Chris Redd

Christopher Jerell Redd (born March 25, 1985) is an American comedian and actor who first gained notice on the national stage after years of performing stand‑up in the Midwest. Raised in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Naperville, Illinois at age eight, Redd overcame a childhood stutter by learning to rap, a skill that later informed his musical comedy style. He attended Gregory Middle School and Neuqua Valley High School, and after a brief stint at Elgin Community College he discovered improvisational theater, enrolling in his first improv class and eventually joining Chicago’s famed Second City touring company. The transition from rap to sketch comedy was sparked in 2009 when he was inspired by Steve Carell, leading him to study at the now‑defunct Jokes & Notes comedy club and to develop a reputation for sharp cultural observations and rapid‑fire characters. Redd’s film debut came with the 2016 mock‑documentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, where he played the flamboyant underground rapper Hunter the Hungry, a role that highlighted his musical talent and comic timing. He then landed a recurring part as Dank, a laid‑back stoner, in Netflix’s Disjointed (2017‑2018) before being hired as a featured player on Saturday Night Live for its 43rd season in 2017 alongside Heidi Gardner and Luke Null. During his five‑year tenure on SNL he earned a Primetime Emmy Award in 2018 for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for co‑writing the satirical song “Come Back Barack,” and he became known for impressions of figures such as Cory Booker, Kanye West, Sterling K. Brown, and Mayor Eric Adams. After leaving SNL in 2022 he returned to scripted television, co‑starring with longtime colleague Kenan Thompson in Kenan (2021‑2022) and appearing in the 2023 biopic Spinning Gold as radio pioneer Frankie Crocker. In addition to acting, Redd released his debut stand‑up album But Here We Are in 2019, performed a comedy special for HBO Max, and continued his involvement in charity work, notably fundraising for COVID‑19‑affected protestors in 2020. His career, marked by versatility across stand‑up, television, film, and music, reflects a commitment to exploring American culture and pop culture through humor.