with that. And, you know, so now instead of putting my video on the side, now I'll green screen myself in or on TikTok, I'll just talk to the camera or something like that. So I think the reason I've stayed relevant is because I've stayed with however content is being received. I haven't fought to be like, I'm gonna stick to my thing. I just don't approach content like that. I try to stay relevant. And also, if you're relevant to trending topics, whether it's like the thing of today or the style of today, you will feel fresh. Even if you were like, in my case, getting older and been around for a long time. But I've always been doing things the way they are done on the main platform. And that's kind of how I see it.

[A]

And it's like, even as you're getting older, because again, I made my TikTok when I was 24, turning 25, and I'm 29 now. It's not as if my peers aren't getting older with me. It's not as if there aren't people who are like, your age, our age, on the Internet who are, like, having these same experiences.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

So you can stay relevant if you want to.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You can show, like, the audience will show up.

[B]

They will show up. They're on every platform. And also for me, the blessing is I'm on all the platforms. Y' all don't post on Facebook and stuff. Right. You know, that's over, y'.

[A]

All. No, so the thing is, Facebook is what I'm getting into. Currently, I Facebook because I'm from Sacramento and it gets very gutter. But I like to follow the drama with the baby mamas and the baby daddies and the church drama of the people who I went to church with. No, this is. This is real. And then I am in Facebook groups where it's the same thing with a bunch of strangers. She loves a Facebook group. I love a Facebook group so bad. And I, on the other hand, my Facebook is like my actual Facebook.

[B]

Oh, you're just a person. You just like talking to your high school friends.

[A]

And it's like my actual, actual family on there. Like, pretty much my Facebook.

[B]

What? I mean, like a Facebook page. Like a fan page.

[A]

I didn't know that, like, people would really making contact that. Because my Facebook, like, scrolling for you page is nothing but my cousin posting his music. You know what I'm saying? And his shout out. Shout out to Swan.

[B]

You know what I mean?

[A]

Swan life. Swan life. You know what I'm saying?

[B]

I'm telling you that people be on Facebook.

[A]

Apparently, I do have a Facebook page. I just found it not too long ago, and I have 7,000 followers. No, but you know, because when you make an Instagram, it automatically does. What so crazy that y'. All.

[B]

That is so wild.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That I built Facebook first.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then made it Instagram. Then Facebook bought Instagram and they merged.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Y' all are so.

[A]

Facebook is the reason my mom respects what I do, because I was the content was getting over to Facebook, to the older people.

[B]

Facebook was the first place where videos went viral. Viral. That wasn't YouTube, because people didn't hang out on YouTube back then, but they hung out on Facebook. But once that share button went crazy. That's really what made me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Kev on stage for real.

[A]

Kind of skipped into Instagram. Because to take you back to the time we were on MySpace in my. Oh, I was on my.

[B]

Must have been kids then.

[A]

We shouldn't have been on my.

[B]

Y' all had to be children.

[A]

We Were sneaking. I was on MySpace. And then I. We was on middle school MySpace. Facebook came about for some reason. Something about the layout of Facebook. My parents said, y' all can get on this one. I think it wasn't too much colors. It wasn't too many stars and bubbles and tones. But mind you, if you remember, they had an age limit because Facebook was for the college kids. For some reason, my parents was like, this is acceptable. This right? This blue and white. You can do that. And so I made me a Facebook, and that's when everybody was on Facebook. But also, like, I felt like it was a weird bubble, and I'm like, it's not as cool as Instagram. I mean, as MySpace. Then everybody jumped to Instagram. I snuck and got an Instagram without my parents knowing. I got found out. You want to know how I got found out?

[B]

How did you get found out?

[A]

I had posted a. A picture of me biting into a strawberry. My sister sent it to my auntie. My auntie showed my dad and said she being fast eating a straw.

[B]

Were you being fast or you just eating a strawberry?

[A]

Maybe a little bit of both. I don't know.

[B]

You was kissing walls, though, so you probably was. You was kissing walls. I know you trying to do something with that strawberry.

[A]

I have a little bandana and I have my little curly fo at the top. And I said, fast.

[B]

Fast of the black community from the beginning.

[A]

You don't need no damn Instagram. Delete it. So I had to come back years later. So by the time I got back on the socials, everybody was on Instagram. So that's why my Facebook is very family oriented. It's just not. It's. It's. I go to share my milestones and show my baby and look at my cousin drop his mixtapes. Yeah. And see what. See what? All the greens.

[B]

I love this for you. That. That. Listen, my tour, Facebook and Instagram, them folks bought.

[A]

Kev, you're like, a Facebook influencer.

[B]

What? Facebook is my biggest platform.

[A]

I was gonna say, I know.

[B]

3.3 million on the book. Y' all don't know about it.

[A]

Youngster say, like, I. In the last couple years, I had my Facebook influence, and Facebook influencing is a completely. That's its own world. Especially if you're in, you know, country Wayne, that I just got hit. I said, oh, 9.9 million followers.

[B]

He has cracked the code. He's so far ahead, you can't catch him.

[A]

I had no idea.

[B]

Oh, I have.

[A]

And when you're not in that world, it's almost like it's making believe is over here. I'm like, that's how Crunchy Wayne. Because that's how my. That's how my parents feel about TikTok. Because trying to make them like she on tick. Like I said, it wasn't until someone took one of my videos. Yeah. And got a whole bunch of reshares off my. How they be doing?

