Kristin Key (born September 25, 1980) is an American

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

who has appeared at

The Improv The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s. History Originally, it was a 50-seat single venue (whic ...

, and on the series ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' is an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, and again in 2014 and 2015. Each season a comedian from an initially large group of hopefuls was picked as ...

'' and ''

Bring the Funny ''Bring the Funny'' is an American comedy competition series that aired on NBC from July 9 to September 17, 2019. Hosted by comedian Amanda Seales, the series features various comedy acts performing in front of an audience for a chance to win $ ...

''. She favors a self-deprecating, physical, and improvisational style of comedy and incorporates the guitar to create original musical comedy. Key was born in Aurora, Missouri, to a young

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * Christianity, the Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ * Christian Church, an ecclesiological term used by denominations to describe the true body of Christia ...

minister and his homemaker wife. She has an older brother. She was raised in

Liberal, Kansas Liberal is a city in and the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of 2024, the population of the city was 18,743. It is located in southwestern Kansas, along U.S. Route 54 highway, near the Kansas-Oklahoma state line. Lib ...

, until the age of 11, when she moved to

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

. In Amarillo, Key attended middle school, high school, and college, where she majored in Paramedicine Technology. Key began stand-up comedy at the age of 19 as the house MC for the Amarillo Comedy Club. Frustrated at the limitations for success in a small town and desperate to find another way, she set out to try open mic night at the local comedy club. The owner, Kevin Moran, told her she was too young to get into the club. The owners eventually softened, let her on stage, and instantly realized her potential. She was offered a standing M.C. position which she took advantage of week after week. In January 2006, the Amarillo Comedy Club shut down after the death of co-owner, comedian, and Key's mentor, Kelly Moran. Following the club's closing, she moved to

San Marcos, Texas San Marcos () is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city is a part of the Greater Austin, Greater Austin Metropolitan Area. San Marcos's limits extend into Caldwell County, Texas, Caldwell and Guadalupe County, T ...

, to pursue comedy in the Austin scene. Three months after moving to San Marcos, she auditioned for ''

'' and was chosen to make the house. After several episodes, she finished 6th of thousands and has since been heard on XM and

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word (Latin script: ), meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbr ...

Satellite radio, is a regular on ''

The Bob & Tom Show ''The Bob & Tom Show'' is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995. Originally syndicated by Pre ...

'', has been seen on '' Comics Unleashed'' as well as many major networks including VH-1,

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...

TV Guide Channel The American cable and satellite television network Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized channel and program listings for cable television providers. Later on, the service, branded Pr ...

, and

Fox Reality Fox Reality Channel was an American pay television channel. It was launched on May 24, 2005, and was owned by the Fox Entertainment Group. It featured many shows that were originally on the Fox network (or produced by Fox). The channel also featu ...

. In 2019, Key competed in the American reality television comedy competition series ''

'', making it to the second round (the "Comedy Clash"). She now lives in

Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ) is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent Beach Cities, beach c ...

. Key survived a car accident in 2013.

References

External links

*
Official homepage
Living people American women comedians Last Comic Standing contestants People from Liberal, Kansas Lesbian comedians American lesbian actresses American lesbian writers American LGBTQ screenwriters LGBTQ people from Texas People from Aurora, Missouri 21st-century American comedians Bring the Funny contestants 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American women writers American LGBTQ comedians 1980 births Comedians from Missouri Comedians from Kansas Comedians from Texas {{US-comedian-stub