- 3 weeks ago
NAACP Image Award-winning comedian Kevin Fredericks, aka KevOnStage, previews his hilarious second book project and shares details from his unpredictable, entertaining, hilarious, and faith-driven path to stardom.
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00:00Senior Entertainment Editor here at Essence and I want to welcome y'all to Essence Arthur's stage
00:04and I have a really, really special guest for y'all today. He's an award-winning comedian,
00:10social media superstar, author, and most importantly, a husband and father,
00:15Mr. Kevin, Kev on stage, Fredericks.
00:27Praise the Lord.
00:30Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Ain't God all right? Ain't God all right?
00:35If he woke you up this morning, say yeah!
00:40Amen, brother. Amen.
00:41Amen. Mighty God.
00:46So, congratulations. You'll be publishing your second book, which is amazing.
00:50Yeah, thank you very much.
00:51I want to talk about the title, man, Successful Failure.
00:54How did you land on that title and what does it mean to you?
00:57You know, I think, especially for me and pretty much everybody, social media has become a highlight reel of a highlight reel of a highlight reel of a highlight reel.
01:06And I think it's warped people's mind to realize that people will be losing, too.
01:13And losing is not...
01:14Oh, hold on.
01:15Essence Festival of Culture 2025.
01:17The pool is closing, y'all.
01:18Don't worry about it.
01:19Time is now 4.45.
01:22She got to go.
01:23She got to pick that baby up.
01:26Vendors, please continue closing out sales for today.
01:30Guests, please finalize your purchases and find your way to the nearest exit.
01:35We look forward to seeing you.
01:36They said get out of Essence now.
01:39Grab your stuff and scram.
01:42I wanted to tell my story through the lens of my losses because the losses turn into wins eventually.
01:50Everything that's a loss...
01:51It's cliche, but it's true.
01:52The losses are the lessons.
01:54And I also thought it was funny to, like, tell him, what's up, hey, boy?
01:57Hi.
01:57Good to see you.
01:59It was an unk.
01:59I had to, you know what I'm saying?
02:00He gave me the black-eyed nod.
02:01Don't matter what you're doing.
02:02I respect my elder.
02:03He said, young man.
02:04I said, God bless you.
02:05God bless you.
02:06But, yeah, I think it's important to let people know, even me, who is successful, I fail often.
02:11I fail this week, last week, last month.
02:13There were things that I was excited about that didn't happen, things that I've been working on that fell through, things that I can't announce now that are a result of failures, but you'll probably see in the next couple weeks that are now going to be wins.
02:25And just to encourage people that, like, L's are not only necessary, they're important, they're valuable.
02:31And I became a better business person, husband, father, friend, as a result of being bad at all those things at the beginning.
02:37So I wanted to ask you, can you talk to me about your journey into comedy and content creation, and what inspired you to take that path?
02:44Comedy, I feel like I always wanted to do.
02:49Content creation was a result of being in Washington and not being able to, like, go to L.A. for auditions, being married with kids.
02:58I don't say this as a negative, but it was like, there was no industry in Washington.
03:02And Washington State, not D.C.
03:05Just so you know, Washington, D.C. is great.
03:08State sucks.
03:09But living in Tacoma and working at the bank and stuff and working at Boeing or being unemployed, I needed to do something.
03:17And I thought the Internet was the great equalizer.
03:19I initially planned on growing my followers on the Internet so that I could take my plays all over the United States.
03:24And then quickly realized the Internet was the thing versus the thing to use the thing.
03:30And I'm very grateful that I was in that place because I started when other people were not doing this because they didn't have to.
03:37And then when they jumped on, I was ahead of them.
03:41So even what was a negative became a positive.
03:44That's dope, brother.
03:46How do you incorporate cultural and social issues into your comedy?
03:49And why is that important to you?
03:51Let me tell you what.
03:53As black people, we are black first.
03:56No matter what.
03:57From here to the President of the United States, in America, we are black first.
04:02To me, just to me, this ain't to everybody, it is socially irresponsible to have a platform as big as mine and not speak on some things.