[B]

And that's what y' all be leaving.

[A]

On the table, you know. Then all of a sudden it was.

[B]

Like, don't listen, old Kev.

[A]

I'm listening.

[B]

What do I do?

[A]

I'm getting on there. As soon as I found I just got everything connected. Now I feel like an auntie next. Like show me. Show me the. Show me how to do this. Open it up, let me see. So you just. I don't even have 7,000. I only have 600 on my face. I love them.

[B]

All of a sudden you gotta make a family fan page. Keep your cousin. You gotta make a fan page.

[A]

But I have one. I just didn't know.

[B]

You got to get on there.

[A]

You know when you post on Instagram and say post on both. I just do the post.

[B]

That's what I do too now and now.

[A]

So I looked and I discovered and I said, mind you, that picture that's on that page is from 2013, baby. It got that old nasty Snapchat filter on it. That little blue one with the purple with the part. Pinch your nose. I used to hate that filter. I said, that was my liberation era. I felt like it was anti black. So I didn't use.

[B]

You had so many phases. Stud mechan was just great. When you put them big old jean shorts on in la. When I tell y'.

[A]

All.

[B]

I watch y', all like, let me go and see who's on the top. I was watching her walk away in real life.

[A]

In real life with the lace panties. Cause I had lace panties. Panties. I'm a girl. I'm a lady.

[B]

Panties.

[A]

I'm not gonna put no boxer. I don't have nothing to pull out. Oh, it was just. It was a skeptical because the kids is wearing big shorts. They're back in style, are they not with lace panties. I'm a grown lady. I'm not in middle school. My panties is lace. Put on some boxes like a real stud. What's wrong with you, Stem? You not ready for that lifestyle.

[B]

Did you say that the studs are homophobic?

[A]

Yes. Very stud homophobic. They are. You ever met an old stud? They don't think about it. They really believe in gender roles. I'm a man.

[B]

My auntie. And this is what this is. See, this is.

[A]

You got a stud, auntie. A stunkle.

[B]

I don't.

[A]

Cause I, too, had a stunkle that darington. You know how every time the videos. This is the way you keep going. Like, we need a moment. No. Every time the videos of the little boys or little kids would be like, you a boy. Darrington literally did that because she had on, like, these type of. Well, you're not a boy, but you get what I'm saying? These type of sandals, and I get in it. Darrington was like, you're a boy. Like, when he was Noah size, he was like, my daddy got them shoes. Are you a boy? And it's like a running joke to this day. Even like, my daddy got them shoes. You're a boy. It's so funny.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

What's your favorite brand of stud? Was your stunkle a church stud?

[B]

You know what's so funny? She's like, my great aunt.

[A]

You got a great.

[B]

She's a stunk living in San Francisco. She's 70 plus.

[A]

Yeah. Ben.

[B]

Ben. San Francisco.

[A]

I'm with her pioneer. She invented studism.

[B]

Ben. Y' all knew the new stuff and getting the locks. We was gay when it wasn't right. We gay when it wasn't cool to be. We was original gays.

[A]

Didn't be the most homophobic ones.

[B]

That's why it made me laugh. She's not like that, but some of her friends, I'd be like, now y' all is.

[A]

They be like.

[B]

Y' all is with them.

[A]

Nah, we ain't do that.

[B]

But they wouldn't. They don't like how the new ones do it. Oh, no, no, no. They don't like.

[A]

They don't like that. They don't like it at all. And they also don't like when the studs are too feminine. They don't like what you doing. What you doing.

[B]

Get out of there.

[A]

Be a gentleman. Why your hands done? They don't play with toenails. What you doing? They be looking at you. This is the same way. It just ain't right. I'm not gonna. L Stunkles talk is like. It'd be so problematic. And you just be like. Like, what did you just say? What you mean? And the thing is, those brand of studs are so homophobic because they meant to be trans. Well, they just don't have. They don't. They don't know that yet. You know, you're Supposed to be a boy.

[B]

There wasn't this many options.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Like, I don't do all that.

[B]

I don't do all that. All right.

[A]

They don't even. I don't like all their pronouns. You are, you are. They, them, you, the background.

[B]

They like original gay stuff. Just be original gay.

[A]

They don't know about.

[B]

Don't do all this new stuff with your green dildos at the wnba, please, cuz.

[A]

I want to know, cuz. Why is the dildo green? That's gay. Just big and green. I said, this was. This was purposeful.

[B]

This was a message.

[A]

Somebody was trying to send a message. I don't. I don't. I don't like that. That was not right. That was so rude, knowing all the strap that's in that building. It was like, why'd you get that one?

[B]

You wanted to make a dick.

[A]

That was crazy. Seriously.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

How we always end up on studs? I mean, you were a student. My sister's game.

[B]

It was a phase.

[A]

Jazz had a stud face, too, though. I don't know if y' all know that. I believe it. My sister. My gay sister.

[B]

Well, she had a stuff face.

[A]

She had a stud face.

[B]

And then she came back, and then she went back.

[A]

This was also when she was white. She had a white face, too. It was. It pissed me off royally. She had an eyebrow piercing. Oh, my God.

[B]

Oh, my eye.

[A]

She walked in that.

