For years, audiences knew Jordan Peele primarily as one half of the comedy duo Key & Peele. Alongside Keegan-Michael Key, he created viral sketches that poked fun at everything from presidential anger translators to substitute teachers.

His work on Mad TV and Comedy Central established him as a comedic force, known for his impressions and sharp social observation. Few people predicted that the man who made the world laugh at "Meegan" and "Obama" would soon become one of the most significant horror directors of the 21st century.

However, Peele's transition from sketch comedy to directing terrifying thrillers was not an abrupt turn. He has famously described comedy and horror as "conjoined twins," noting that both genres rely heavily on pacing, tension, and the release of that tension—whether through a laugh or a scream.

Early Comedy Work

Peele's television career began in earnest when he joined the cast of FOX's "Mad TV" in 2003 for its ninth season. He and Keegan-Michael Key were originally auditioning against each other, but the producers saw their chemistry and hired both. Peele remained on the show for five seasons until 2008, developing characters and refining his celebrity impressions, which included personalities like Morgan Freeman, Flavor Flav, and Forest Whitaker.​

In 2012, Peele and Key launched their own sketch series, "Key & Peele," on "Comedy Central." Running for five seasons and 53 episodes, the show became a cultural phenomenon, winning a Peabody Award in 2014 and two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2016, including Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. Their sketches frequently went viral; the "Substitute Teacher" sketch alone has amassed over 77 million views.​

Perhaps their most famous recurring segment was "Obama's Anger Translator," where Peele played a calm President Barack Obama while Key played "Luther," his aggressive id. The concept was so popular that President Obama invited Key to perform the character alongside him at the 2015 White House Correspondents' Dinner. Before pivoting fully to horror, Peele co-wrote and starred in the 2016 action-comedy "Keanu," which grossed over $20 million worldwide.​​

Monkeypaw Productions

In 2012, Peele founded Monkeypaw Productions, a production company that has brought several projects to film and television. The company produced the 2021 Candyman sequel directed by Nia DaCosta and the HBO series "Lovecraft Country," which blended Jim Crow-era history with supernatural horror. Monkeypaw also produced Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman," which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.​

Get Out and Us

In 2017, Peele released his directorial debut, "Get Out." Produced on a modest budget of $4.5 million, the film was a financial and critical gamble.

It told the story of a young Black man visiting his white girlfriend's family estate. In a UCLA interview, Peele revealed that the film was influenced by two specific works: "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Stepford Wives." He explained that he was drawn to how author Ira Levin, who wrote both novels, used "his technique of inching us towards this inevitable horrific reveal but not moving so fast that you don't understand why the lead character is staying in the scene."​

The gamble paid off significantly. "Get Out" grossed approximately $255 million worldwide, making it one of the most profitable films of 2017. The film earned four Academy Award nominations, and Peele won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, making him the first African American winner in that category.​

Jordan Peele's films have grossed over $680 million combined, solidifying his status as a prominent figure in contemporary filmmaking.

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