What happens when thousands of grown-up Nickelodeon fans get the chance to relive their childhood? Nick@Nite at Mall of America!
We’re joined by actor, comedian and Nickelodeon icon Kel Mitchell, known for All That, Kenan & Kel and the Good Burger movie. Kel looks back at his career, his favorite memories from Nickelodeon, the enduring popularity of Ed and Good Burger, and what it’s like meeting fans who grew up watching him.
We’ll also talk about the power of nostalgia and what it was like bringing classic Nickelodeon memories to life at Mall of America with rides, throwback music, photo opportunities, Good Burger-inspired food and, of course, Kel himself. And Kel shares is thoughts on meeting his fans in person at the Mall and having his own kids join him.
2:30 Memories from Kel’s first visit to Mall of America almost 30 years ago
5:00 Mall of America fan experience with Kel
7:00 How Kel got started in show business and built a career
9:50 An impersonation of a coach and a voice helped create a fictional world
13:00 Balancing life as a child actor, growing up in the spotlight
17:30 Sharing details about Kel’s other business ventures
20:30 Fan stories and memories
22:00 Favorite lines from Good Burger
Visit: @IamKelMitchell (Instagram)
Visit: @realKelMitchell (TikTok)
Visit: www.mallofamerica.com
Guests: Kel Mitchell, Actor, Comedian and Nickelodeon Icon
Hosts: Jill Renslow, Kelsey Cunningham
Presented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.
00:00 --> 00:04 Mall of America. It's home to world-class shopping, great dining,
00:04 --> 00:08 and amazing attractions and events. And these are our stories presented
00:08 --> 00:12 by Bloomington, Minnesota Travel and Tourism. Hey, Mall of America fans.
00:12 --> 00:15 Welcome to this episode of So Much More. I am Jill Renslow, your host for
00:16 --> 00:19 today's podcast, joined by Kelsey Cunningham, our senior manager of attraction
00:20 --> 00:24 marketing. And today we are joined by actor, comedian, and Nickelodeon
00:24 --> 00:27 icon Kel Mitchell, best known for his appearance on All That.
00:27 --> 00:31 Keenan and Kel, and the Good Burger franchise. Mall of America just
00:31 --> 00:34 hosted Nick at Nite, a one-of-a-kind after-hours event
00:35 --> 00:38 that brought guests back to their favorite Nickelodeon memories with rides,
00:38 --> 00:41 throwback music, nostalgic photo opportunities, and a special
00:42 --> 00:45 meet and greet with Kel himself. We'll look back at the event from
00:45 --> 00:49 last night, talk about the lasting impact of Nickelodeon nostalgia,
00:49 --> 00:53 and hear stories from Kel's incredible career. Kel, welcome to
00:53 --> 00:56 So Much More. Hey! What's up? How you doing?
00:56 --> 01:00 We are so thrilled to have you on this podcast and to have you here
01:01 --> 01:04 in Minnesota. I love Minnesota. A lot of good people. Yesterday was
01:05 --> 01:09 amazing, fun. I'm from Chicago, so that Midwest, you know,
01:09 --> 01:12 feel. So I felt all the love here. It was really, really cool.
01:12 --> 01:16 Yeah. You had a good turnout with a lot of fans that wanted to come
01:16 --> 01:18 and meet and greet you. So let's talk about the event last night. Kelsey,
01:19 --> 01:22 you were there. I know you're a big fan of Kel's and grew up watching
01:23 --> 01:25 all the shows. So you guys paint the picture what happened last night. Yeah.
01:25 --> 01:29 I mean, Kel, you You had so many fans. People were lined up
01:30 --> 01:33 ready to see you. They had their Good Burger t-shirts and All That
01:33 --> 01:37 t-shirts on. They were singing the song. People were so excited. Very.
01:37 --> 01:41 They're excited. And we're twins. Kel, Kel. Exactly.
01:42 --> 01:45 It works. I love this. I love this. So what was your favorite part of
01:46 --> 01:49 last night? Ooh, shout out to the DJ. He killed it. You know what I
01:50 --> 01:53 mean? Matty Matt. Yeah. Our in-house DJ. Love it. I always say
01:54 --> 01:56 whistle while you work. So like when you're working, you gotta have like a great
01:57 --> 02:00 DJ and he was rocking the party. That was like a concern of mine.
02:00 --> 02:02 So I was like, let's see, do they have music? Okay, they got music.
