KEL MITCHELL

Dance Mogul Magazine · Exclusive Interview

Kel Mitchell Interview: All That, Dance, Faith and Where He Is Now

Long before the Dancing with the Stars finale, the South Side of Chicago kid behind Good Burger’s Ed told Dance Mogul Magazine about dancing as MC Hammer, hosting one of the first hip-hop dance battle shows on TV, and why he chose a life of purpose over the easy road.

Originally published June 19, 2012 · Updated November 5, 2026 · Dance Mogul Magazine

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“Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”

Job 5:17 — the verse that opened our original 2012 feature

In 2012, Dance Mogul Magazine had the chance to catch up with Kel Mitchell: a celebrity actor who also has a passion for dance and for giving back to the community. Fourteen years later, that conversation reads like a blueprint. Almost everything he described to us that day — dance as a way out, faith as a foundation, youth work as a calling — became the shape of the rest of his career.

This update keeps our original interview, now presented in full question-and-answer form, and adds what has happened since: a runner-up finish on Dancing with the Stars, a youth-pastor license, a return to Nickelodeon and a brand-new Kenan & Kel movie on the way.

Who Is Kel Mitchell?

Kel Mitchell is an actor, comedian, dancer, writer-director, producer and youth pastor from the South Side of Chicago. He was born on August 25, 1978, and began performing at age 12 with Chicago’s ETA Creative Arts Foundation, a community theater his parents chose to keep him away from the wrong crowd. By 15 he was an original cast member of Nickelodeon’s sketch series All That, where he and Kenan Thompson built the partnership that produced the sitcom Kenan & Kel (1996–2000) and the film Good Burger (1997).

For a generation, he is Ed from Good Burger and the orange-soda-loving half of Kenan & Kel. For dancers, he is something else too: a performer who brought breaking, popping and the six-step onto children’s television in the 1990s, co-hosted the hip-hop battle show Dance 360, and took his “dance fever” all the way to the Dancing with the Stars finale in 2019.

That is why Dance Mogul Magazine sat down with him. His story sits exactly where our mission lives: dance as the doorway, and character, faith and service as the destination.

“Mogul Life” — from our original 2012 feature, with street dance pioneer Shabba-Doo, Kel Mitchell, Dance Mogul Magazine and Corina. Photo: Dance Mogul Magazine.

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The Dance Mogul Magazine Interview With Kel Mitchell

Exclusive · Recorded in 2012

When we spoke, Kel was voicing Dutch on Disney XD’s Motorcity and Jay Jay on Nicktoons’ Wild Grinders — both had premiered that spring — and preparing to release She Is Not My Sister, a faith-based film he wrote and directed. The interview below has been lightly edited for clarity and length; filler words have been removed and a few words added in brackets where the recording was unclear.

Dance Mogul: For our younger readers, introduce yourself and get them caught up to speed.

Kel Mitchell: I’m from Nickelodeon — the Nickelodeon show[s] [Kenan & Kel], All That, the movie Good Burger. The ’90s Are All That is on Nickelodeon now, so I know the younger generation is watching that now. It’s back on Nick. Most recently I am on a show called Motorcity on Disney XD that you can check out. [I] play the character of Dutch. It’s a real cool show, like Fast and Furious and Terminator type of show mixed together. Set in the future. And then I’m also on Wild Grinders on Nicktoons, which is Rob Dyrdek’s cartoon. I play Jay Jay, [a] skateboarding character on there. I like to skateboard, so I thought that was a cool show.

Dance Mogul: Negativity sells, and it has always been that way. What made you want to walk down the path of positivity, when not everyone sees that as a viable and profitable way of living?

Kel Mitchell: Well, one, how I grew up. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago. I’ve lost friends to drugs, to violence. My friends are in jail, and it even continues right now with the youth. So for me, being on a show like Nickelodeon at a young age, and still have people watch my show and teens watch my show, I feel like I have a responsibility as someone in the public to basically put out a positive impact and positive vibe out there, and kind of let them know that there’s other ways to go. And kind of empower teens, where like, look, I came from that environment, but that environment didn’t make me. I have to [give] back.

So I feel like it’s an opportunity to throw that positivity out there, and I have to, as myself, have a lifestyle that’s very positive. I’m a man of faith. I’m a Christian as well. And I feel like God gives us all a purpose and a drive, and we have to stay within that, being willing and obedient to His word, and actually stay in it and not stray from it. Teens and kids find that out really quickly if you’re lying or not. So I live a positive lifestyle, just as for myself, and for others — for kids to see somebody living in the right lifestyle.

