Jordan Peele (born February 21, 1979) is a comic actor. Peele is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series
MADtvMADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licenses the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise has no connection with the humor magazine outside of animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first TV...
.
MADtv
Peele joined the cast of
MADtv in 2003 as a featured performer, for the ninth season. Around the time
Keegan-Michael KeyKeegan-Michael Key is an American comedian and actor best known for his appearance on MADtv. He first appeared on the show as a featured player during the 2003-04 season and was subsequently promoted to a regular cast member in the 2004-05 season. He has also become known for his role as the...
joined the cast as a featured performer, it was assumed that Key would be chosen over Peele. However, Peele created enough memorable characters—including Funkenstein and Superstitious Knight Ty Gray—and would be carried over to the next season.
Peele also impressed with his various celebrity impersonations, which included favorites
Caroll SpinneyCaroll Edwin Spinney, sometimes credited as Carroll Spinney or Ed Spinney is an American puppeteer most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the children's television show Sesame Street.-Life and career:...
(as the voice of
Big BirdBig Bird is a character featured on the children's television show Sesame Street which airs on PBS. A common misconception is that he is a muppet, but in 1989, Jim Henson explained that characters played by people in suits, rather than just hands in puppets, do not qualify as muppets...
),
Ja RuleJeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American recording artist and actor signed to The Inc. and Universal Records, formerly of Def Jam Recordings. A Hollis, New York native, Ja Rule has released six albums.-Early life:Atkins was born in Queens, New York...
,
James BrownJames Brown , commonly called "J.B.", is an American sports announcer known for being the host of the FOX network's NFL pregame show Fox NFL Sunday...
,
Flavor FlavWilliam Jonathan Drayton Jr. , better known by his stage name Flavor Flav, is an American rapper, television star, and member of the rap group Public Enemy...
,
Justin GuariniJustin Guarini is an American singer/songwriter, actor who rose to fame in 2002 as the first runner-up on the debut season of the television show American Idol....
,
Montel WilliamsMontel Brian Anthony Williams is an American former television personality and television and radio talk show host.-Early life:Williams was born in Baltimore, Maryland...
,
Morgan FreemanMorgan Porterfield Freeman, Jr. is an American actor, film director, and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice....
, and
Forest WhitakerForest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. Whitaker won an Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker has also won a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA...
.
Peele, similar to fellow
MADtv cast member
Bobby LeeRobert "Bobby" Lee, Jr is an American comedian, notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on the live comedy series MADtv. As an American of Korean ancestry, he is the show's first cast member of Asian descent, he has played Asian and Asian American celebrities and political...
, who performs stereotypes of Asians, sometimes makes fun of his own race as an African American.
Jordan was nominated for a 2008 Emmy for his song parody "Sad Fitty Cent." This song mocks
50 CentCurtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre...
, or Curtis, being defeated by
Kanye WestKanye West is an American singer/rapper. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. His first three albums have received numerous awards and critical acclaim...
in terms of album sales. The lyrics were, according to the music video, written by Jordan himself, and he was also involved in arranging its music.
After five seasons on
MADtv, Jordan decided to leave the cast during the show's 13th season.
Characters
| Character |
Sketch |
Season of First Appearance |
Catch Phrase |
Notes |
| Dontel LaMontrose |
Inside Looking Out |
|
"Mmm, mmm, mmm;" "I love this woman!" |
He is married to a white wife who makes racially insensitive remarks. |
| Funkenstein |
Funkenstein |
|
|
|
| Killbrain the Fury |
Astroman & Killbrain |
|
"ASStroman!" |
He is the arch enemy of Astroman who has to take on demeaning jobs because his elaborate plans fail. |
| Larvelle Dupree |
Real Mother****ing Talk |
|
|
He is one of Dollar Bill Montgomery's talk show guests. |
| Marcus Macleod |
Scottish Warlord |
|
|
He is a Scottish warlord who was violated by the English troops. |
| Melvin Dufrane |
911 Police Report |
|
|
|
| Noodles |
Clownin' and Krumpin |
|
|
He is an abusive krump dancer |
| Stingray |
Abercrombie and Fitch |
10 |
|
He is an African American version of the Abercrombie and Fitch models/salesmen. |
| Ty Gray |
The Superstitious Knights |
|
"Man up!" |
|
| Tyrone Conkling |
Holly Meadow Estates |
|
|
|
| Leandro Kezeele |
Fashion Surprise |
|
|
|
Impressions (on and off MADtv)
- 50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre...
- Akon
Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam, better known by his middle and stage name Akon , is a Senegalese-American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up”, the first single from his debut album Trouble...
- Al Roker
Albert Lincoln "Al" Roker, Jr. is an American television broadcaster, best known as the weather anchor for NBC's Today show. On July 20, 2009, he began co-hosting his new morning show Wake Up with Al on The Weather Channel, which airs weekdays from 6am to 7am ET, one hour away from Today show...