[B]

What is it with a ring?

[A]

It was just.

[B]

Or the little.

[A]

The bar.

[B]

The bar.

[A]

When I tell you she walked in, I said, I hate it. Didn't even let her get it out. She's like, well, I love it. Oh, I bet you do. I'm expressing myself. She was real white, Caucasian, and she. She wore things that were just. I'm like, you. This ain't you.

[B]

Hilarious.

[A]

Like, you're gay.

[B]

It's your older sister.

[A]

But she would have. She would have fit in because Jazz got so much ass, you know, the studs be having bodies on them. That's what I'm saying. I'm like, you got all that butt. They're putting all that butt in box. You know what I'm saying? And now you got butt and boob. The thing is, when I see a stud with too much ass, that's the shit that make you want to say holiness is still right? Cause why would you ever. Wait, what are we doing, sister? Studs are always thick, though, caked up. And studs be trying to hide them titties. And it's be like they be trying to be baggy like girl I see that thing. We can still see it. And boobs just be redundant like my God. Dang. All that body. Why do have all that didn't got the nerve to be a touch me not you got to get touched. Oh that body. If you really gay, I want to see your titties. I'm so sorry, sister. Just saying. Then they be doing shit like okay, now you're gonna wear a deep V neck like you a boy. It's titty. It's still giving titty. Put some glitter on.

[B]

It's still giving titty. Oh yes, we're professional.

[A]

Sorry.

[B]

Sorry.

[A]

So season two of Churchy from studs to church. Will there be any stunkles?

[B]

I don't think we'll be there yet.

[A]

In season three, what is something that we can expect.

[B]

Oh man. Season two is funnier. I. I've been saying it's bigger, better, funnier and longer. There's 10 episodes instead of eight.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

There's. It's better written shout out to Rich Washington. He met. He helped make season one better than when it wasn't when I was just writing or me and Sid. It's gotten funnier, but it's also better written in the sense of like how TV shows are made.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Abc, abc. Story themes, things that I was not aware of nor privy to.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because I didn't go to film school or spend.

[A]

They do be teaching that structure.

[B]

They teach that structure and you really got to work within that structure. And also BT the creative exec was helping we. When we did season one, I made it and turned it in this time she. And she was brilliant as well. She. And that's why I say it's better. Like, like funnier. It's not like anybody was bad. It's just you had more resources.

[A]

Yeah. To do what you.

[B]

To do what you do. You have more people helping to make it funnier. So it's funnier. Better stories, a lot more cameos. The first we have no money and it was during COVID So we were really limited.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And me and Melissa were paying for it all. So it was super, super limited. And we had to pay for covet tests which was very expensive at that time. We didn't have that this time. So you will enjoy it. All the episodes are like 22 minutes almost on the dot. So you should breeze through and like story builds into a great crescendo. You will have a good time. I literally can't wait for it to come out because I think people are really Going to be like, dang, this is really good. Like, I'm surprised, Kev. But that's the thing about me. Everything to me is my best thing until my next thing, which is also.

[A]

My best, which is how it should be. I said, that's. That's a good rule of thumb.

[B]

Ryan Coogler said this. It was like, which one's your best film? He was like, they are all the best thing I could have made at that time.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Whichever one come out that's exactly. Like you should be building. Building on top of yourself. I mean, obviously everything's not gonna be great.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I do think Churchy season two is great.

[A]

Yeah. I have a question about the writing. Just because, you know, you've talked about how you were started on YouTube. Y' all used to write YouTube and then now you talked about getting. Being exposed to like actual writing structure.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What, like, what is that? Like, like, how has it changed how you as a writer, do you think it's made you stronger?

[B]

I. It first, it was very frustrating.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because I realized there's a science to this, that when done very well, you don't even realize how well it's done. Like, the Office is one of my favorite shows. Joshi's here. We. I mean, just perfection on screen to me. Yeah, agreed. But I mean, structure wise, when you find out how it works, they do it to a T code, open a store. Intro, B story, aba, act break. ABA or abc. Abac, second act break. AB resolve, Tag.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Done. Turn it in.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And the thing that's hard to get, that made me better. When I was by myself, I could leave everything in. And as a comedian, I. I'm loyal to the joke first. If it's funny, I don't care. If it doesn't make sense, it's hilarious.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The creative exec, both mine rich and Bets, they're loyal to the story first. So if something's funny but it doesn't make sense, they're like, it doesn't make sense. Sense. Right. So they helped me find the actual. It's the same as Tick Tock. Everything has a formula that makes things great. We love movies, but movies are very formulaic because people kind of want a certain experience. And rarely something can veer outside of that, but rarely does it veer outside and be well received. Like, Memento is one of my favorite movies and it goes backwards. It abandons all the rules, but that's like one out of a 10,000 movies that. You know what I mean? So I think I've Learned to work within the structure a lot more than I ever did before. And I realized, like I said, I didn't go to school for this. So you got to learn how to. How to write for tv, which is for tv, which is not the same as for film, not the same as for a play or a novel. They all have their own rules. Luckily for me, Rich worked in TV at a big agency for years. So he knows a lot of stuff. And for me, I just had to let people who be good do their thing. And I could. You know, I'm responsible for the, like, authenticity of the church. Cause sometimes they know tv, but they don't know church.