02:03 --> 02:06 Of course, the fans, you know, I love that. I love seeing the
02:07 --> 02:10 Gerber outfits, you know, the cosplay. People were dressed up,
02:11 --> 02:14 the All That shirts. That was super cool. So even Repairman, we've had some
02:15 --> 02:17 Mystery Men up in there. So yeah, man, I love that. Yeah. That is so
02:18 --> 02:22 fun. Now, you've been here before. We were talking a little bit before we started
02:22 --> 02:25 that it actually was before my time, and I've been here almost 3 decades.
02:26 --> 02:28 Look at that. So it was early in your career. You came to sort of—
02:29 --> 02:33 so what was— I mean, do you remember much from 30 years
02:33 --> 02:35 ago? Yes. So my mom hit me up 'cause I told her we were going
02:35 --> 02:38 here. And she was like, do you remember when we went out there with Kenan
02:39 --> 02:42 and your little sister? And your sister was 4 at that time. And I was
02:42 --> 02:46 like, what? And so this had to be like '95,
02:46 --> 02:49 '96. It had to be like around there. And we came up here.
02:50 --> 02:53 We had to be promoting for Kenan and Kel, I'm assuming, 'cause all that had
02:53 --> 02:57 already been out. And we did a lot of like tours, just going to malls
02:57 --> 03:01 and everywhere the kids were, you know what I mean? To promote our shows for
03:01 --> 03:04 Nickelodeon. And, uh, yeah, we definitely
03:05 --> 03:08 came here. And I remember certain parts, like I definitely remember the
03:09 --> 03:12 holding where we were yesterday, the restaurant. That was the Hard Rock.
03:12 --> 03:15 Hard Rock. The Hard Rock space. Hard Rock. 'Cause something came back in my memory
03:16 --> 03:20 and just opened up like, you were here before. So was it in the rotunda?
03:20 --> 03:23 Did you have an appearance in the rotunda or was it in the theme park?
03:23 --> 03:26 I don't remember. I don't remember. I know it was, I remember it was a
03:27 --> 03:30 theme park here. And was it there in the early '90s? Yeah. Yeah. It was
03:30 --> 03:32 there. Okay. So I do remember a theme park and they had like, um,
03:32 --> 03:36 pictures of Kenan and I, and we signed autographs and the whole thing. And it's
03:36 --> 03:38 just— it's beautiful when you think about the journey of it, you know what I
03:39 --> 03:42 mean? Because I always get asked that. And it's just really cool to be still
03:42 --> 03:46 doing this, doing something that I've loved, still acting, uh,
03:46 --> 03:50 producing now, writing now as well. And, uh, to have
03:50 --> 03:53 like the parents that grew up on the show and then them introducing it to
03:54 --> 03:58 their kids. Like we had 8-year-olds and 5-year-olds in Good Burger outfits
03:59 --> 04:01 and, uh, know Kenan and Kel. They're like, orange soda and all this cool stuff.
04:01 --> 04:04 So That was awesome. Yeah. That's what I wanted to talk about. Yeah. Because I
04:05 --> 04:08 think it's really cool when we get a chance to see the generation that grew
04:08 --> 04:12 up with you. Mm-hmm. And then now they're introducing it to their kids and be
04:12 --> 04:14 able to have that connection. Because that's something really special for Mall of America.
04:15 --> 04:19 Yeah. Because we all, we're always about connecting generations with the events that we host,
04:19 --> 04:23 with the brands that we bring in. But to have that moment last night,
04:23 --> 04:27 and I would imagine throughout your career where you have this opportunity to connect families.
04:27 --> 04:31 Yeah. It's awesome to be in family entertainment all
04:31 --> 04:32 these years. You know what I mean? Doing that and then seeing my kids get
04:34 --> 04:36 you know, get to come up there, you know, because they weren't around when I
04:36 --> 04:39 was here at Mall of America. So now being here and experiencing Mall of America
04:40 --> 04:42 with them and they're enjoying it, going to all the stores.
04:43 --> 04:47 Of course, we went to Build-A-Bear, went there. This is
04:48 --> 04:51 my daughter's birthday week. So that was pretty cool. So they song to her.
04:51 --> 04:54 You know, we got custom bears for the kids. And then we also went to
04:55 --> 04:58 LEGO, you know what I mean? The LEGO store. That was fun. Had a blast
04:58 --> 05:00 in there. What's next on their list? What do they want to do? We're going
05:01 --> 05:04 to Nickelodeon Universe because Dad was working yesterday. So today I'm getting on Autorized,
05:04 --> 05:08 the roller coaster. I saw that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ride.