04:10Now, at the same time, it's socially irresponsible to not be informed and speak on things incorrectly.
04:16So I think to be someone who ain't never said nothing about nothing black, like you might not know everything black, but you got to say something about something.
04:26And to me, I'm a husband before I'm a content creator.
04:29I'm a father first.
04:30Like, if you check my history, you won't ever be able to say, Kev ain't said nothing about nothing.
04:35And also, all this could be taken away.
04:38Kev on stage, social media.
04:39I could be working at Uber, and if I end up Ubering y'all, and you'd be like, is that you, Kev?
04:44Yes, five star me, 20%.
04:47Five star, 20%.
04:49And also, I'm not afraid to work a regular job.
04:53Like, I won't sacrifice my wife and my future for this.
04:57So if I work at, I was going to say Target, but we can't work there.
05:00Well, I mean, we can't buy there.
05:01Some people got to work.
05:02I was just saying because I know they're over there, and I don't know if y'all went.
05:05I'm checking y'all little stuff, seeing if y'all went.
05:08Did y'all go over to the Target?
05:11She did?
05:12Give me the bag now.
05:14Take all the stuff and dump it out.
05:16Shame her.
05:17No.
05:17But if I ever had to work a regular job, I could stand ten toes down knowing that I did what I believed in, even when things mattered the most.
05:27You know what I'm saying?
05:28And nobody grows positively forever, no matter who you are.
05:32Everybody comes down.
05:33Everybody settles.
05:34You might go to football stadiums, but eventually, you do Vegas.
05:37You know what I'm saying?
05:38Nobody grows indefinitely, so I want to be able to stand in my morals as much as my, you know, successes as well.
05:44I'm killing this panel, guys.
05:46I mean, it's just bar after bar, really low-key.
05:49If I was sitting there, I'd be like, this nigga can't.
05:50Oh, can you say nigga?
05:53This, you know what I'm saying, king is doing a great job.
05:57Y'all just make me feel so comfortable.
05:58I got that little nigga got to come out.
06:00Got to come out.
06:02You're amongst friends.
06:02Hey, we can place plays right now or wobble.
06:07So, in your previous answer, you spoke about being a black person.
06:11Yeah.
06:12As a black man, what are some of the challenges you faced in the entertainment industry?
06:16Oh.
06:18I'm going to tell you a couple.
06:19I wrote about this in my book.
06:21I didn't find out that my counterpart at my job at All Deaf was making, like, over $100,000 more than me and doing infinitely less work.
06:31I mean, I was doing his job times three.
06:36Like, I was recruiting talent.
06:37I was shooting, directing, editing videos.
06:39I would be in videos, using my relationships.
06:42He, a white man, had his feet up on the desk, make a few calls.
06:48He hired other white men who did the same.
06:50And me and all the black people in there working three or four times.
06:53And I'm thinking, oh, we all getting out the money.
06:54He ain't getting out the money as much as I am.
06:56But I think we at least making the same amount of money.
06:58We go to ask for raises.
07:00He making $200,000.
07:02Oh, it was $200,000 more.
07:04I'm making $70,000.
07:05And I'm like, how that makes sense?
07:07Like, even if y'all didn't know, right?
07:09Because he went to film school.
07:10Even if y'all didn't know at the beginning, after a year, you realize the value I bring.
07:14So what I realize is, one, in Hollywood, racism is a problem.
07:20But a more dangerous problem is nepotism.
07:23Because nepotism, you don't even think you're doing anything wrong.
07:26You're just hitting up the people you know.
07:28And that's why people don't feel like they're racist.
07:30Because they're not excluding black people.
07:32They're just looking out for their homeboys and their homegirls.
07:35It's just that over the years, black people were excluded so early and so often.
07:38And we don't have those positions.
07:41So much of my career success now is black people in those offices being like, we should get Kev.
07:46What about Kev?
07:47We should get Kev, right?
07:48So for me, I combat racism with nepotism as well.