[A]

Yeah, that ain't how it would be.

[B]

They was trying to pitch jokes that I was like, why you.

[A]

That would never want to laugh at that.

[B]

I remember one joke they pitched, and I said, oh, y' all don't love them. They said, this character should get high and go and eat the communion crackers. I said, I'm not the God I serve. You finna play with communion for real?

[A]

That's reprobated, Mind this convenience. Crackers are also nasty.

[B]

They're disgusting.

[A]

No one would think to eat that.

[B]

You should shake them up like sunflower seeds. I said, y', all, you. Not while I'm ever alive. You would never come after us. And I don't feel good about it. And I. You can come after me for everything I believe in, but I would never do something I don't believe in and stand by it. So I was like. And that's what I told. I might do another show where I won't be as strong. But that church stuff, I said, this is my life. I'm not playing with this.

[A]

And it's like something that you created from the ground up.

[B]

Yes. And it's my life, and it's from a place of love. Not like I'm not disdained. Let's not feel about the black church. So it was a long winded answer, but those are all.

[A]

No. That was exactly what I was trying to prove. For me, that's what I wanted. Thank you. And I saw you made a video after watching Ryan Coogler break down his direction for sinners. And I wanted to ask about how you came into finding your role within production, because I think that that's, you know, a very interesting topic as well.

[B]

So I saw. This has happened to me twice on Ryan Coogler. Once he was talking about Black Panther, and he was talking about one of the Dora Milaje's costumes and how he had integrated green and red to represent Nigeria and femininity. And I said, man, I don't have time. And I honestly do not care about anything to that level of detail. Dave Marvel not gonna hire me to direct. I'll be so bored. I'll be like, does it fit? It's fine.

[A]

Come on, I wanna make this blow some shit up.

[B]

Right. And then again, when he was talking about IMAX and aspect ratios, I literally been watching IMAX movies my whole life. Had no idea why they were more expensive. I was like, this screen is huge.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Had no idea it was a big glasses. Glasses y' all fully paying for. No. I literally never even noticed the aspect ratio was changing. So I was like, oh, that's not my thing. Like, I'm not meant to do that. That in that way. And then actually, before I answer that fully, my boy was like, you don't have to be a director, like Ryan Coogler to be a director. Some of them are, like, cinematic directors. Then you have, like, actor directors. Some directors. Because I don't also. I don't like post. I edit it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm on to the next thing.

[A]

That's actually the most stressful thing. Oh, my. On planet Earth.

[B]

And I knew that when I worked at All Deaf.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

They were like, we got to sit here and go through reaction shots. They'll shoot you. Okay. Oh, I didn't like that one. Oh, that one's good. We need more reaction shots.

[A]

I'm like, hours and hours and hours do it.

[B]

I'm not gonna sit in here and scroll through reaction shots for. For my whole life. I'm done with this. I want to make something new.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, so that's how I am. I realized, like, I like to start big. I like to make it. Then you go edit it. I don't. As long as things are like. Like, oh, I know. That was funny. Make sure that makes it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But lesson I. I don't move. I want to make something new now. So I think I leave it to people who love that stuff.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To do that stuff. And that's the editor. That could be the director. It could be a post production supervisor. It's not me. Most important, I got a show.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, once I'm done with this, I want to go on stage now.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I think the best thing is knowing what you love. Spending. Spending. Spending as much time doing what you really love and are good at, and let somebody else do what they love, what they're good at. That's, to me, the best thing about it. And that's the thing about film. It's very collaborative.

[A]

Yes, absolutely.

[B]

Everybody does.

[A]

I think that's my favorite part about working in production and working in entertainment, in and of itself is the most collaborative you'll ever get. Like, I've worked so many other jobs, and it's always like, you, you, you, me, me, me. And I don't work well by myself in that type of capacity. And so, like, working in spaces where it's like, there's obviously people behind the cameras and things like that and kind of coming together to make something brilliant, that is, like, the magic for me.

[B]

And Josh and the. The cast from Church were just shooting, like, promo content. Like, people guess pumpkin pie and all that stuff.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And Josh was like, oh, we should shoot it like this. And then DZ was like, oh, no, let's try this. Then my assistant was like, oh, but if we do this. And, like. And I'm like, oh, let's. Yeah, but, like, that video is better. Because everybody had one thing funny to say. Which brings me back to the office. I was like. I kind of got discouraged because I was like, this is entirely too funny. I can't make something like that. And one of my boys was like, you don't have to. They had, like, 30 people in their writer's room.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

One person was like, oh, it'd be funny if we threw the cat up there. And then somebody. I saw a video. Somebody else was like, oh, it'd be funny if the cat then fell down. One person didn't even have that idea. And then somebody was like, it'd be hilarious if, while everybody's leaving, Kevin goes and punches the vending machine and tries to take snacks out. And I'm like, oh. Cause in my mind, I've got to sit down and think of every funny thing. And they're like, nah, it's like a comedian. You can tag a joke and you can say something, and then we kind of get something going. That's how Hollywood works. And then the actors bring something to it. And that's what I loved on Churchy. Every department brought their creativity. So it's my vision overall. Rich knows how to synthesize that into a readable script. Rich and Murph, who wrote it, and then Mark and Quinn and Jasmine and Tahir, they go in like, okay, my character will do this based on what y' all wrote. Here's what I add to it. And the wardrobe person would be like, based on what I read, this is how this person should dress. And the Makeup artist and then the dp. And if you're blessed, every department wants to do their best. That's actually why things take so long.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because every department wants to make sure. The lighting guy was like, it'd be funny. I remember this in the jail. And I'm like, oh, this is crazy. He was like, the lights in the jail should not be constant. They should be flickering. Because flickering in this scene, like, this person's supposed to be a little scary. If the light flickers, it'll be a little scary. And I'm like, yeah.