05:08 --> 05:11 Gotta do it. Okay, you got the shell on the back? Yep, Shell Shock.
05:12 --> 05:15 What? Come on. It's so fun. Gotta do it. So that's gonna be a lot
05:15 --> 05:18 of fun. Yeah. I love that. Kelsey, how did you experience that with families last
05:19 --> 05:22 night when they got a chance to make those connections? Absolutely. It was so fun
05:22 --> 05:26 seeing all the kids. And, you know, the parents were like,
05:26 --> 05:29 yeah, this is Kel. This is from All That. They had like their photos,
05:29 --> 05:33 taking photos, and just they were really excited.
05:33 --> 05:36 My favorite part too was when the theme song came on. Oh yeah. And like,
05:37 --> 05:40 The parents went wild and the kids are just having a great time because it's
05:40 --> 05:43 just fun music. But it was for us, it was like these chills of like,
05:44 --> 05:46 okay, I remember when those theme songs came on as a kid and I was
05:47 --> 05:50 so excited. It's like All That's coming on and, and you were excited because the
05:50 --> 05:53 show's about to start. So it was fun seeing kids jamming out to that too.
05:53 --> 05:55 You know, they're going to go home and like listen to the music and now
05:56 --> 05:59 like have that connection to the show. I love that. Yeah, man. Shout out to
05:59 --> 06:03 TLC. Coolio, rest in peace. Like, it's just, it's awesome
06:03 --> 06:06 to have 2 theme songs that are just like, you could play it anywhere and
06:06 --> 06:10 people go like, totally. Yeah. Yeah. It's such a vibe. So when you were growing
06:10 --> 06:14 up, was there someone that inspired you to
06:14 --> 06:17 get into this business? Because you got started very young. Yeah.
06:17 --> 06:21 And stuck with it. But was there someone or a show or
06:21 --> 06:25 something that really inspired you to pursue this career? You know, I was a
06:25 --> 06:29 bit of a class clown. Could you imagine that? Right? So I was a class
06:29 --> 06:33 clown. I loved to perform all the time. And I would do it in school.
06:33 --> 06:36 And my mom, she's a retired teacher now. But at the time, she was a
06:37 --> 06:40 teacher. And my dad is a psychologist. So they take education very seriously.
06:40 --> 06:44 And their kid was doing shows in class, not taking it so seriously.
06:44 --> 06:48 So they were like, we need to find something for you. And so they
06:48 --> 06:51 loved the fact of like hobbies for kids. And so they just kept giving me
06:52 --> 06:56 different hobbies. And what stuck was acting. It was a community
06:56 --> 06:59 theater in my hometown called ETA Creative
06:59 --> 07:03 Arts Foundation. And I went there and I did a
07:03 --> 07:07 summer course and it was like, ah, like, you know, this is what I need
07:07 --> 07:10 to be doing. I mean, we were dancing, we were singing, we were acting.
07:11 --> 07:14 Then I went from doing the summer courses to actually being in plays with the
07:15 --> 07:17 adults at night, you know what I mean? Like doing actual shows, like my first
07:18 --> 07:21 job. So that was cool. And working in theater there.
07:21 --> 07:24 And then I started working in downtown Chicago at the Goodman Theater,
07:25 --> 07:28 Victory Gardens Theater. And then this show that came
07:28 --> 07:32 out called All That, that was a nationwide search looking
07:32 --> 07:36 for kids. And this was like just an outlet for me, like a hobby to
07:36 --> 07:40 do to keep me doing something positive. But doing
07:40 --> 07:43 this and then have this show come. It used to just be like infomercials and
07:44 --> 07:47 commercials around that time that would come as far as TV. But for a show
07:48 --> 07:51 like this that was like an In Living Color for kids, I know people compare
07:52 --> 07:54 it to SNL, but I feel like it's a little bit more diverse. So I
07:54 --> 07:57 always compare it to In Living Color for kids. And it was
07:57 --> 08:01 just, it was just super awesome to have this type of show and auditioned for
08:01 --> 08:05 it and got on it. Yeah. One thing led to the other
08:05 --> 08:09 and— Yeah, here we are. Kicked off your career and
08:09 --> 08:13 huge success. It did. It did. It became a huge success. I think for the
08:13 --> 08:17 producers and everyone, I was just talking to one of the
08:17 --> 08:21 execs the other day, 'cause Kenan and Kel, you know, obviously we're celebrating
08:21 --> 08:25 our 30th year anniversary. And so we were texting on our group
08:25 --> 08:28 text that we have. And it was just the fact that, you know, like,
08:28 --> 08:31 we were kids. These are like our uncles, our big brothers,
08:32 --> 08:35 you know? And now we're working with them side by side producing. And it's just
08:36 --> 08:38 kind of cool to still be doing it and still stay in contact, you know?