Dance Mogul: As young African Americans and young teens, did you know you were setting a standard on All That and Kenan & Kel? Did you know it would lead to your own shows and movies?

Kel Mitchell: I don’t think we knew, and I don’t even think some of the producers knew that All That was going to take off like it did. They actually decided to do it as a special in the beginning on Nickelodeon — something new that Nickelodeon was trying out, like, “Hey, let’s try out this sketch kid show.” And the producers were like, “Hey, the ratings are through the roof. Let’s pick the show up.” And from there it just blew up, and it was the next big thing. I know Kenan had already been doing movies with Mighty Ducks and shows and stuff like that already. So for me, it was my first television show, my first movie. All of that was my first. So it was definitely a ride. But I had my parents and some good advice that kept me grounded.

Dance Mogul: Even when you were playing around on TV, it looked like you could really dance. How has dance influenced your life?

Kel Mitchell: I definitely have a love and a passion for dancing. Always been a dancer. I would dance in schools. I played MC Hammer in elementary school, when I was in eighth grade, to the point where I performed at a talent show and the younger kids at our school actually thought I was Hammer. I just went all out.

I also was in a community theater, because my parents didn’t want me hanging out with the wrong type of crowd. So they actually put me in this community theater called ETA in Chicago. That’s how I got introduced to acting in the first place, into improv, and then also to dancing. I was already break dancing and pop[ping and] rocking. I tap dance — every type of dance I love to do, street dance, all of that. So even when I got on television shows I translated that as well. I was the first one to do like a six-step on All That on Nickelodeon, because I was like, yo, I want to get my break[ing] there. I even had a breaker come up years later and get my autograph, like, “Yo, I learned a six-step from you. I used to rewind that bumper in between the shows.” So it was cool. I love dancing. That’s my thing.

Dance Mogul: Dance has grown into TV shows like America’s Best Dance Crew and a global scene. How do you feel watching that growth?

Kel Mitchell: Even when I was younger, seeing movies like Beat Street and Breakin’, it’s dope that now it’s on an even bigger scale. Dancing has always been a way for teens to express themselves in the inner city — or even abroad, just wherever you’re at. It’s just a good way to express yourself. And I was on one of the first competition dance shows. I hosted [it], which was called Dance 360, and it was me and Fredro Starr, and we did that in about 2003, 2004. I remember krumping was big around that time, and then they did the [krump] movie, and then the next thing we know there were all these other dance shows all over the place: So You Think You Can Dance, [America’s Best] Dance Crew, the celebrity dance show. It just started popping off. So we feel happy that we were part of that beginning of the dance competition.

Dance Mogul: You’re also doing motivational speaking. What do you talk about with young people?

Kel Mitchell: I tell them I can relate to a lot of the kids, just because of my background and where I came up. It’s nothing different, the South Side of Chicago than the south side of Compton, or over in Korea, over in London. There’s always different temptations and things the kids can get into that can take them down the wrong path. So I try to relate to them, not talk down to them, but then give them tools to find a way to get out of it and have a positive way of getting out of those circumstances. Because they’re dealing with a whole bunch of stuff: bullying, drugs, feeling like they can’t make it, people telling them that they’re not going to make it or they’re never going to be anybody. I give them positive words and ways to get out of that. And also I speak about my faith as well, and teach them how to have faith.

Dance Mogul: People may not see you on TV every week, but you’re still working and uplifting the community. What are you doing now in entertainment?

Kel Mitchell: I’ve started stepping behind the camera as well. Because I grew up in this business, basically in the teen market — teen media and kid media — that has been a passion of mine now, to put out my own content, telling my stories and stories that I think teens would love to see. I do a live dance competition show out here called The Back House Party, out here in the community. We do it in Carson, California, and it’s been really cool for the kids. We teach them how to dance. We teach them how to shoot a television show, because we actually have a camera crew there as well, and introduce jobs to them that they probably didn’t even think about or think that they could have. And it’s a dance competition show, so it’s fun as well, because they can win a prize and they win money, and they also learn something, and it’s a big party.

And as far as shows, I’m also a director now as well. I have my film coming out called She Is Not My Sister. It’s a story about bullying, forgiveness, and it’s a faith-based film. It’s about a young girl who has a bully at school, and her dad comes back from a business trip married to the bully’s mother. So basically this bully becomes her sister, and she has to deal with forgiveness. We have a comedic way of showing how to deal with it, and then we get a little serious too, with a message. With everything I’m in, I feel like — you’re in the limelight, so you have to have some type of message to it. My whole main thing is being an ambassador for Christ and for God. That’s what I’m on. So you’re always going to get some type of positive message out of all the work that I do.

