Counting down the top 20 ‘Key & Peele’ sketches of all time

by Alexis Gentry · Published September 3, 2015 · Updated December 2, 2015

Keegan-Michael Jey and Jordan Peele of Key & Peele - Photo Credit: Ian White

I was devastated when Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele announced that they were ending Key & Peele, one of my all-time favorite shows. Not only are their sketches hilarious, but they’re also smart and incredibly viral. I could always count on sharing a favorite from the most recent episode to discuss with my friends on Facebook the day after it aired. But alas, all good things come to an end, and Comedy Central seems to be in a transition period after losing The Colbert Report and Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show. (Thank god Trey Parker and Matt Stone have signed on to keep South Park going until at least 2019!) In celebration of the departure of one of the greatest sketch comedy shows ever, here are my top 20 favorite Key & Peele sketches. Have one to add to the list? Post a comment on our Facebook page or send us a tweet to tell us your faves.

20. Pirate Chantey
Proving that funny and feminist don’t have to be two separate things.

19. Othello
Because I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “We doth not purchase it!”

18. I Said Bitch
This was the first really viral sketch from the show, and with good reason. Super funny, and super quotable.

17. Gay Wedding Advice
This sketch makes the list because it’s incredibly clever and features a family discussing jazz hands and “gay hymns.” Enough said.

16. McCringleberry’s Excessive Celebration
Because this became a real end-zone celebration when it was actually done in an NFL game.

15. Sexy Vampires
If you’ve ever watched True Blood, Queen of the Damned or any other vampire movie/show, Key & Peele provided the perfect parody. I also love it because it reminded me of one of the most (unintentionally) hilarious episodes of MTV’s True Life ever.

14. Gay Marriage Legalized
Before gay marriage became legal nationwide, Key & Peele imagined a scenario where a guy who wasn’t quite ready to commit suddenly lost his only excuse to not get married when gay marriage is legalized. This also introduced us to LaShawn and Samuel, who have appeared in another of my favorite sketches (#FangForApples). All I know is, I’m getting a fourteen carat ring the size of fourteen mothafuckin’ carats!

13. Black Republicans
This was so witty and smart that I couldn’t even handle it and ended up watching it twice because I laughed through the whole first watch.

12. Pizza Order
Let’s face it, we’ve all been Wendell at one time or another, though hopefully our own food delivery experiences didn’t end with a fictional romance and a broken heart.

11. Obama College Years
Don’t sleep on Barry O.

10. Bachelor Party (Armenian Conveyor Belt)
It’s just some guys at a bachelor party where they’re going to get a stripper and bup, bup, bup, bup…
https://vimeo.com/56169933

9. Nooice!
Chances are, if you’ve ever texted/messaged me something cool, you’ve received a gif from this sketch in response.

8. Phone Call
Short, sweet, and incredibly funny.
https://youtu.be/JzprLDmdRlc

7. The Valets
Because Key & Peele has always been and will always be “my shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

6. Auction Block
There are sketches that are hilarious because they’re silly, and there are sketches that are hilarious because they’re so damn smart. This definitely falls into the smart hilarious category.

5. Substitute Teacher
Because the name “Blake” will be pronounced “Ba-la-kay” from now on.

4. Pussy on the Chainwax
Key & Peele have been responsible for many a pop culture phrase in their day, from the aforementioned “nooice” to the “Armenian conveyor belt” in the bachelor party sketch, but this sketch featured their first intentional effort to make a term happen. And it worked. A simple Twitter search shows the phrase is thriving on social media.

3. Obama’s Anger Translator
Not only was this a brilliant idea that showcased Peele’s spot-on Obama impression, but it became an infinitely quotable sketch and earned the duo acclaim and a bit with the President himself at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner.

2. East/West Bowl
Nobody can do a sports parody like Key & Peele, and the East/West Bowl sketches are some of their most memorable. I’m really going to miss guys like D’Glester Hardunkichud, Cartoons Plural, Swordless Mimetown, and L’Carpetron Dookmarriot!

1. Meegan (#1)
How could I not give Meegan the number one spot on this countdown? Not that she’d care anyway. She’s over it! This belongs firmly at the top of my list because it’s the sketch I quote most, and it makes me laugh no matter how many times I’ve seen it.

I’m sure there are some great sketches missing from this list, so I think it’s only fair to note that this was my top 20 based on what was readily available online. We all know Jimenez would have made the list, if the video quality was a little better, and the medical marijuana prescription sketch would also be here if Comedy Central would have let people upload it to YouTube. I also tended to focus on past seasons, rather than this final season, just because these are sketches that are already classics. If there’s one you absolutely, positively think I should have included, tweet me to let me know.