All That
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$2 Million
“Often, when you are upset and allowing your emotions to control you, forgiveness seems so out of reach. But once you let go and let God take control, you begin to realize that forgiveness is the only way to really win. True forgiveness is the only real key to happiness in your life. Also, sometimes it’s not always an enemy you need to forgive, sometimes it’s yourself.” Kel Mitchell has learned a lot about life while working in the entertainment industry from a very young age. And while he’s best known for being half of Nickelodeon’s famous “Kenan and Kel" pairing, Mitchell boasts a rich resume of diverse projects in his own right.
Kel Mitchell has been impressing audiences with his acting chops since he was just 12 years old. How did the child star navigate the transition to adulthood and what's he been up to since All That? Here’s a closer look at Kel Mitchell’s journey.
Born to Entertain
Kel Mitchell was born on August 25, 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up on the city’s South Side. From a very young age, Mitchell showed an interest in the performing arts, and often entertained his friends at school with his antics. His parents recognized his gift and supported his dreams of becoming an actor.
At the age of 12, Mitchell was accepted into the ETA Creative Foundation, which nurtures aspiring young actors. He participated in a number of theatrical productions with ETA, including the plays Dirt, Coconut Palm and Eden. During a performance of the latter, he was spotted by a talent scout in the audience who invited him to try out for a role on a Nickelodeon television show. At just 14, Mitchell flew to Florida where he auditioned against thousands of other young hopefuls. He got the part, and the rest is television history.
The name of the show, of course, was All That. Michell was a part of it from its start in 1994 to its 1999 conclusion. His co-star was Kenan Thompson, and the two quickly became a beloved dynamic duo and pop culture phenomenon. This led to other gigs, including the All That spin-off Kenan and Kel and Good Burger, a full-length feature film.
After All That
After All That ended, Mitchell continued to enjoy a successful career in Hollywood with roles on television shows including Sister Sister, The Steve Harvey Show, One on One, and Take the Cake. He also branched out to film in major movies like Mystery Men, Honeydripper, and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle alongside illustrious stars like Robert De Niro, Rene Russo and Jason Alexander.
Mitchell’s career wasn’t all smooth sailing, however. In 2003, he auditioned for Saturday Night Live but lost out on the part to his former collaborator, Kenan Thomas. Reflecting on the “disastrous” audition, Mitchell said, “I think it's hilarious now thinking about it, but now doing standup and being good at it now, I realize now what I did was not good. But basically I did this joke about DMX -- if DMX was in Toy Story. It was so bad, it was good, to me. And I remember Tina Fey was there, and I remember afterwards she was like 'Good job!' but I think it was a little too crazy for SNL.”
Mitchell was also the victim of a widely publicized hoax in 2006 when rumors spread across social media that he had died.
Despite these setbacks, Mitchell has continued to demonstrate his talent and versatility in a number of capacities over the years, including providing the voice of T-dog on the animated series Clifford the Big Red Dog; appearing in the music video for Kanye West’s “All Falls Don;” and playing the role of Futch on the Disney XD show Motorcity. He also co-hosted the short-lived show, Dance-360. More recently, Mitchell has appeared as a cast member on the Nickelodeon show, Game Shakers and tried his hand at writing and directing with the movie She is Not My Sister, in which he also starred.
Mitchell is also known for his musical talent, and has released several rap singles including "Watch Me Do My Thing," "We’re All Dudes," and "Pedal to the Steel," as well as parodies of songs by the likes of Michael Jackson and 50 Cent.
One of Mitchell’s latest projects is especially near and dear to his heart: the 2019 reboot of All That. While the show features a new cast of actors, original cast members like Mitchell are set to make special appearances. Not only that, but Mitchel and Thompson have reunited as the show’s executive producers. Said Mitchell of his relationship with the new cast, “I have been given them a lot of comedy advice, which has been great. These kids are some great listeners. They bring the physical comedy, and in the auditions, they came in with their own voices and their own characters. I also told them to have a good sense of themselves and told them that they were special before they got on the show so that they can just enjoy it. No competition between one another, it’s a team effort. It has been great to give notes to other producers and get in there too and act. I am wearing two hats so it’s cool!”
Given his enthusiasm for sharing what he knows with today’s youth, it’s not surprising that Mitchell has found yet another way to do so: As a motivational speaker at high schools and colleges, he encourages students to follow their dreams.
According to Mitchell, the inspiration for the All That reboot was the fans themselves. “I mean, even last year before we even announced SlimeFest or All That, everybody was talking about All That." I was being stopped in the street and people wanted me to do Good Burger and talking about orange soda. So it’s all about the fans and we really did it for them!” he told HollywoodLife.
While Mitchell will go down in television history thanks to All That’s prominent place in pop culture, his future is equally promising: It was recently announced that Mitchell will strut his stuff as a contestant on the 28th season of Dancing with the Stars.
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