Dance Mogul: What do you want your legacy to be?

Kel Mitchell: I feel that I’ve been given a great opportunity for a long time. There’s ups and downs in this business, and you can get to a point where you’re like, man, certain walls are closing, certain auditions I didn’t get. But then when you start walking in faith, it’s like, okay, I can do all things through Christ. And when that goes down, it’s just like, wow, all these other opportunities are coming. You’re writing a vision and you’re making it plain, and everybody can do this. Everybody has a purpose. And I feel like once you figure out that purpose and that drive, you got to just go after it.

While you’re here, definitely try to make a positive impact. Our main thing is for our children’s children to live off the things that we’ve done — not just from an entertainment standpoint, but from a standpoint of, hey, my father was a positive man. He was a man of faith. He lived his life right, and I’m going to do the same thing. And then that child will do the same, and keep going. You break these generational curses of negativity and crisis in people’s lives and in their families. We got to break that.

Dance Mogul: How can young people keep up with you?

Kel Mitchell: You could go to kellmitchell.net. You can also follow me on Twitter, @Iamkelmitchell. When you go to my site, all kind of fun stuff: photos, videos, me doing empowerment tours, spoofs, comedy, music videos that I direct, and all the stuff on my films and other things that I’m into.

2026 note: Kel’s current links are listed in “Follow Kel Mitchell” near the end of this article.

Watch · From Our Original 2012 Feature

Video from Dance Mogul Magazine’s original 2012 Kel Mitchell feature.

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Kel Mitchell and Dance: From a Talent-Show Hammer to the DWTS Finale

Ask most people whether Kel Mitchell can really dance and they will picture a comedy sketch. The record says more. Dance runs through every stage of his career — usually right next to the jokes.

The foundation. By his own account, he was breaking and rocking before television found him, and the ETA Creative Arts Foundation added improv, acting and dance training. On All That, he slipped real b-boy vocabulary like the six-step into the show’s bumpers, a few seconds that reached kids who had never seen a cypher.

The host. In August 2004, he and Fredro Starr of the rap group Onyx launched Dance 360, a syndicated hip-hop dance battle show built around head-to-head face-offs on a DJ’s beat. It lasted one season. As Kel pointed out to us, it arrived just before the wave of So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew made dance competition a fixture of prime-time television.

The community builder. With his wife, designer and Christian rap artist Asia Lee, he created The Back House Party, a live dance competition for inner-city youth in Carson, California. Its model is what makes it worth studying: kids compete, but they also learn the camera, lighting and production jobs behind a television show. Dance is the hook; career exposure is the gift.

The ballroom. In 2019, he joined Season 28 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars with Witney Carson, who had already won the Mirrorball Trophy in Season 19. Ballroom was new territory, but he kept climbing week after week. Talking to Entertainment Tonight that season, he summed it up simply: “I have dance fever so I love to dance and everybody knows!” On November 25, 2019, Kel and Witney finished as runners-up to Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten. Two months later, Carson guest-starred alongside him on the All That revival.

There is one more dance footnote fans love. In a 2019 radio interview, Kel said he had once been lined up for the male lead in Save the Last Dance, the 2001 film that made street dance a box-office story. (Read how that film was danced in our feature on Julia Stiles’ dance double, Chryssie Whitehead.)

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Kel Mitchell Career Timeline

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Where Is Kel Mitchell Now? (2026)

The short answer: still on screen, still in the pulpit, and still working with kids — the same three lanes he described to us in 2012.

Youth pastor. In December 2019, Kel announced that he had become a licensed pastor at Spirit Food Christian Center in Winnetka, California, where he had served the youth department. He has spoken openly about a dark stretch in his life in the years after his early fame, and about how returning to his faith carried him through it. That testimony now shapes his books, his sermons and his work with teenagers.

Back on Nickelodeon. On November 19, 2025, Nickelodeon premiered Play It Forward: Game On, an unscripted series produced by DICK’S Sporting Goods’ Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios. Hosted by two-time WNBA champion Renee Montgomery with Kel and YouTube star Jesser, the show surprises under-resourced youth sports teams with field makeovers and new equipment — the same give-back mission he described to us 13 years earlier.

