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'Key & Peele' Is Ending. Here Are A Few Of Its Code Switch-iest Moments

Ian White
/
Comedy Central

The popular Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele will end with the finale of its current season. Series co-creator Keegan-Michael Key revealed in an interview with The Wrap that he and co-star Jordan Peele are simply ready for the next big thing. The show has earned a Peabody Award and a whole slew of Emmy nods for its thoughtful and hilarious deconstructions of topics like race, sexuality and relationships.

In honor of the show's impending twilight, we wanted to pull together a few of their most Code Switch-y moments.

Of course, any such list has to begin with "Luther" (played by Key), who acts as President Obama's "anger translator," saying the things Obama can't say as leader of the free world.

The president, an admitted fan of the program, even went so far as to invite Luther to speak on his behalf at the 2015 White House Correspondent's Dinner.

Obama, portrayed by Peele on the show, is often used to illustrate how good lots of black people get to be at code-switching in America — how they greet other black folks as opposed to how they greet whites, for instance.

The duality of black identity is a reoccurring theme on Key & Peele — as famously documented by "Substitute Teacher," a sketch that pokes fun at the differences between "black" and "white" naming conventions.

Same-sex marriage is also examined — specifically through the lens of a supportive family concerned by the lack of "gay hymns" in a cousin's upcoming wedding.

The duo have had no reservations in letting their political leanings seep into their sketches — especially through their characterization of black Republicans.

Despite the series' soon-to-come finale, the real-life comedy duo Key and Peele will not be "breaking up" — they've got tons of projects on the table, including a movie and ananimated series based on two of their many characters.

Whatever else the duo has in store for fans, it's not likely to disappoint.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Anthony Cook