08:39 --> 08:41 'Cause in this business, a lot of times when the show's over, the show's over.
08:42 --> 08:42 You know what I'm saying? But it's cool to still be talking to these guys.
08:43 --> 08:47 To these people and stuff like that. So we saw you and Kenan on screen.
08:47 --> 08:50 What was the chemistry off screen? It's— we're still
08:51 --> 08:54 the same. We're like cracking jokes all the time,
08:54 --> 08:57 having fun. You know, my kids call him Uncle Kenan
08:58 --> 09:01 and same, they call me Uncle Kel. And it's just like, just the family
09:02 --> 09:05 dynamic. When we put out Good Burger 2, that was cool. And to have my
09:05 --> 09:09 kids play Ed's kids in it, that was fun.
09:09 --> 09:13 And the numbers were amazing with that, with Paramount. And yeah, we just love working
09:13 --> 09:17 together. It's fun. Yeah. It's fun. Yeah. That is fun.
09:17 --> 09:21 Yeah. So what are some of the fun stories that people don't know about
09:22 --> 09:25 your career, like being part of the Nickelodeon cast and being
09:26 --> 09:29 able to have these opportunities? Because obviously Good Burger was— we were talking about this
09:29 --> 09:32 earlier today— it was kind of an offshoot. It started as kind of a skit
09:32 --> 09:36 within one of the other shows, All That, right? And then,
09:36 --> 09:38 yeah, if you want to talk about that. Well, I was going to ask too,
09:38 --> 09:42 so how much of the character from Kenan and Kel, how much was that
09:42 --> 09:45 that you brought on screen? And then I know that sketch then became the movie.
09:47 --> 09:50 Good Burger. So how much was that that you brought in? OK, so this is
09:51 --> 09:55 fun. So in Chicago, when I did my audition— when
09:56 --> 10:00 I did my audition, they were like, do impersonations. And so
10:00 --> 10:03 we were like, OK, cool. And most kids would do impersonations of people that are
10:04 --> 10:07 on television. I did impersonations of people that were in my life currently,
10:07 --> 10:11 you know what I mean, around that time. And so I did my
10:11 --> 10:15 coach. And that's how Coach Creighton came to be. You know, my coach was Coach
10:15 --> 10:18 Chambers. He was like— would yell at the kids all the time. And so he's
10:19 --> 10:21 like, sit down! Be quiet! You know, type of thing. And so that's where Coach
10:22 --> 10:25 Kreeton came from, you know? And as far as Ed, that was a voice that
10:26 --> 10:28 me and my cousins used to do. Like, we watched Saved by the Bell,
10:29 --> 10:32 and we watched Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. And so this was our version in
10:33 --> 10:36 Chicago of, like, talking like that. Like, what up, dude? Yeah. Hey, how you doing?
10:36 --> 10:39 Yeah, you wanna get some pizza? Yeah. You know, that type of thing. So I
10:39 --> 10:43 did that voice in there, and they loved it. And so
10:43 --> 10:47 these writers, like, they kind of took those characters that I had and said,
10:47 --> 10:50 okay, well, let's put them in these words. You know, these are the strong characters
10:51 --> 10:53 that we liked that he did in the audition, and let's put these in this
10:53 --> 10:56 world. And so it was always cool that the producers and the
10:57 --> 11:00 writers would allow us to play and work with them, you know,
11:00 --> 11:03 simultaneously with the voice, the style,
11:03 --> 11:06 something as far as like— because everybody asks about the bob.
11:06 --> 11:10 Yeah, the hair. Right, with it. Okay, so how that started.
11:11 --> 11:15 All my characters, see, I'm from theater. And so in theater, a lot of time
11:15 --> 11:18 we had to do our own makeup, our own stuff, you know what I mean?
11:18 --> 11:22 Like, everything together backstage. And I learned that at an early age. And so I
11:23 --> 11:25 was really into, okay, what is this character like? What does he dress like?