Kenan & Kel, again. In January 2026, Kel and Kenan Thompson announced Kenan & Kel Meet Frankenstein on Prime Video’s Good Sports. They will star in and produce the horror-comedy, inspired by the classic Abbott and Costello monster films, from a script by Jonah Feingold. Production was planned for summer 2026. As of this update, no release date has been announced.

Running for clean water. On October 11, 2026, Kel ran the Chicago Marathon in his hometown with Team World Vision, raising money for clean-water projects. It continues a long partnership with World Vision.

Why Kel Mitchell Matters to Dance Mogul Magazine

Dance Mogul Magazine exists to tell lived stories that help people become better versions of themselves, with dance as the bridge. Kel Mitchell’s career is that bridge in plain sight. He reached millions of children through comedy, but he kept dance in the frame, from the six-step on All That to the hip-hop battles of Dance 360 to the ballroom finale on Dancing with the Stars. And when he had a platform, he used it to build something for young people in Carson and beyond.

His 2012 interview belongs in our archive beside the pioneers he grew up watching. He named Beat Street and Breakin’ as the films that showed him what dance could be; read our legacy features on Boogaloo Shrimp, Shabba-Doo and Mr. Wiggles to meet the dancers who made those films. For his ballroom chapter, follow our Dancing with the Stars coverage and our feature on Witney Carson’s first Mirrorball win with Alfonso Ribeiro.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Kel Mitchell

What is Kel Mitchell doing now?

In 2026, Kel Mitchell is a licensed youth pastor at Spirit Food Christian Center in California, a co-host of Nickelodeon’s youth-sports makeover series Play It Forward: Game On, and a star and producer of the upcoming Kenan & Kel Meet Frankenstein. In October 2026, he ran the Chicago Marathon with Team World Vision to raise money for clean water.

Is Kel Mitchell a pastor?

Yes. Kel Mitchell became a licensed pastor in December 2019 at Spirit Food Christian Center in Winnetka, California, where he leads youth ministry. He is also the author of the devotional Blessed Mode: 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith (2021).

Did Kel Mitchell win Dancing with the Stars?

No, but he came close. Kel Mitchell and professional partner Witney Carson finished second on Season 28 of Dancing with the Stars on November 25, 2019. Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten won the Mirrorball Trophy.

Can Kel Mitchell really dance?

Yes. Kel Mitchell told Dance Mogul Magazine he was breaking and rocking as a teenager, trained in dance at Chicago’s ETA Creative Arts Foundation, and did a six-step on All That. He co-hosted the hip-hop dance battle show Dance 360 in 2004 and was the Season 28 runner-up on Dancing with the Stars.

How old is Kel Mitchell?

Kel Mitchell was born on August 25, 1978, in Chicago, Illinois. He is 48 years old as of November 2026.

Who is Kel Mitchell’s wife?

Kel Mitchell is married to Asia Lee, a designer and Christian rap artist. Together they created The Back House Party, a live dance competition for inner-city youth in Carson, California.

Are Kenan and Kel making a new movie?

Yes. In January 2026, Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell announced Kenan & Kel Meet Frankenstein, a horror-comedy they will star in and produce. Production was planned for summer 2026, and no release date had been announced as of November 2026.

What was Dance 360?

Dance 360 was a syndicated hip-hop dance competition that premiered in August 2004, co-hosted by Kel Mitchell and Fredro Starr. Dancers faced off head-to-head on a DJ’s beat. The show ran for one season.

What did Kel Mitchell tell Dance Mogul Magazine?

In his 2012 Dance Mogul Magazine interview, Kel Mitchell talked about growing up on Chicago’s South Side, his love of dance, hosting Dance 360, his youth dance show The Back House Party, his faith-based film She Is Not My Sister, and his belief that everybody has a purpose worth chasing.

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Sources: Dance Mogul Magazine interview with Kel Mitchell (2012); Variety (Dancing with the Stars Season 28 finale, Nov. 2019; Kenan & Kel Meet Frankenstein, Jan. 2026); Entertainment Tonight (2019); Fox News (Dec. 2022); TheGrio (Oct. 2021); Bay State Banner (May 2012); Disney XD and Nicktoons premiere announcements (April 2012); PR Newswire / DICK’S Sporting Goods (Nov. 2025); TV Insider (Nov. 2025); WGN-TV (Oct. 2026).

Tags: Kel Mitchell · All That · Kenan & Kel · Good Burger · Dancing with the Stars · Dance 360 · Youth Pastor · Exclusive Interview

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