Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele Come to COMEDY CENTRAL® on Tuesday, January 31 at 10:30 P.M. With New Series "Key & Peele"

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele make their mark on COMEDY CENTRAL with the new half-hour sketch comedy show "Key & Peele," debuting on Tuesday, January 31 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, following the fourth season premiere of "Tosh.0."  Key and Peele are best known for their impressive ability to do improv, conjure up original characters and celebrity impressions.

In this new series, these fresh, relevant comedic actor-writers, used to being on the outside looking in, will examine life in a provocative and irreverent way, through a combination of filmed sketches and live stage segments.  Whether it's satirizing the President, spoofing Nazis, or ordering up some soul food, "Key & Peele" will showcase their chemistry, camaraderie and unique point of view, born from their shared background and experiences growing up biracial in a not quite post-racial world.

The premiere episode features Key and Peele as two browbeaten husbands who lie to each other in a game of one-upmanship, which leads into shorts that parody Lil' Wayne rapping from jail about how he's the baddest motherf*&ker around, but is constantly getting stabbed by the other much tougher inmates; an Obama sketch where Peele impersonates the President and Key plays his "anger translator" to show that Obama does lose his cool at times; and "Gideon's Kitchen" a reality cooking competition where the head chef is impossible to read.

Credits for "Key & Peele" include Key, Peele, Ian Roberts and Jay Martel as executive producers and Gary Mann and Monika Zielinska as executives in charge of production for COMEDY CENTRAL.

Keegan-Michael Key was a member of Second City Detroit's main stage cast as well as the Second City Chicago the e.t.c. theatre, where he wrote and performed shows "Holy War," "Batman!" and "Curious George Goes to War" for which he won several Joseph Jefferson Awards (which honor excellence in Chicago theater). While still in Chicago, Keegan was hired as a regular on Fox's "MADtv," which he starred in for six seasons.  He dazzled the audience with original characters including Coach Hines, Eugene Struthers and Jovan Muskatelle; and his celebrity impressions including Dennis Rodman and Snoop Dogg.  Additionally, Keegan recurred as the 'Theoretical Criminal' on COMEDY CENTRAL's "RENO 911!" and was a series regular on CBS's "Gary Unmarried" playing Jay Mohr's best friend 'Curtis.'  His guest star credits include NBC's "ER" and "Love Bites," Adult Swim's "Children's Hospital," and FX's "The League."

A former "MADtv" alum, Jordan Peele was a series regular for five seasons.  There he impressed the audience with original characters including Dontel LaMontrose, Noodles the Krumper and Melvin Dufrane; and celebrity impressions including Montel Williams, Forest Whittaker, President Obama and Morgan Freeman.  In 2008, Jordan received an Emmy^® nomination for his music video "Sad Fitty Cent."  Jordan presently recurs as 'Dr. Brian' on Adult Swim's "Children's Hospital" and has appeared on COMEDY CENTRAL's "RENO 911!" and "Chocolate News," and NBC's "Love Bites."

Leading up to the premiere, COMEDY CENTRAL Digital will provide viewers with weekly Web exclusive videos starring Key and Peele as their reoccurring sketch characters: President Obama and Luther, his "anger translator."  The online exclusives will be viewable on comedycentral.com and the COMEDY CENTRAL YouTube channel beginning early January.  COMEDY CENTRAL Digital will also launch an "Obama Translator" Twitter feed in early January, which will highlight comments from the real President Obama translated onto Twitter by Luther himself.  Fans can follow the translations and the conversations @ObamaTranslated.  Throughout the season, COMEDY CENTRAL will continue to support the show online with a Key & Peele Facebook fan page and promotions on Twitter and other social media platforms.  Previews of upcoming episodes will be available on COMEDYCENTRAL.com and viewers can also watch the first full episode online directly following the premiere.  Beginning on Wednesday, February 1, each episode of "Key & Peele" will be available in HD the day-after-air on iTunes, Xbox, Samsung, Vudu and Amazon.

Available in 99 million homes nationwide, COMEDY CENTRAL (www.comedycentral.com), the only all-comedy network, is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIAB). For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Press Central, COMEDY CENTRAL's press web site at www.comedycentral.com/press and follow us on Twitter @ComedyCentralPR for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

Viacom is home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms in more than 160 countries and territories. With approximately 170 media networks reaching more than 600 million global subscribers, Viacom's leading brands include MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, BET, CENTRIC, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick at Nite, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV Land, Spike TV and Tr3s. Paramount Pictures, America's oldest film studio and creator of many of the most beloved motion pictures, continues today as a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. Viacom operates a large portfolio of branded digital media experiences, including many of the world's most popular properties for entertainment, community and casual online gaming. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com.

SOURCE COMEDY CENTRAL Corporate Communications

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