07:52So I'm putting my kids on, my homies, my friends, black people.
07:56And I remember, this is going to sound terrible.
07:59I remember I was working with this one producer who was a black man, right?
08:02And I was telling him, yo, on my productions, I want to see black people on the front and the back.
08:08I don't want you to, I don't want to walk on a set.
08:10If I let you hire people, I don't want to walk on a set and see no black people.
08:12And I'm talking about, he was like, yeah, but this black dude, Okla, a black man.
08:17I was like, yeah, but they're not always the most qualified.
08:20I said, well, how do you know the other people?
08:24I said, how will we ever get qualified if we don't go out of their way?
08:27And then I said, and in my experience, white boys ain't, white boys ain't more qualified.
08:36And they mess up and they get forgiven time and time again because their boys look out for them.
08:41So they be trash.
08:42Like, black people be 10 times better because they know we don't get no second chance.
08:47You get the one opportunity, and even if you kill it, you still don't get a call back.
08:53So we have to go out of our way to look for black people.
08:56And then it's in L.A., there's not as many black people working as there is, say, in Atlanta or New Orleans.
09:01And especially after the pandemic, the black people is working good.
09:04So I was like, okay, well, he was like, it's just so hard.
09:06I said, well, make it hard, man.
09:08Like, who said it has to be easy?
09:09Like, ask another person.
09:11Go on a black camera board.
09:13See black DPs, they have Facebook groups.
09:15Go the extra step because we don't know how long we'll be in this position.
09:19And I don't want to see a whole bunch of people who it's easy,
09:22and it's just another check for them versus somebody who needs this on their resume.
09:26So, again, guys, this is a world-class panel right now.
09:31People are going to talk about this for ages.
09:32Like, man, that essence, Kev, 2025, y'all, that's at the bar.
09:38So what I think is really dope about you, too, and just even looking at the audience,
09:42your fans and fans like generations, too.
09:44Yeah.
09:44My mother, she's actually a big fan of you, too.
09:46Oh, moms love old Kev.
09:48That old Kev, he all right with me.
09:49And she always tells me she likes you because you're able to put the medicine in the candy.
09:54That's like a colloquialism with you.
09:55I know what it is.
09:56Brother Kev, he's going to tell me.
09:59You know it's like a colloquialism.
10:00You just want to say colloquialism.
10:02I did.
10:02And let people know you have five syllables on you.
10:04That was my word for the day, bro.
10:06That was.
10:08So can you discuss the role of humor in addressing serious topics and your impact on the audience?
10:13Oh, I think it's like putting the medicine in the candy or, you know, it's a colloquialism.
10:19Y'all don't steal that now.
10:21But I think humor can be disarming, right?
10:26You can watch somebody say something funny and be like, dang, that's funny, but that low-key
10:30is kind of true versus somebody saying to you direct, it can be very jarring and be
10:35very forward and that, you know, you'll have your guards up.
10:38So I like to sneak stuff into my stuff.
10:41And sometimes I like to say it straight.
10:42It's like even back in the Middle Ages, the court jester was like the only person who was
10:46allowed to talk directly to the king about the plight of the people.
10:50But as long as he did it in humor, he was okay.
10:52Another person will get their head cut off or their tongue cut out.
10:55But the jester was responsible for speaking truth to power in jest.
11:00And I think that's why a lot of comedians are.
11:04Listen, when you want to get off work, you want to get off work.
11:09Y'all good, though.
11:09Y'all look good.
11:11I don't care who's talking.
11:16You've got to pick that baby up, Okla.
11:19I'm not trying to hear nothing.
11:21What was it?
11:21What were you talking about?
11:23Court jesters.
11:25Oh, yeah.
11:25So sometimes, rarely, I'll just speak straight to camera.
11:29But I think I like to hide mine in there because you laugh first and then you can get the message
11:34a little bit later.
11:35So that approach has always worked for me.
11:37Oh, I was saying comedians are smart.
11:39A good comedian is really smart.
