Comedy Central’s ‘Key & Peele’ Sketch Comedy Stars Keegan-Michael Key And Jordan Peele Co-Host The 2013 Television Critics Association Awards

Sketch Comedy Duo Host Their First Awards Show Invite-Only Awards are Saturday, August 3, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 9, 2013) – Comedy Central stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, from the hit sketch comedy show “Key & Peele,” will co-host the 29th Annual Television Critics Association (TCA) Awards on Saturday, August 3, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, announced Candace Havens, TCA President.

As co-hosts of the non-televised TCA Awards, Key and Peele will kick off the invitation-only program with a monologue in their classic improv fashion. The awards presentation will then recognize the best television programming of the 2012-2013 season, as chosen by the top TV critics in North America. The TCA Awards honor actors and producers in a variety of categories, including news and information, youth, drama, reality and comedy.

Comedy Central’s critically acclaimed series, “Key & Peele,” will begin its third season on the network in September with 13 brand new episodes. The series launched in January 2012, and was the biggest Comedy Central premiere since 2009. Since that time, it has continually ranked as the top program in its time slot, averaging more than 1.5 million viewers each week. In addition to being a cable TV success, “Key & Peele” has become a digital sensation, with sketches amassing more than 250 million views on YouTube, with such popular skits like “Substitute Teacher”“East/West Bowl,” and “Obama Loses His SH*T.”

Key and Peele are best known for their impressive improvisational abilities and spot-on portrayals of celebrities like President Obama and Rihanna. With this comedy duo hosting, the only thing certain is that attendees will be treated to a one-of-a-kind Awards show, where anything can happen.

“As professional journalists, we’ve followed the careers of Key and Peele since they broke on to the scene with ‘Mad TV.’ Based on their comedic work on that show, they immediately caught our attention,” said Havens. “We’ve noticed how they have honed their trade and elevated their sketches, as the freedom of Comedy Central allows them to push their limits and expand their repertoire. Their relevant and irreverent take on comedy, coupled with their smart and witty writing and acting, make them important artists who truly understand today’s culture of what’s funny. We’re honored and thrilled that they have accepted to host our 29th Annual Awards.”

“We are so honored to be receiving this awar…Oh. Hosting? Yes! That’s what we meant,” said Key and Peele about being named as hosts of the awards program.

Key and Peele join an impressive list of luminaries who have previously hosted the TCA Awards, including Bryan Cranston, Conan O’Brien, Drew Carey, Craig Ferguson, Wanda Sykes, the Smothers Brothers, Nick Offerman, Dax Shepard and Bob Newhart.

Nominations for the 29th Annual TCA Awards were announced in June. The nominations for current programming were spread across all four broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox — PBS, 13 cable networks and the Internet streaming service Netflix. FX leads the way with seven nominations; CBS, NBC and HBO each have six; and AMC has five.

The nominees include a number of past winners — Louis C.K., Bryan Cranston and shows ranging from “Mad Men” to “Game of Thrones” and “The Daily Show” to “The Big Bang Theory.” But there are also a number of first-time nominees, including “Orphan Black” and its star, Tatiana Maslany, “The Glee Project” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” For a complete listing of all the TCA Award nominees, visit the TCA’s website at Tvcritics.org.

The TCA nominates and votes on awards as an organization, and the process is not open to solicitation or submissions. In all, 12 awards will be presented for programming that has made an impact this past TV season. The TCA also bestows a Heritage Award trophy to one long-standing program that has culturally or socially influenced society and a Career Achievement Award to an individual who has inspired his/her work in television.

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ABOUT THE TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOCIATION

The Television Critics Association represents more than 200 journalists writing about television for print and online outlets in the United States and Canada. For 29 years, the TCA has honored outstanding achievement in television and enduring contributions to the medium’s heritage through the TCA Awards. Membership in the Television Critics Association is open to full-time TV writers at newspapers, magazines, trade publications, news wire services, news syndicates, and text-based Internet news organizations. For additional information on the TCA, please visit www.tvcritics.org. The TCA is also represented on Facebook and Twitter. To follow the Summer TCA on twitter, tweets are represented with the hashtag #TCAs13.

ABOUT COMEDY CENTRAL

Available on-air, online and on-the-go, COMEDY CENTRAL (www.cc.com) is the #1 brand in comedy and is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIAB).  For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit COMEDY CENTRAL’s press Web site atwww.cc.com/press and follow us on Twitter @ComedyCentralPR for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

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