EntertainmentDonald Trumpkey and peelekeegan michael key

'Key & Peele' Star Says Duo Couldn't Have Made Donald Trump Any Funnier

Parodying Trump, Keegan-Michael Key would've played "anti-Luther," the opposite of Obama's anger translator.
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By 

Senior Culture Reporter, HuffPost

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Comic Keegan-Michael Key on July 19, 2016, in New York.
CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images

Last September, comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele ended their beloved sketch series “Key & Peele” after five seasons. Since then, Donald Trump has become the Republican Party’s nominee for president, giving the world a strong case for setting a new course straight into the sun.

As “Key & Peele” so masterfully tackled issues of politics and race over its half-decade on Comedy Central, the duo’s absence has been tragic.

So, with the opportunity to talk to Key in anticipation of the upcoming release of his “Key & Peele: Complete Series” DVD set, The Huffington Post asked how his show would have satirized the issues of 2016.

“We’ve almost reached the point of the sublime,” said Key. “It’s so ridiculous we’ve almost reached the point of the sublime ― in regards to the political landscape right now. I’m not sure Jordan and I could make what’s happening any funnier.”

Key added, laughing, “I don’t think we could make it any more outrageous than it is.”

The comedian went on to explain that due to the evergreen nature of their approach to sketches with “Key & Peele,” they wouldn’t tackle Donald Trump directly, instead naming a character with a similar, but sillier, name. 

“We would have had to write a sketch about a guy who was a narcissistic billionaire blowhard who felt that he deserved whatever he wanted just because he wanted it,” said Key. “And was a trust fund baby.”

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Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 21, 2016.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Arguably the most famous character from “Key & Peele” was Key’s “Luther,” aka President Barack Obama’s anger translator. In Luther sketches, Peele would play Obama, imitating the president’s typical calm demeanor, while Key would “translate” his words into what the president was actually thinking.

The popularity of the sketch led to Key performing the character with the real Obama during the 2015 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

If “Key & Peele” were to parody the Republican nominee, Key suggested he might create an “anti-Luther” to translate Trump’s angry screeds into calm rationale. 

Key finished the interview by saying he never imagined Trump would get this far.

“I mean, I had no idea [comedians would] get a bigger gift than George W. Bush,” he said. “I had no idea!”

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Before You Go

Republicans Who Have Refused To Back Donald Trump
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney(01 of17)
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"I simply can’t put my name down as someone who voted for principles that suggest racism or xenophobia, misogyny, bigotry, [for someone] who’s been vulgar time and time again,” Romney said in June. “I don’t want to be associated with that in any way, shape or form.” (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.)(02 of17)
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"I’m as frustrated and saddened as you are about what’s happening to our country. But I cannot support Donald Trump," he wrote in February. (credit:SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)
Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson(03 of17)
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“When it comes to the presidency, I will not vote for Donald Trump,” Paulson, who served as Treasury secretary under George W. Bush, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed in June. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush(04 of17)
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“Donald Trump has not demonstrated that temperament or strength of character. He has not displayed a respect for the Constitution. And, he is not a consistent conservative. These are all reasons why I cannot support his candidacy,” Bush wrote in a Facebook post in May. (credit:Mark Makela via Getty Images)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.)(05 of17)
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The South Carolina senator told CNN in May he would not vote for Trump or Clinton in September.

"I don't believe that Donald Trump has the temperament and judgment to be commander in chief. I think Donald Trump is going to places where very few people have gone and I'm not going with him," he said. (credit:Tom Williams via Getty Images)
Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage(06 of17)
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“If Donald Trump is the nominee, I would vote for Hillary Clinton,” Armitage told Politico in June. "He doesn't appear to be a Republican, he doesn't appear to want to learn about issues. So, I’m going to vote for Mrs. Clinton.”
 (credit:BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images)
Former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft(07 of17)
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“Secretary Clinton shares my belief that America must remain the world’s indispensable leader. She understands that our leadership and engagement beyond our borders makes the world, and therefore the United States more secure and prosperous,” he said in a statement. (credit:Mark Wilson via Getty Images)
Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.)(08 of17)
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Earlier this month, the Illinois Republican, who is locked in a tough re-election battle, rescinded his endorsement of Trump. He is also running ads against Trump.

"I cannot and will not support my party’s nominee for President,” he said. (credit:Bill Clark via Getty Images)
Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.)(09 of17)
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“As of now, unless he changes significantly, I can’t see myself voting for Donald Trump,” Flake said in June. (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Rep. Bob Dold (Ill.)(10 of17)
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"For me, I will not support Donald Trump. Certainly I think there are others that have some pretty significant reservations," the Illinois congressman told WLS in May. “I want to make that I’m clear about this, I’m not going to support Hillary Clinton either. I would write someone in.” (credit:Tom Williams via Getty Images)
Rep. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.)(11 of17)
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“I have no plans of supporting either of the presumptive nominees," he told the Miami Herald in May. (credit:Tom Williams via Getty Images)
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.)(12 of17)
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“"In this election, I do not support either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton," Ros-Lehtinen told the Miami Herald in May. (credit:Bill Clark via Getty Images)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)(13 of17)
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Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said in August she could not vote for Trump because he "does not reflect historical Republican values, nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country." (credit:Yuri Gripas / Reuters)
Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.)(14 of17)
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Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) has said he can’t envision himself voting for Trump at this time. “I’ll give him a chance, but at this point, I have no intentions of voting for him,” he said in June. (REUTERS/Enrique de la Osa) (credit:Enrique de la Osa / Reuters)
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)(15 of17)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has not said explicitly that he would not vote for Trump. But in a speech at the GOP convention in Cleveland last month, Cruz urged delegates to vote their conscience “up and down the ticket,” signaling his opposition to the nominee. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) (credit:Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)(16 of17)
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Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has not offered his endorsement yet. While he has signaled his obvious displeasure ― earlier this year he said Trump scared him “to death” ― he could come around in the future if he “heard the right things out of him.” (REUTERS/Carlo Allegri) (credit:Carlo Allegri / Reuters)
Former Under Secretary Of State For Public Diplomacy James Glassman,(17 of17)
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Glassman, who served as under secretary of state for public diplomacy to President George W. Bush said Hillary Clinton was “by far the superior candidate." (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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