It’s been a little over a decade since comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele collaborated. But now, it seems as if fans are finally getting some answers about what may have caused the end of their working relationship – and it’s all thanks to comedian Akilah Hughes.
During a recent comedy set in Los Angeles, Hughes shared a story of what transpired when she was trying to get her own sketch comedy show off the ground years ago, and how it relates to K&P parting ways. The over 12-minute set, which was posted in full on YouTube, detailed how Hughes was advised to seek an essential cosign from someone to get the ball rolling.
That cosign would come from a person she described using the code name “Lock,” who was “the less successful half of a comedy duo that was popular in the 2010s.” She’d later refer to the duo as “Lock & Banana.” (It shouldn’t take rocket science to figure out Key & Peele were the subjects here.)
“This is the story I’ve been sitting on for years. After I stopped working at Crooked Media, I sold a television show executive produced by someone I’ll call “Lock,” and what happened next is an open Hollywood secret,” she captioned the video on YouTube.
As the story continued, Hughes explained that once Lock was on board, they received lots of offers from people interested in the show. However, progress was stalled after Lock’s appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” (For context, Key did host “SNL” in 2021.) Things between Lock and Hughes would begin to falter after he failed to mention the name of their upcoming show during the SNL end credits and opted instead to shout out his wife, Elle Key (formerly Elle Pugliese), a white woman who had also come on board as an executive producer.
Describing Pugliese’s involvement as “a weird main character in this whole story,” Hughes went on to detail a phone call she received from her agent not too long after “SNL,” in which they both discussed Pugliese’s alleged bad reputation in the industry. Remember this.
Hughes then revealed that she soon received a call from “Banana’s” wife, who made her privy to a less-than-pleasant convo she’d had with both Lock and Pugliese about the upcoming show. As a result, Banana’s wife cautioned Hughes about Pugliese, noting that she wished “someone would’ve warned” her previously.
“Banana’s” wife went on to say that she wouldn’t trust Pugliese to hold a baby and even likened her to Phil Hartman’s wife, Brynn. (Brynn famously killed her husband in 1998.)
In an even more shocking twist, “Banana’s” wife then allegedly told Hughes: “There’s no accounting for how much money she’s cost that Black man,” an apparent hint that Pugliese’s involvement in her husband’s business affairs may have done him more harm than good over the years.
To make matters worse, Hughes then went on to describe several other alleged, problematic instances with Pugliese, including her threatening to sue a major studio; consequently causing their show to stall; her allegedly feigning a severe allergy to a fake eucalyptus plant at a restaurant in New York City and more.
So, it’s no wonder why Hughes decided to help folks put two and two together when she posted her stand-up set on social media—pointing to Pugliese as the wedge that came between the famous comedy pair—writing in a post to X/Twitter: “If you’ve ever wondered why K** and P*el* don’t work together anymore, well, watch the next video in this thread.”
Hughes later added in a post to Facebook in part, “[Banana] once said his Oscar- winning film [“Get Out”] was a documentary. And I tend to agree.” (She was likely referencing a 2017 interview Peele did with Stephen Colbert, in which he described the movie as a “historical documentary/biopic.”)
However, while Hughes may have shared her truth, it’s clear that Key and Pugliese don’t agree with her assessment, as numerous folks close to the couple called Hughes’ story “outlandish and fabricated.”
But, judging by the online reactions, it looks like many are leaning towards believing Hughes’ revelations after all.
“Was the movie Get Out about the director’s best friend’s wife?….It is insane. But I guess this really does mean that the Key & Peele friendship, relationship is over. Done-zo. Which really sucks for us fans,” one user said on TikTok.
“Elle Key always seemed like a… idk how to describe it, outside of a pain to deal with lol,” wrote one user on X/Twitter.
“Aw this is a bummer to hear because Lock deserves so much better,” said another on YouTube.
Added another on TikTok, “Wow! There’s tea and then there’s TEA.”
One person on Threads responded: “Watching this Akilah set referencing Keegan-Michael Key’s wife Elle and yeaaaaaa I believe every word.”
Said one other user, “I believe her [Hughes]. I’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting his wife. She berated two of my employees so badly that they refused her service and walked out of her home. He later apologized on her behalf.”