- Baby Bash
Ronald Rey Bryant , better known by his stage name Baby Bash , is an American rapper. From 1995 to 1998, he performed under the stage name Baby Beesh, as part of the Houston, Texas group Potna Duece, after which he changed the last part of the name to Bash...
- Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
- Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, The Bill Cosby Show,...
- Bone Thugs N Harmony
- Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known as Busta Rhymes , is a Grammy-nominated Jamaican-American rapper, songwriter, and actor...
- Caroll Spinney
Caroll Edwin Spinney, sometimes credited as Carroll Spinney or Ed Spinney is an American puppeteer most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the children's television show Sesame Street.-Life and career:...
(as Big BirdBig Bird is a character featured on the children's television show Sesame Street which airs on PBS. A common misconception is that he is a muppet, but in 1989, Jim Henson explained that characters played by people in suits, rather than just hands in puppets, do not qualify as muppets...
from Sesame StreetSesame Street is an American educational children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. Sesame Street is well known for its Muppets characters created by Jim Henson. It premiered on November 10, 1969, and...
)
- Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , best known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is a British musician. He is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
- Chingy
Howard Bailey, Jr. , better known by his stage name Chingy, is an American rapper.-Biography:Chingy grew up in the historic Walnut Park section of St...
- Corbin Bleu
Corbin Bleu Reivers , better known as Corbin Bleu, is an American actor, model, dancer, and singer. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the High School Musical film series, the Discovery Kids television series Flight 29 Down, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In!...
- Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Dexter Haysbert is an American film and television actor. He is known for portraying Nelson Mandela in Goodbye Bafana, baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, President David Palmer on the American television series 24, and Sergeant Major Jonas Blane in The Unit, as...
- Donald Faison
Donald Adeosun Faison is an American actor and voice actor best known for his role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC comedy-drama Scrubs ....
- Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, and actor...
- Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. , nicknamed "Flash" or "D-Wade", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association . Wade was named 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated...
- Ed Bradley
Edward Rudolph Bradley, Jr. was an American journalist, best known for twenty-six years of award-winning work on the CBS News television magazine 60 Minutes...
- Flavor Flav
William Jonathan Drayton Jr. , better known by his stage name Flavor Flav, is an American rapper, television star, and member of the rap group Public Enemy...
- Flo Rida
Tramar Dillard , better known by his stage name Flo Rida , is an American rapper. As a teenager, he toured with local rap group 2 Live Crew. Later, he appeared in numerous popular rap mixtapes and studio albums, most notably in We the Best in 2006...
- Forest Whitaker
Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. Whitaker won an Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker has also won a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA...
- Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, (born circa 1818 February 20, 1895) was an American abolitionist, women's suffragist, editor, orator, author, statesman and reformer...
- Gollum
Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was first introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and later became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....
- George Foreman
George Edward Foreman is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and successful entrepreneur....
Jr.
- Harold Perrineau Jr.
Harold Perrineau, Jr. is an American actor, known for the roles of Michael Dawson in the U.S. television series Lost, Link in The Matrix films and games, Augustus Hill in the American television series Oz , and Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet...
- Ja Rule
Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American recording artist and actor signed to The Inc. and Universal Records, formerly of Def Jam Recordings. A Hollis, New York native, Ja Rule has released six albums.-Early life:Atkins was born in Queens, New York...
- James Brown
James Brown , commonly called "J.B.", is an American sports announcer known for being the host of the FOX network's NFL pregame show Fox NFL Sunday...
- Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and singer. For his work in the film Ray, Foxx won the Academy Award and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Actor...
(as Curtis Taylor Jr. from the movie adaptation of DreamgirlsDreamgirls is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio...
)
- Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name, Jay-Z is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $150 million, shipping over 30 million copies of his albums in the United...
- Justin Guarini
Justin Guarini is an American singer/songwriter, actor who rose to fame in 2002 as the first runner-up on the debut season of the television show American Idol....
- Kanye West
Kanye West is an American singer/rapper. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. His first three albums have received numerous awards and critical acclaim...
- Kid
- Klingon
Klingons are a warrior race in the fictional Star Trek universe. They are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and seven feature films...
- Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and arranger whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads....
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Malcolm-Jamal Warner is an American television actor, film director, and musician, known primarily for his roles in sitcoms, movies and television...
- Martin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, comedian, director, and producer. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor...
- Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson , known as the "King of Pop", was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful and influential entertainers of all time...
- Montel Williams
Montel Brian Anthony Williams is an American former television personality and television and radio talk show host.-Early life:Williams was born in Baltimore, Maryland...
- Morgan Freeman
Morgan Porterfield Freeman, Jr. is an American actor, film director, and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice....
- Mr. T
Mr. T is an American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team, as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. Mr...
- Obie Trice
Obie Trice III is an American musician. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records.-Biography:...
- OJ Simpson
- Omar Epps
Omar Hashim Epps is an American actor and musician. He is famous for his movies Juice, Higher Learning, Love and Basketball, In Too Deep, and The Wood. He had a small role in Scream 2 and was a recurring character on the US drama series ER.Since 2004, he has played the role of Dr...