11:25 --> 11:28 How does he act? How does he— you know, all these different things. Why does
11:28 --> 11:31 he walk the way that he walks? And, you know, that all comes from theater.
11:31 --> 11:35 And so, uh, I saw this wig, uh,
11:35 --> 11:39 in a hair and makeup room, and it's this Brandy I Wanna Be Down wig.
11:39 --> 11:42 Shout out to Brandy, still a good friend. And so I saw it, and I
11:43 --> 11:46 just grabbed the wig and put it on. I was just like, Okay. You know,
11:46 --> 11:50 it feels like really— And to have this
11:50 --> 11:54 wig on and do that, it just really put life into Ed.
11:55 --> 11:59 And I had no idea, like, to this day that Good Burger's still—
11:59 --> 12:02 You know what I mean? Who would've picked it? Such iconic. Such iconic. You know
12:02 --> 12:06 what I mean? And even with Kenan and Kel, all the characters,
12:07 --> 12:10 even outside of Ed, like the orange soda, all those different things.
12:11 --> 12:14 Even now, I have my own burger with Everytable Restaurant
12:15 --> 12:18 in Los Angeles. They're not in Minnesota yet, We gotta get every table out here.
12:19 --> 12:22 But yeah, every table. It's about 40 locations in California.
12:22 --> 12:26 And I have my own savory turkey burger that I
12:26 --> 12:29 designed, the Kill Mitchell Burger. And it's really, really good. And, you know,
12:29 --> 12:32 I do the Burger Fest. We do that every year. We did our first one
12:32 --> 12:35 in New Jersey. We might do one out here in Minnesota. That would be great.
12:35 --> 12:38 Absolutely. But Burger Fest, it's all the burgers that were
12:38 --> 12:42 in New York. They came out, all the best ones. And we had music,
12:42 --> 12:46 super festive. And I did that with my partner, Derek Berry.
12:46 --> 12:50 We did that with Bucket Listers and that's a great one. Yeah. We might want
12:51 --> 12:53 to do that here at Mall of America. That might be kind of— I,
12:53 --> 12:57 we know people. You can— we need to talk. Yeah. Let's talk. Yeah.
12:57 --> 13:01 That'd be fun. Yeah. So starting out as an actor
13:01 --> 13:05 comedian so young, what were the biggest challenges? Because obviously you're
13:05 --> 13:08 still going to school. You're still needing to be a kid. How did you balance
13:09 --> 13:11 all of that? If you can remember 30 years ago. I know, right? Let's go
13:12 --> 13:15 back. Rewind. I like Jim Carrey too, so you
13:16 --> 13:20 can see that. I would say it was discovering
13:20 --> 13:24 it all at once. You know, I think it was hard where— 'cause
13:24 --> 13:28 you're in the limelight. You know what I mean? So as you're doing
13:28 --> 13:31 that, you're adulting. And, you know, when we were just kids at one point,
13:31 --> 13:35 and then we started adulting within and becoming teenagers and then becoming
13:35 --> 13:39 young adults all on camera and fans and people. So I think the most
13:39 --> 13:43 was recognizing who's a friend and who's not. You know what I mean?
13:43 --> 13:47 That's— I think that's the most, you know. But my parents kept me very grounded,
13:47 --> 13:50 you know, in the church, great hobbies,
13:51 --> 13:53 and things of that nature. And I think that is what really helped.
13:54 --> 13:57 Yeah. So, are your kids gonna follow in your footsteps? You know what?
13:58 --> 14:01 Everybody's like— it's so funny, 'cause you— 'cause as soon as they did Good Burger
14:01 --> 14:04 2, you know, you get the agents and the managers. They start calling and
14:05 --> 14:07 knocking. 'Cause my kids— I mean, you saw my kids. They were so sweet.
14:08 --> 14:11 So much energy. So fun. They have a lot
14:12 --> 14:15 of charisma. They're, you know, a lot of fun. They'll talk to
14:16 --> 14:20 everybody, and dance, and sing, and all these things. So, I'm always like,
14:20 --> 14:23 you gotta love it. So, if they wanna do it, and they wanna pursue it,
14:24 --> 14:26 daddy got their back. You know, mom has their back. We got their back,
14:26 --> 14:29 you know? I'm all about that, yeah. And then, they have someone to help them
14:30 --> 14:32 navigate it, 'cause I've lived it. You know what I mean? So, but it's up
14:33 --> 14:35 to them. It's up to them, 'cause it's a journey. So, you gotta like,
14:36 --> 14:39 wanna do this thing. Absolutely. How were they on the set of Good Burger 2?
