Kalen Allen
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Kalen Allen (born January 4, 1996) is an American actor, comedian, and internet personality who gained widespread recognition and fame through his viral food reaction videos. His social media popularity led to regular appearances on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...
''. He subsequently appeared on the 2020 film ''
An American Pickle ''An American Pickle'' is a 2020 American comedy-drama film directed by Brandon Trost (in his solo directorial debut) and written by Simon Rich, based on his 2013 short story "Sell Out". The film stars Seth Rogen as an Eastern European Jewish i ...
'', the
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series ''
With Love With Love may refer to: Music Albums * '' ...with Love'', by Mary Byrne * ''With Love'' (Amanda Lear album), 2006 * ''With Love'' (Bobby Vinton album), 1974 * ''With Love'' (Charles Tolliver album), 2006 * '' With Love, Chér'', 1967 * ''Wi ...
'',
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
's ''
A Black Lady Sketch Show ''A Black Lady Sketch Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Robin Thede for HBO. The show consists of comedy sketches performed by a main cast of Black women, consisting of producer and creator Thede, Gabrielle Dennis, ...
'', and the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
film, ''
Meet Me Next Christmas ''Meet Me Next Christmas'' is a 2024 American Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Rusty Cundieff and written by Molly Haldeman and Camilla Rubis. It stars Christina Milian, Devale Ellis, Kofi Siriboe, Tymika Tafari, Mitch Grassi, Scot ...
''. Kalen is currently starring in '' Elf, The Musical '' on Broadway, in the role of Store Manager.


Early life and education

Kalen Allen was born and grew up in
Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...
. He attended
Sumner Academy of Arts & Science Sumner Academy of Arts and Science is a magnet school in Kansas City, Kansas and is operated by the Kansas City USD 500 school district. Named for abolitionist Charles Sumner, it started in 1905 during a period of racial tension as a segregat ...
, a high school in Kansas City. He subsequently went to
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
where he majored in film, theater, and media arts. Using Temple University's Los Angeles Study Away program, he graduated in 2018 soon after his rise in popularity. As of 2022, Allen is enrolled in a master's in journalism program at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
.


Career

In 2017, while still a college student, Allen stumbled upon a video tutorial for a peculiar dish called 7-Up Salad. The recipe consisted of soda, marshmallows, lime Jell-O, cream cheese, and other unlikely ingredients. Intrigued by the absurdity of the recipe, Allen recorded his reaction and posted it on social media, adding humorous commentary. The video went viral. Allen started the
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel Kalen Reacts, which primarily featured him reacting to other bizarre and unconventional videos of people making food with unusual recipes. He posted his first Kalen Reacts video in November 2017. But these videos quickly gained traction, garnering millions of views and attracting widespread attention.
Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...
took notice of them and expressed her admiration on her talk show, ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...
'', in an episode that aired on December 7, 2017. She invited him to appear on her show and later also offered him a job opportunity. During his appearance on January 2, 2018, Allen was officially hired to create reaction videos for the show. Allen won a Webby Award in 2020 for ''OMKalen''. He made his film acting debut the same year in ''
An American Pickle ''An American Pickle'' is a 2020 American comedy-drama film directed by Brandon Trost (in his solo directorial debut) and written by Simon Rich, based on his 2013 short story "Sell Out". The film stars Seth Rogen as an Eastern European Jewish i ...
'' starring
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic Leading actor, leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, ...
. The film's plot revolves around a man who falls into a vat of pickles in 1918, is preserved, and reemerges in present-day
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
. Allen plays one half of a Brooklyn gay couple who help the man establish a successful pickle business. In November 2020, Allen released debut album ''For Christmas Sake!'' In 2021, Allen became a judge on ''Cakealikes'' which aired on Food Network and the streaming service
Discovery+ Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discov ...
. In 2022, he was also a judge on the network's '' Supermarket Stakeout''. Allen also hosted '' Buddy vs Duff'', a competition between
Buddy Valastro Bartolo "Buddy" Valastro Jr. (born March 3, 1977) is an American baker, reality television personality, and businessman. He has taken his small, family-owned bake shop, Carlo's Bake Shop, Carlo's Bakery, and turned it into a baking and restauran ...
and
Duff Goldman Jeffrey Adam "Duff" Goldman (born December 17, 1974) is an American businessman, pastry chef, television personality, and writer. He is the executive chef of the Baltimore-based Charm City Cakes shop, which was featured in the Food Network reali ...
. He has appeared in episodes the
Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...
series ''
With Love With Love may refer to: Music Albums * '' ...with Love'', by Mary Byrne * ''With Love'' (Amanda Lear album), 2006 * ''With Love'' (Bobby Vinton album), 1974 * ''With Love'' (Charles Tolliver album), 2006 * '' With Love, Chér'', 1967 * ''Wi ...
''. and HBO Max's ''
A Black Lady Sketch Show ''A Black Lady Sketch Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Robin Thede for HBO. The show consists of comedy sketches performed by a main cast of Black women, consisting of producer and creator Thede, Gabrielle Dennis, ...
''. In September 2022, Allen began co-hosting ''Raised by Ricki'', a podcast with
Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film '' Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for ...
. At the end of 2022, Allen became a judge, along with Stephanie Boswell and
Carla Hall Carla Hall (born May 12, 1964) is an American chef, television personality and former model. She appeared in the fifth and eighth seasons of '' Top Chef'', Bravo's cooking competition show. She was a co-host on '' The Chew'', a one-hour talk ...
, on
Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...
's ''Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown'', a spin off of ''
Holiday Baking Championship ''Holiday Baking Championship'' is an American cooking competition series produced by Triage Entertainment and aired on Food Network. It airs from early November through late December, covering the U.S Thanksgiving and Christmas season. The firs ...
''. In 2023, Allen hosted the year's GLSEN Respect Awards.


Personal life

Allen is
openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...
.


Filmography


Television


Film


Discography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Kalen 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American comedians Comedians from Kansas Male actors from Kansas City, Kansas Temple University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male comedians African-American male comedians African-American comedians