[A]

I'm like, okay. Yeah.

[B]

Like, how do you even do that? So he had a little computer program and he's doing that and somebody else is like, we should put it on the slider.

[A]

And I'm like, watching the other people of the other things. Like, I don't. I hate camera work and editing.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

To my core. But I love watching people do it. Like, yes.

[B]

Like, this was the first season. I've never had the money for production designer ever, ever. And I honestly didn't know what they did.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I had the money this time. When I tell you we hired a production designer and now I can't go back. I can't, but I don't want to. So we had a. We had a lottery episode, and the show's based in Lubbock Tech, Texas. We shoot, obviously, in la. This person, who. Cory Washington was our production designer, he made a lottery station like you have at a gas station. And the lottery ticket said Lubbock Lotto. Like, he designed them to be in Texas. And I. I remember I was at the gas station just looking, and I picked it up and I was like, wait, this is Lubbock. He was like, yeah, we designed. We designed this too. And he's like. And the camera didn't even see that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But the actors can feel it. He made the church sign, like, so he's just as creative in design as I am in comedy, as the makeup artist is in makeup, as the hairstylist is in hair. So when you have all these things working together and then the editor is like, oh, this. Pacing wise, there was a scene. I don't want to give away too much, but there's a scene in the final episode. We wrote this. And the way it's edited, I said, I never would have even dreamed that came out. And I don't know how to edit that. Well, I'm a funny cut, trim for time. I'm not an editor. And I said, oh, you really was in your bag. For that scene. And that's why I think the show is better because we have all those things happening and that's what makes.

[A]

This is what they do.

[B]

This is what they do and they want to do.

[A]

And they go from person to person and see, that's the part that you don't think about. I was just watching a Drag race scene and someone had caught him was like that shout out to the editor for getting each person's. Because it's like this person says something this person. And it's like that's the stuff that me and like you. I'm just gonna keep it on everyone. I feel like you heard everybody. Yeah, for sure. But for the dramatic.

[B]

You heard everybody put it. Put it in the wide and get it. You know. So yeah, for sure. That. And that's the difference. And if we get to season three, ideally we can do that. That even better. And now I understand that. So now we can write to that stuff.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To make it better. When we weren't. This was not aware. I was not aware of that. So I couldn't do it because I don't know it. It exists in movies but to a scale you. You don't realize because you don't know.

[A]

But you're only gonna keep getting more.

[B]

So hopefully.

[A]

Oh, we get that Season three.

[B]

I hope so because you guys are on my list. If we get a season three.

[A]

You heard it here.

[B]

But I must say I don't have full control anymore. So all I can do is try. It's another thing I learned when it's that network's money, it's their choice.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that was a hard lesson. Cuz season one I could do a lot. Whatever I thought was good made it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When we sold it to them, they were like, we don't want this. And I was like, no, no, no. But. And they were like, man, what I say. It's very.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And season two was even more of that. But I was making promises like I had control because there was things I thought they would never do do. They did. And they was like, oh, let me just. You know, when somebody knows, they know they got you. Like. Oh yeah. I thought you was. Who? Who Boo bought it. Who. Okay.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

So yeah. What was said? So you want us to cut. Cut that out. And it was good. They made me think it was my idea.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Don't you think that would be good?

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

It was a little shorter.

[A]

It was the last one.

[B]

We turned it back in the same way.

[A]

Oh no.

[B]

I thought we said it'd be better if it was cut. Yeah, but I thought we said. So we'll see in the next version. Let's do a call.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Remember when we said, no, that's about how it be. You know, at the point where now we're starting to work with brands and stuff.

[B]

It's just like that.

[A]

It's like.

[B]

It's just like that.

[A]

Oh, you meant that. You meant you wanted me to cut that part out. I thought it was good. My bad.

[B]

But see, so when you do a brand deal, you get a creative brief or you pitch an idea. Imagine if it's your baby.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they like, oh, I know that's crazy. But if we pay for it, we don't want that. And you'll be like, but my audience. But. But, yeah, but we said, no, it's a brand deal on steroids. And sometimes I'd be like, but eventually, he who pays stays. And that's what I learned. Whoever pays for it has the final say. So I will try my best to get you along. But that's why I had you all in safe space, because I could control that. Yes, but on them TV shows, I will try. And you might get shot and might.

[A]

Not make it, and that's okay. You know what I'm saying?

[B]

So take some pictures on set, nigga. Cause that's all you can get.

[A]

As long as we got it on record. We was asked to be with that.

[B]

Now we talking.

[A]

We was good enough.

[B]

You definitely good enough.

[A]

Good enough for me.

[B]

Y' all definitely good enough. The talent is there, and y' all gonna go so far, period. But hopefully, y', all. I want y' all go so far. Y' all get me on the red carpet of y' all stuff, and I be like, man. And that's cuz. I knew J Neck win back when they was yapping and getting yelled at on Tik Tok. Those were the days. I hope I don't sound like that at the time.