14:39 --> 14:42 Oh, they loved it. They had fun. They didn't really get the turnoff part,
14:42 --> 14:46 though. You're like, what? It was just fun the whole time. We're like, okay,
14:46 --> 14:50 cut. And then they were still, you know, acting. And the other kids that
14:50 --> 14:53 were in the scene, they just kept going. There was one point where Keenan had
14:54 --> 14:56 to just like turn on some music on his phone to like calm everybody down
14:57 --> 15:00 because everybody was just going, just trying to keep the focus. Yeah, it was cool.
15:00 --> 15:04 Yeah. So aside from your kids, what about other young
15:04 --> 15:08 folks that aspire to be an actor, comedian?
15:08 --> 15:12 What advice do you give to them? I would definitely say like, follow your
15:13 --> 15:15 dreams. Don't listen to people, you know, trying to stop your dreams. You know,
15:16 --> 15:19 the the sabotage that
15:20 --> 15:23 we do to ourselves, you know what I mean? Don't do that, you know what
15:23 --> 15:26 I mean? Stay positive, find the joy in everything.
15:26 --> 15:30 When we brought All That back, the reboot of All That,
15:30 --> 15:33 I wanna say that was like 2000— it
15:34 --> 15:36 was after Game Shakers, 'cause I had another Nickelodeon show called Game Shakers. The fans
15:37 --> 15:41 were there for that too, Double G. But I wanna say around like 2017,
15:41 --> 15:45 2018, when we brought it back, we had a whole new cast
15:45 --> 15:48 of kids for All That. And I was able to tell them like, look,
15:48 --> 15:52 this isn't the thing that makes you important or
15:52 --> 15:56 makes you popular. This is a job. Okay? So,
15:56 --> 15:58 this creativity and this thing that has been given to you and put into your
15:59 --> 16:02 heart was given to you by God. So, you can take this wherever you want
16:02 --> 16:05 to go. You know, if you want to work in corporate, you want to continue
16:05 --> 16:09 working in acting and do all the different things you do, do that. And have
16:09 --> 16:13 fun with your cast members, but understand first, this is a job. You know
16:13 --> 16:16 what I mean? And so— and it's been really cool. Now these kids are like,
16:16 --> 16:19 you know, young adults now. And it's cool to see them thriving. Some of them
16:20 --> 16:23 acting, some of them are producers, Some of them are doing stuff outside
16:24 --> 16:26 of acting, but we all stay in contact. And I'm like, I'm like Uncle— now
16:27 --> 16:30 I'm Uncle Kel, you know what I mean, to these actors and actresses. So it's
16:31 --> 16:34 really cool. Yeah. That is fantastic. So how are you guys celebrating 30 years?
16:34 --> 16:38 Anything that the fans can continue to follow and be participating
16:38 --> 16:41 in? We're at Mall of America. That's what's going on. That's what we're doing.
16:42 --> 16:45 We're celebrating at Mall of America.
16:46 --> 16:49 That's the celebration, really, because we were thinking about it. We're like, oh, wow,
16:50 --> 16:51 it's 30. And it's funny. I mean, when you get to this age, you know,
16:53 --> 16:56 and I both were like, oh, it's been 30 years? Oh, okay.
16:57 --> 17:00 It goes fast, man. It goes fast. People were calling us and we were just
17:01 --> 17:04 like, oh, okay. 'Cause we— 'cause All That already had its 30 a few years
17:05 --> 17:08 ago. So, uh, it's crazy. But we were kids though when we were doing
17:09 --> 17:11 it. So I always tell people like, you know, we're still young. You know what
17:11 --> 17:14 I mean? We were babies basically doing that show. So it was cool. Absolutely.
17:15 --> 17:17 Well, you have so much going on right down to— I was gonna say,
17:18 --> 17:21 we were so excited when your team said yes to coming out for our Nick
17:21 --> 17:23 at Nite event. I mean, it truly made our event. So we were so excited.
17:23 --> 17:27 But then just hearing all the other stuff that you guys have going on.
17:27 --> 17:31 I mean, you guys have a video game that launched. That's right. Um, and just
17:31 --> 17:34 so— so we were very lucky that you— and excited that you came to Nickelodeon
17:35 --> 17:37 Universe. But if you want to tell us a little bit more about what you
17:38 --> 17:41 have going on. Uh, Orange Pop, uh, it's a match game that's on
17:42 --> 17:45 the Apple Store right now, uh, Google Play. You could download it.