- P. Diddy
- Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known as Pharrell, is an American recording artist, producer, musician and fashion designer. Along with Chad Hugo, they make the record production duo The Neptunes, where they produce pop, hip hop and R&B music. He is also the lead vocalist and drummer of rock band...
- Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, and former A&R executive. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and Executive Producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
- R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly Thabit , best known by the stage name R. Kelly, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and record producer. Debuting in 1992 with the group Public Announcement, Kelly went solo in 1993 for a successful solo career starting with the album, 12 Play...
- Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx , born John Elroy Sanford, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life and career:...
(as Fred Sanford on Sanford and SonSanford and Son was an American sitcom that premiered on the NBC television network on January 14, 1972, and was broadcast for six seasons. The final original episode aired on March 25, 1977. The show was based on the BBC sitcom Steptoe and Son....
)
- Seal
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel is an English soul singer and songwriter. His name Olusegun means "God is victorious"...
- Sean Kingston
Kisean Jamal Anderson , better known by his stage name, Sean "The Master" Kingston, is a Jamaican American from Boynton Beach, Florida reggae fusion singer and rapper...
- The Game
Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name The Game, is an American rapper. He rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, and his two Grammy nominations...
- The Notorious BIG
- T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I. or T.I.P., is an American Grammy Award-winning rapper, producer, actor, songwriter, and co-CEO/founder of Grand Hustle Records....
- Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No...
- Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, singer and rapper. Timbaland has produced albums and singles for a number of artists from the mid-1990s to the present day..Timbaland's first full credit production work was in...
- Tony Okungbowa
Anthony Victor "Tony" Okungbowa, is a London-born actor and the current disc jockey for The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He is of Nigerian descent....
- Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He has sold 75 million albums to date and is one of the best-selling music artists in the world. In addition to his status as a top-selling recording artist, Shakur was a promising actor and a social...
- Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American actress, comedienne, singer-songwriter, activist, and media personality....
- will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am , is an American rapper, songwriter, singer, actor, and producer...
- Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television personality. He is also known for hosting MTV's Pimp My Ride and the Yo Dawg Internet meme...
Trivia
- His Laker character, Saffron Johnson, said he attended Sarah Lawrence College, the same college that Jordan attended.
- His exaggerated impression of Forest Whitaker on dying to win an Academy Award actually happened in the Awards itself after the sketch.
- Jordan and Nicole Parker were well known for their duets at Boom Chicago.
- Portrayed a popular character called "Danish Supermodel Ute" during his time at Boom! Chicago
- Hosted MTV
MTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
's Comedy Weekend in 2002
- Peele was absent for unknown reasons from the first 4 episodes of his second season on MADtv.
- Made a cameo in "Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, actor, comedian, and satirist. Yankovic is known in particular for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
's video - "White & Nerdy" with fellow MADtv co-star Keegan-Michael KeyKeegan-Michael Key is an American comedian and actor best known for his appearance on MADtv. He first appeared on the show as a featured player during the 2003-04 season and was subsequently promoted to a regular cast member in the 2004-05 season. He has also become known for his role as the...
.
- Peele appeared in a viral video entitled Hillary vs Obama (which was shown as a MADtv sketch) where he and a Hillary Clinton supporter (played by short-lived castmember Lisa Donovan) argue over whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama would make a better President, only to get upstaged by a Rudy Giuliani supporter (played by Lisa Donovan's brother, Ben).
- Peele auditioned to be a castmember for Saturday Night Live when SNL producers were looking for someone to play Barack Obama, but Peele lost to Fred Armisen.
Movie appearances
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Other notes |
| 2007 |
Twisted Fortune Twisted Fortune is a black comedy about a bumbling small-time crook who finds a bottle cap worth $1M, but he finds it while he's robbing a convenience store. The comedy also stars Ike Barinholtz , Jordan Peele , super-model Carol Alt, comedians Donnell Rawlings and Dave Atell, and newcomer Davida...
|
G-Money |
|
Television appearances
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Other notes |
| 2003 The year 2003 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2003.For the American TV schedule, see: 2003-04 United States network television schedule.-Events:...
- 2008The year 2008 in television involved some significant plans.Below is a list of television-related events in 2008.-Events:- Debuts :-Television shows:, ,-1950s:*Hallmark Hall of Fame...
|
MADtv MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licenses the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise has no connection with the humor magazine outside of animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first TV...
|
Various Characters |
Sketch Comedy |
| 2008 The year 2008 in television involved some significant plans.Below is a list of television-related events in 2008.-Events:- Debuts :-Television shows:, ,-1950s:*Hallmark Hall of Fame...
|
Chocolate NewsChocolate News was a satirical fake news show hosted and head written by David Alan Grier with an emphasis on African American culture. The show aired on Wednesday nights at 10:30 PM on Comedy Central as a lead-in to their other news satire programs, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert...
|
Kelvin Melvin |
Sketch Comedy |
Awards/Nominations
| Year |
Association |
Award Category |
Result |
| 2008 |
Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics |
Nominated |
External links