[A]

Blacks with. There's a certain.

[B]

When I get that blue. When we get that blue around the eye.

[A]

Yes. Everything starts to get long a little bit. Jennifer Lewis. You know what's crazy? I was just thinking, has Jennifer Lewis always been like this?

[B]

She's always been like that. She's just got more. Jennifer Lewis.

[A]

She has, but with the age. And that's how I know I'm going to be something I no longer care. So how are you feeling now with your. This is what, second book? Yes, second book. He's an author.

[B]

I'm an author. You Know what's crazy? Like, it is very surreal, the amount of things as we're talking about. I'm like, dang, this is all me.

[A]

Yeah, you did all them things.

[B]

That's cool.

[A]

We wrote it down.

[B]

And that's just like, this quarter.

[A]

Hello.

[B]

It's like, Churchy on bet. The hospital on bet. Successful failure coming out. And I'm on TBS on Friday night Vibes. Every Friday. That's on regular tv.

[A]

You was on cable.

[B]

Cable on three different shows. And this is just one year.

[A]

Yeah. And you've been literally touring, of course, with your.

[B]

And I'll be on tour with your.

[A]

Comedy tour, but then also the podcast you was on. Joe Budden. You've talked to Sherry. You've talked to everybody.

[B]

It's crazy. It really is. I be like, this is a lot. But you just wake up and you be like, all the things you dreamed of start to happen. And then you're like, dang, this is crazy. And then you go on those things. They're like, oh, yeah, come back anytime. It's like, nigga, I was trying to get on here for eight years, right? I was trying to get a Breakfast Club since Birdman.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

I was like, man, what could that do for my career? What was that? What was that?

[A]

That had to be 2017. I said I was in college. Yeah, that was a minute ago. Not to.

[B]

No, no, that's cool.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It be like that when I talk to y'.

[A]

All. I was drinking four Locos when. That. It was a minute ago, but then.

[B]

I did it twice in, like, six months.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which is crazy. You know, so.

[A]

But I mean, this is crazy for us.

[B]

What?

[A]

Having you here. I mean, honestly, you know, we usually be. No, but it is. As we're reading your things, like, I don't think. I. I don't know if it's connecting to you, Kevon. I don't know if it's connecting to you. In high school, in college, I'm watching all deaf digital. Like, wow, I really love this. Like, I would love to do this. Like, this.

[B]

Y' all would have been great.

[A]

Oh, I wanted to. I used to. I used to write my own jokes to act. Like, I would have said. I would pause and I would say it to them. Like, they would have laughed that, you know, I always been a little cuckoo. I love this. I would literally pause and be like. And add my own two cents. Like, I was in the room. I was doing Roast Meaty. I was roasting y'.

[B]

All. You was in there. Were you doing good or you in the picture, it was.

[A]

It was half and half. It was half and half. It was half and half. I learned my lesson. I used to put people on like, y' all watch this when I tell you. Like, I was an all deaf digital Stan.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So when you. I said, oh, girl. Hey, hold up. Wait a damn minute. I said, I'm dming. I don't know if it's weird, but I'm sending that dm.

[B]

That happens to me all the time. I don't. I don't think of myself like that. I low key just.

[A]

You were in the Smithsonian, though.

[B]

I know, but it's like.

[A]

But it's like I'm just me 1000%.

[B]

Like, I only did that video one because I didn't have nothing to make that day. And I was staying within walking distance to the thing and I was like, how people. I ain't been here in a minute. I posted and I thought people would be. Oh, yeah, that is right. People were. Tab didn't know. And tab's a poster. She said, kev, you in the what? Yeah, but I hadn't been since like 2018 or 19. We took our kids and they were little and I just never thought of it. So I think for me, I'm always like, whatever I'm doing is dope in the moment and then I'm move on. And the crazy thing about all deaf is like, that happens to me a lot. We created y' all age.

[A]

Like, I don't think sometimes even with Tahir and like that whole experience, to Jamila's point, it was setting in post, the whole situation. Cuz, you know, now you. Now you at home and you like, whoa, these are people I was really watching. I couldn't even trying to do homework. And I'm trying to be regular, you know, mind you, and I'm not. Here's the invoice I said, and all deaf. I gotta put that. The invoice. It was.

[B]

Wait, what did y' all do with all that?

[A]

Squadcast? Yeah. Oh, y' all doing squadcast? Yeah.

[B]

Has it aired?

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Oh, nice. So like, when that happened, I was like, this is so crazy. And then I had like friends being like, seen you on Squadcast. Yeah. It's like, wow, I'm on this YouTube channel I used to watch. And then y' all just be expecting me to act regular. Okay.

[B]

And then y'. All. The best part about it is one I would have never thought y' all were thinking about it. And then y' all get on set and absolutely deliver and I'm just like.

[A]

I did come to play.

[B]

Well, you know, listen, them feet might not touch the ground, but that talent does.

[A]

My feet touch the ground that day.