17:45 --> 17:49 Uh, of course, like we were talking about, orange soda, that's another one, uh,
17:49 --> 17:52 you know, that people enjoy. It doesn't matter whether I go to, you know,
17:52 --> 17:56 a burger spot or a 5-star restaurant, the waiters are always giddy
17:57 --> 17:59 about it. Like, are you gonna get orange soda? Are you gonna get orange soda?
18:00 --> 18:03 Do you get tired of orange soda? No, no, not at all. I agree.
18:03 --> 18:06 We love orange sodas.
18:07 --> 18:11 Good answer. Good answer. But yeah, but it's like,
18:12 --> 18:14 I work out now. So, it's like, I do a lot of electrolytes and things
18:15 --> 18:18 like that. So, I am coming out with a healthier orange soda. So, you'll be
18:18 --> 18:22 seeing that soon. So, we're working on that. I'm really working on my branding
18:23 --> 18:24 stuff. Like I said, I have my own burger. Branding is a big thing.
18:26 --> 18:29 Important, you know, seeing that people love this all
18:29 --> 18:33 these many years. Even Keenan and I both, we were just like, okay, let's create
18:33 --> 18:36 the Keenan and Kel universe. And what is that for our fans, for our young
18:36 --> 18:40 fans and our adult fans? And so we're working on movies that are like
18:41 --> 18:44 kind of like the Abbott and Costello feel, you know, with Adele's thriller that we're
18:44 --> 18:48 working on as well. So, and the script is amazing. So I'm excited about that
18:49 --> 18:52 to film that. Right now I have a film called Calibosh
18:53 --> 18:56 that's out. Digimon Hanzo is the producer of that. And so I'm
18:57 --> 19:00 excited about that. I have 2 thrillers, well, 3 thrillers coming
19:01 --> 19:05 out later this year. So it's just like, just grow— like my fans
19:06 --> 19:09 growing up with me, you know what I mean? So, and I love that.
19:09 --> 19:12 I was talking to my team. It's like, okay, so now let's, you know,
19:12 --> 19:14 promote to the adults and to the kids and just do it in the right
19:15 --> 19:18 way where it promotes to everybody. You know what I mean? And like I said,
19:18 --> 19:22 it's a journey. So this is cool. Yeah. Well, it's impressive. I mean, to keep
19:22 --> 19:25 continuing to go, you're still young. Like you have so much ahead of you and
19:26 --> 19:29 it looks like you have a full slate of projects. Yeah. Where is the
19:30 --> 19:33 best place for fans to follow all this activity? Are you— is there a social
19:33 --> 19:37 channel that you focus your attention on? Oh yeah. So @iamkelmitchell,
19:38 --> 19:41 you can get that @iamkelmitchell on Instagram. You'll see me, you'll see my workouts,
19:41 --> 19:45 all that stuff. I'm also a marathon runner. Okay. So I'm into
19:45 --> 19:48 that too as well. Hey, you should run the Twin Cities Marathon in October.
19:48 --> 19:51 When is that? October what? It is one of the most beautiful marathons in the
19:51 --> 19:55 country. Really? Yes. It's early October. Early October. Okay. So I'm doing Chicago.
19:55 --> 19:58 October 11th. Oh, cool. So, and we're doing
19:59 --> 20:02 that. And I'm running with World Vision.
20:02 --> 20:06 But yeah, that'll be back to back. That's impressive. I love marathons.
20:07 --> 20:11 So, I'm sitting there thinking like, yeah. But yeah, 26.2 miles every time.
20:11 --> 20:14 And it's fun. I love it. But you'll see my fitness stuff on there,
20:15 --> 20:18 on Instagram as well. And yeah, Kell Mitchell,
20:18 --> 20:21 you know, check me out on there and TikTok too, as well. So, I'm all
20:22 --> 20:24 over. So, when you look back, In the last 30 years,
20:25 --> 20:27 what's one of your fondest memories? Ooh,
20:27 --> 20:31 fondest memories. Um,
20:31 --> 20:34 wow. I want to say moments like this, because it's
20:34 --> 20:38 so surreal to talk to fans and
20:39 --> 20:42 see, you know, where they were when they watched the show for
20:43 --> 20:47 the first time. You hear amazing stories. You'll hear heartfelt stories
20:47 --> 20:50 of, like, people that say, hey, I was in the hospital,
20:50 --> 20:53 and I needed the positivity, and I watched Kenan and Kel, and Kenan and Kel
20:55 --> 20:58 You made me laugh, and that helped me get through, and that helped me heal.
