Key And Peele’s “Insult Comic” Is Their Darkest Sketch

Key And Peele’s “Insult Comic” might just be their darkest sketch ever. Key And Peele is a sketch show fronted by comic duo Keegan- Michael Key and Jordan Peele, with the pair having previously worked together on Mad TV. Their Comedy Central sketch show came out of the gate strong and produced several instant classics like “Continental Breakfast,” “MC Mom” and “Nooice.”

Key And Peele came to an end after five seasons in 2015, and outside of the show the duo has appeared in the first season of Fargo, action-comedy Keanu, and Toy Story 4 as Ducky and Bunny. Jordan Peele has since largely eschewed acting in favor of directing with the acclaimed Get Out and Us, in addition to producing and hosting the 2019 reboot of The Twilight Zone. Key has also appeared in Playing With Fire and The Predator.

Key And Peele were never afraid to dig into uncomfortable or taboo topics with the show, which included the likes of “Auction Block,” “Make-A-Wish” and “Aerobics Meltdown.” Possibly the darkest of the bunch is season 3’s “Insult Comic,” where the titular comedian (Key) bounds onto the stage of a comedy club and takes jabs at various members of the audience, poking fun at things like big ears or someone’s weight, while promising EVERYONE will be insulted before he’s through.

“Insult Comic” quickly takes a turn when the comic spots an audience member (Peele) with severe burns sitting in a wheelchair, and he tries to move on. Being a Key And Peele sketch, that’s when the noose really starts to tighten for the comic, as the scarred man insists through his electronic voice box that he wants to be insulted too. The comedian tries several times to weasel out of it, like making fun of the many bottles around the man’s table and labeling him an alcoholic – which turns out to be his pain medication. That’s when the audience gets angry, asking why its fine to make fun of somebody’s weight but this subject is suddenly taboo.

“Insult Comic” ends with Key’s comic comparing Peele’s character to A Nightmare On Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger, prompting the man to cry in anguish while the audience boos the comedian. Key And Peele’s “Insult Comic” is a masterclass in taking a dark premise and building on layers of cringe until it explodes. Insult comics pride themselves on being able to make just about any subject funny, but seeing Key’s comedian register instant panic when he spots Peele’s character and know immediately he’s doomed is what makes the sketch so hilarious – and so, SO uncomfortable.

About The Author

Padraig Cotter
(3486 Articles Published)

See also  Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin Rumored To Be Spider-Man 3's Main Villain

It’s pronounced Paw-rick, not Pad-raig. Now that’s out of the way, a brief introduction. Padraig has been writing about film online since 2012, when a friend asked if he’d like to contribute the occasional review or feature to their site.

A part-time hobby soon blossomed into a career when he discovered he really loved writing about movies, TV and video games – he even (arguably) had a little bit of talent for it. He has written words for Den of Geek, Collider, The Irish Times and Screen Rant over the years, and can discuss anything from the MCU – where Hawkeye is clearly the best character – to the most obscure cult b-movie gem, and his hot takes often require heat resistant gloves to handle.

He’s super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. He can be found as i_Padds on Twitter making bad puns.

More From Padraig Cotter