Keegan-Michael Key Maintains He and Jordan Peele Have a 'Good' Friendship, Despite Not Seeing Each Other 'Often' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele in September 2022.Photo:Jeremy Chan/Getty

Jeremy Chan/Getty

Keegan-Michael KeyandJordan Peeleremain close.In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Key, 53, opens up about maintaining a friendship with hisKey & Peelecollaborator, months after heexpressed that the two don’t get to see each other “often.““Whenever we have an opportunity to see each other, we do. Whenever we have an opportunity,” Key says.“I certainly enjoy spending time with him, so when my travels take me to Los Angeles, he’s usually one of the first calls that I make. I land, and I go, ‘Hey buddy, we’re in town,’ and often we get to have dinner,” he continues.“Our relationship is like a good friend’s relationship, where you pick up where you left off, or the little things that you shared in the past, you just go right back into it again,” adds Key. “I look forward to seeing him in 2025.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele in October 2022.Unique Nicole/GettyKey and Peele, 45, first collaborated together in the mid-2000s, when they starred in Fox’sMADtv.They then went on to launch their own sketch comedy series, which ran from 2012 to 2015.The duo also produced and starred in the 2016 action-comedy filmKeanu, appeared together in the first season of FX’sFargoand voiced paired characters in 2019’sToy Story 4and 2022’sWendell & Wild.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!But, as Key explained to PEOPLE in September 2024, he and Peele haven’t often been able to make time for one another — professionally and personally — as of late, because “your lives start to evolve and move in different directions.”“Our evolution, I think, is tied to both of what our desires are,” continued Key. “His desire was to start exploring the horror genre, and my desire was to do more dramatic work like I had been trained in school.”Currently, Key — who has partnered withJim Beamfor their “7 Stages of Defeat” care package — has multiple projects lined up, while Peele is working on directing another film, his fourth overall.

Keegan-Michael KeyandJordan Peeleremain close.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Key, 53, opens up about maintaining a friendship with hisKey & Peelecollaborator, months after heexpressed that the two don’t get to see each other “often.”

“Whenever we have an opportunity to see each other, we do. Whenever we have an opportunity,” Key says.

“I certainly enjoy spending time with him, so when my travels take me to Los Angeles, he’s usually one of the first calls that I make. I land, and I go, ‘Hey buddy, we’re in town,’ and often we get to have dinner,” he continues.

“Our relationship is like a good friend’s relationship, where you pick up where you left off, or the little things that you shared in the past, you just go right back into it again,” adds Key. “I look forward to seeing him in 2025.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele in October 2022.Unique Nicole/Getty

Unique Nicole/Getty

Key and Peele, 45, first collaborated together in the mid-2000s, when they starred in Fox’sMADtv.They then went on to launch their own sketch comedy series, which ran from 2012 to 2015.

The duo also produced and starred in the 2016 action-comedy filmKeanu, appeared together in the first season of FX’sFargoand voiced paired characters in 2019’sToy Story 4and 2022’sWendell & Wild.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

But, as Key explained to PEOPLE in September 2024, he and Peele haven’t often been able to make time for one another — professionally and personally — as of late, because “your lives start to evolve and move in different directions.”

“Our evolution, I think, is tied to both of what our desires are,” continued Key. “His desire was to start exploring the horror genre, and my desire was to do more dramatic work like I had been trained in school.”

Currently, Key — who has partnered withJim Beamfor their “7 Stages of Defeat” care package — has multiple projects lined up, while Peele is working on directing another film, his fourth overall.

source: people.com