20:59 --> 21:02 And so it's moments like that when you talk to fans. And so I
21:02 --> 21:06 love— that's why I do love going to different cities and meeting my fans,
21:06 --> 21:09 shaking their hands, and hearing their stories. Even last night, it was a
21:10 --> 21:14 guy that came up, and he designed me like an Orange Soda poster.
21:14 --> 21:18 And then he stopped me and just said, you have no idea the things
21:18 --> 21:21 that you got me through within life. And I think that's the thing,
21:21 --> 21:24 like this connection, like we're all family. You know what I mean?
21:24 --> 21:27 So I love that. Yeah. Yeah,
21:27 --> 21:31 yeah, yeah. Here's your chance, Kelsey. Any other questions
21:31 --> 21:34 you have for Kel? No, that's awesome. And that's so sweet. And your fans truly
21:34 --> 21:38 were so excited to see you. And I do think laughing is so
21:38 --> 21:42 healing. So that's awesome. And I, growing up, watched all that
21:42 --> 21:45 and watched Kenan and Kel too. And it was really my first introduction to comedy,
21:46 --> 21:50 which is great and love it too. Do you have
21:50 --> 21:53 any lines from Good Burger that you'd like say
21:54 --> 21:58 or that you're like, this was my line and I brought it and that you
21:58 --> 22:01 love? I was saying too, there's lines that I'm like, oh my gosh, this is
22:01 --> 22:06 from Good Burger and I still say it. Yeah. Oh my goodness. So they're
22:06 --> 22:09 calling me like the '90s catchphrase king.
22:10 --> 22:12 Like, you know, with that. Because a lot of people have that one. Yeah.
22:13 --> 22:17 But I have the welcome to Good Burger. Totally. And then all the stuff that
22:17 --> 22:20 was in the movie, you know, like he said as well. Also have all here
22:21 --> 22:24 it goes from, you know, the Keenan and Kel. We did a lot of that
22:24 --> 22:27 yesterday. Who loves orange soda? That's another one.
22:28 --> 22:31 Repairman, man, man. That's another one. I mean, it could
22:32 --> 22:35 go off. I could list them all, but it's just, it's so many different ones.
22:35 --> 22:39 And it's funny because I'll be like, you know, at the gym or walking down
22:39 --> 22:43 the street at a restaurant and quiet places, museums, and people would
22:44 --> 22:47 just yell out something from one of my shows and I'll do it for them.
22:48 --> 22:51 Um, but yeah, it's just like I said, it's a journey and all the different
22:52 --> 22:55 fans, even my Dancing with the Stars fans were there too as well. They were
22:55 --> 22:58 there too hanging out. They want me to salsa and all this stuff. So I
22:58 --> 23:02 I just, I just, it's cool. It's cool that people, you're part of something
23:02 --> 23:06 that people enjoy. They're not like, you were in that thing that I hate.
23:06 --> 23:10 I don't like that. So it's cool that they were, it's something that they enjoyed.
23:10 --> 23:13 Yeah. I love that. Well, Minnesota loves you. Mall of America loves you.
23:13 --> 23:17 Your fans love you. You've brought so much joy into so many households
23:18 --> 23:21 over the last 3 decades. That is an amazing accomplishment.
23:21 --> 23:25 And you keep going. So we're so excited to continue to finish to follow
23:25 --> 23:29 you on your journey. And we hope all of you listening and watching will continue
23:30 --> 23:33 to follow Kel and his journey and his accomplishments, because it has been amazing
23:33 --> 23:36 to talk with you and have you on the podcast. And we wish you the
23:36 --> 23:39 very, very best. So that is going to do it for this episode of So
23:40 --> 23:43 Much More. Be sure to tune in every week, share this with your
23:43 --> 23:46 friends and family, and be sure to rate and follow us wherever you follow your
23:46 --> 23:50 favorite podcasts. That's going to do it for this week. Take care. Thanks for
23:51 --> 23:54 listening to So Much More, a Mall of America podcast. Subscribe wherever you
23:54 --> 23:58 find your favorite podcasts. This show is presented by Bloomington, Minnesota Travel and
23:59 --> 23:59 Tourism.