[B]

That day. I remember y' all both made me break character multiple times. And in my head, I'm just like, first of all, shout out to me for having such an eye for talent, and I be like, oh, you did it again, Kim. You did it. Cause y', all, when y' all started talking, I said, I can see the audience being, like, Yalls fans. And that's part of the reason, like, I want the show to do well. And I know y' all will be excited to post about it because you. You look good in it. Like, you are funny in it. And Yalls fans will be like, this is dope. But people who don't know you are going to be like, y' all gonna be. Somebody's all deaf. They gonna be watching you and be like, I used to watch you on TikTok when I was in middle school. It's happening right now. There's somebody who's 13, 14, 14, who is watching y' all right now. And that. That video that you did, Love island, whatever it is, they're gonna be like, they're gonna meet y'.

[A]

All. Now, please don't start crying.

[B]

Oh, cry, cry. They're gonna look at you and be like, but no, seriously. Oh, it's already happening.

[A]

Like, that's crazy.

[B]

It's already happening because you are just doing what you're meant to do, and somebody is going to be inspired by you, and they're going to be 10 years younger than you, and you're gonna be like, when I was in middle school, I was watching y' all do your Michael Jackson video, and I was watching you yap. And now we're working together, and they're gonna be like, I can't believe this is happening. You're Jamila. You're Mecca. Or y' all are together. I'm on y' all set. Like, it's already happened. Cause it was happening for me, and I never knew, like, Tony Stadovici. I ran into him at DreamCon, and I'm like, you're hilarious. He was like, I grew up on you. And I'm like, oh, yeah. Cause I was just. I was just at work. That was my job.

[A]

But you know what's crazy? That's how when I was making TikToks, I think that's why it also was so sporadic, because I was just at work. I feel like the people who was really just at work. Do be taking it so far because you're just like, I'm just doing this. Yes, I'm just doing.

[B]

We were just doing that. The funny thing about it, the. The golden age of all death was that what you were mentioned. That's because we ran out of money. We started off paying.

[A]

Rent was due.

[B]

Josh can tell you.

[A]

We started up two nickels.

[B]

We had influencers at the beginning. We was writing checks and that money, our bosses were just like, all right, that's out. Like, we spent all that money. We don't got it no more. So all y' all who work here, y' all are in the stuff now. And that's. That's. It wasn't as clear as that, but it was like the budgets kept getting lower and lower and lower. We were like, nigga, the only way we're gonna be able to do this is if we activate. And we don't have to pay nobody because we already work here. And that's. And we just had the camaraderie because we. We all sat at a desk. It was like me to hear Teddy, who didn't work there, but he used to be there. Meg, Josh, child.

[A]

And that was when we were talking about. I said, dad, I love Teddy Ray so much.

[B]

Teddy Ray was. He was our generation's Robin Harris.

[A]

He was very sick.

[B]

He should have been.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The biggest. The funny thing about Teddy, to me, Teddy was that funny on stage, in person, in the break room, in the elevator. He just. Everything he said was funny. That double cheeked up things. I directed that sketch. I approved that. That's not in the script.

[A]

It couldn't have been. There's no way it would have been.

[B]

Who can write double cheeked up on a Thursday? Only Teddy can say like. And I don't think that was in his mind two seconds before he said, right. God himself said, teddy, you gonna be funnier than the most people. And when he was on stage, you could never tell he talked on stage the way he talked. Like, he's talking to me and you. And he had that little laugh, you know what I'm saying? But like, he. We used to be like, this is the funniest ever.

[A]

He was very translated.

[B]

So it was just like. Like, I like to say it was like digital media college. It was like going to college again. Yeah, but I was a man. Like, y' all was young, but I had kids.

[A]

It was the black side. That's what made it. Because, you know, no shade. We did have the buzzfeeds.

[B]

Oh, we was trying to be black. Buzzfeed.

[A]

And y' all were better. Y' all see that? Like, seriously, it was always better than Buzzfeed. It was better than Buzzfeed.

[B]

It was so Buzzfeed.

[A]

Like, Buzzfeed would have their moments in all ways. Their moments were centered around the black folks. Quinta.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

And such.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

So I was like, I just can't. I can't put my finger on why this isn't funny. Then I saw.

[B]

Well, you know, Buzzfeed's goal wasn't to be funny.

[A]

Clearly.

[B]

Their goal was to be relatable.

[A]

And, well, barely that. I was like, I need some black in me.

[B]

Yeah. Our. Our bosses were like, you gotta be relatable. We were like, nah, man, we gotta be funny. Cause we gotta live. Like, we gotta be in the world with these videos.

[A]

But the thing is, even just taking it back to Taylor.

[B]

You're not stopping Taylor. Danielle. Now what you going to do?

[A]

Not the clock. Just let me wrap the clock. Even. Even to your point, you know, a. Like Teddy who. Even though no one would have thought to bring up Double Cheek up on a Thursday, but, you know, a who thinks exactly like that. You're 36. You're 36.

[B]

I was on set that day.

[A]

Like, quotable.

[B]

Was it?

[A]

Wow. Lore Lord.

[B]

We didn't have the first. The videos that changed all Deaf's career was black barbecues. Be like, yeah, iconic. We shot that at my home. Speaking of Josh, we shot that on an iPhone.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

We shot two of them the same day. And I remember we got back and those videos went crazy. And we were literally like, do this. Josh's boy, Ernie, his mom made Mexican food for the sketch. And our lunch, we ate that.

[A]

Because we really ate that.

[B]

And she smashed like she was in her bag. She made like, homemade tortillas. We were like, nigga, this is great.

[A]

Yeah, fuck this.

[B]

In my backyard, we shot that. And I remember our bosses were like, they looked at the budget. Cause it was just me and the homies at my house. No location fee or nothing like that. My kids was in there doing the videos and stuff. And our bosses were like, more of this. All that's. We used to spend like five, six grand on a sketch. Seven grand, ten grand on a sketch. And then them videos started be like 2, 300. There was like more than 2, 300.

[A]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

Yeah. And then great taste Roast Me shows that you can make six episodes in a day. And Loki. That's. I. I learned that. And then I did the same thing with Kevin State Studios. I do that today with Patreon. Like, that's why I say it was like.

[A]

But it was relatable because those are the shows that remind you of, like, when you were at the lunch table or when you're sitting with your friends. And when you're like, so y' all had the formula. You just delivered it. Like, you said, how you. How y' all do it? And it was natural, and it wasn't over produced. It wasn't over directed, over written. You could tell that y' all had a rough idea. I know y' all said, oh, them said, we gonna just. Just do this thing that would come out y' all mouth. I'm like, this is my kind of show right here.

[B]

Low key, great tastes. But like a podcast. Yeah, it's really just a podcast. Like, we just chopping it up. And you feel like you're a part of the homies, because you really are. We was friends, for real. We would go sit at our desk and be like, nigga, I wish I would have thought of that. Or, they really cooked me on that. And then we would go eat lunch and. And then, like, go home. Like, it was. It was surreal. I remember being like, you should. I should not be getting paid to do this. Like, we weren't really making no bread, but it was like, it don't matter because we should be getting. We should not be getting paid to do this. This for a living. Like, I pay my mortgage.

[A]

You're having fun.

[B]

Yeah, having fun. We said at work, we made white people so uncomfortable. We said all through the meetings, all in the emails, there was like, three white people there. We was like, what I told you was this. What you think about it, white boy? Like, it was like that. The. Was empowered. We had a white intern. Travis was my intern. We was like, what you gonna do? Type out what you think. Think when you put the star type it N. I. Yeah. You ain't gonna say, are you? We would hover around his desk. Yeah. You think it's funny, huh? Talking like a. For the whole time. That was a white boy on all them captions.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Talking black. He was good. Big digital black face. He ain't that type. He wasn't crazy.

[A]

Crying, crying. He wasn't that damn crazy. Hold on, hold on, cuz. I said his name on that crazy.

[B]

No, but he was. Was super talented. And I remember he was like, man, I don't know. I'm gonna quit this job. And I was like, quit? You got it. You need to quit. You're gonna make way more money doing.

[A]

Something that set y' all up. I feel like I just w. Like, over the years, just watching everybody kind of, like, take their own different, like, paths, and it's just like it's in living color. Yes.

[B]

Digital. In living color.

[A]

We, We.

[B]

We've all done different things. And to me, that's all I wanted to do is, like, it was like, I don't know, like, seven out of 10 of them became huge stars in all their different, like. And we have had so many people go on and do their own thing in various different ways. And I. It's not even over. It will continue to go on. But, yeah, I'm eternally grateful for the time there.

[A]

And we're eternally grateful.

[B]

That's great. Thank you.

[A]

Eternally grateful. Thank you so much.

[B]

Thank you for having me.

[A]

This was so good. We know. We could talk for another hour.

[B]

Oh, we could just sit here and keep king.

[A]

Yes, yes.

[B]

This was great.

[A]

Well, let everybody know where we can find you. Give us your Facebook. Yeah, let the people know where they. I'm sure they already know where to.

[B]

Find you, but Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, YouTube. It's Kev onstage. Tick tock. It's Kev onstage. Tick tock. Somebody beat me to my own name there. But you search Kevin on stage. I got 1.1. So you. You know the one. I'm not verified on TikTok. Verified by the streets. Churchy. August 21 on BET plus the hospital, September 10 on BET plus successful failure, September 23. Wherever books are found. Except Target. Do not go there. Blacks go to the other places. And TBS. Friday night vibes every Friday until January. My Patreon. Kevonstaystudios.com here's the thing. Every Wednesday, publicly, we got the bonus episode on Patreon. Man, come rock with your boy.

[A]

I know that's right. Unhinged anymore. Yes. We also have y' all got T shirts. We do with this on it.

[B]

Where do you get them?

[A]

Dot com.

[B]

Y' all doing a drop ship?

[A]

Yep. Yep.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Let me get my shirt. He's ordering it now. So should you. Did you guys already know what. What the deal is? Every Thursday new episode. And we'll see you guys next time. Bye. It's different. Touchdown. First pick again. I'm the Michelin home cook. Get a whiff of it. Dope. Got him sniffing.

[B]

This episode is brought to you by FX's alien Earth, the official podcast. Each week, host Adam Rogers is joined by guests, including the show's creator, cast, and crew. In this exclusive companion podcast, they will explore story elements, deep dive into character motivations and offer an episode by episode, behind the scenes breakdown of each terrifying chapter in this new series. Search FX's alien Earth wherever you listen to podcasts.

[A]

Mama Papa Perobi, Porlamoda Konos Precious Bacos de la Vuelta Classes Amazon Gastamenos Sonrimas.