11:42Even if they're acting like they don't know what they're going on or they just happen upon it or it's improv,
11:46most of the time that's all part of the act or the joke or the point of the video.
11:50And as you know, fame is a really weird thing.
11:54And I know I wanted to ask, have you been able to navigate that and still stand authentic to yourself?
12:00I am very blessed to have a good family structure.
12:07And I have two boys at home who are very humbling.
12:12Hardly anything I do to them is cool.
12:14Unless it's like their favorite YouTuber.
12:18And also, my career has gone very slowly.
12:22And what I've noticed is people can skyrocket and they come back down.
12:26And when you treat people poorly on the way up, they never forget when you're on the way down.
12:31So it can be hard as well.
12:34You know, there's negative parts about it.
12:36But I think I would rather take this than working at Boeing or at the bank.
12:42You know what I'm saying?
12:42And so I just think sometimes the only real, real, real negative is when people expect you to speak out on stuff and you don't know what to say yet.
12:49Because they'll hold it against you if you say it wrong.
12:51So sometimes I, that's why I rarely speak out on very important cultural things in short form content.
12:58Because people are only watching 90 seconds.
13:01They're not going to go watch the whole video.
13:03So I like to talk about it on podcasts so that I can get my full thought out.
13:07And if you cut it out, I can say, well, they misrepresented me or whatever.
13:10But I don't just say anything usually.
13:13Because I don't, you know what I'm saying?
13:14I don't want to get canceled.
13:15So one of the optimal words in your book, Successful Failure, is success.
13:22I wanted to ask you, what advice would you give inspiring comedians and content creators, especially those from unrepresented communities?
13:30That's a good question, Oakland.
13:32You wrote that one?
13:33No.
13:33No, they did?
13:34I did.
13:34Oh, you did?
13:35See?
13:36Hit my hand.
13:36I would say, that's a good question.
13:42On the content side, the success or failure of your video is not reflective of your talent.
13:53A lot of times people, especially when they're starting out, they're like, man, this video ain't doing good.
13:56Therefore, I'm not doing good.
13:58The algorithm has its own ideas and things like that.
14:02And you can't let that determine your worth, right?
14:06I always tell people, the funniest video you've ever seen, you don't necessarily think it's funny because it has a lot of views.
14:12It may have a lot of views, but you, it doesn't have to have a lot of views to be funny.
14:15Same thing with the album.
14:16Music Soul Child, Just Listen, is one of my favorite albums of all time.
14:20I didn't know how many it sold until I was making this point last week.
14:23And Tony Baker told me, it's like, it went platinum.
14:26But when I first heard it in high school, I didn't care.
14:28I was like, this is a really good album.
14:30And that's how I think people should approach it.
14:33So if, and this is cliche, but it's true, if a hundred people like your video, ten people might become fans for life.
14:41And it might be, it might not be your biggest video.
14:44When I talk to people, their favorite video is often Waffle House or this or that.
14:47Or sometimes it's a video I don't even remember.
14:49But because I put out so much, you don't know what somebody might like or what somebody's mom's favorite video is or whatever like that.
14:55So I'd say be consistent, put out quality stuff, whatever that quality is for you.
15:00Don't try to meet my pace.
15:02I am a maniac.
15:03Three or four videos a day, every single day is not normal, natural, or should be your goal.
15:09That's, I just have poverty mindset.
15:11So, so, you know, go at your own pace, but be consistent.
15:16It's probably, it's cliche, but it's probably the most successful advice I can give.
15:21I'm pretty sure a lot of people have said this with me too, but I really don't love you and your wife's relationship.
15:27Yeah, so do I.
15:28I love it too.
15:31I don't want her to make an announcement while we're talking about you.
15:33I was checking my time because, you know, she coming at five o'clock to say it's over.
15:37She don't care what you're saying, what I'm saying, what you're saying.
15:39At five o'clock, she gonna make that announcement.
15:41So what was it like writing with your wife?
15:43And what's the best part to collaborating with her?
15:45Oh, the best part about writing with her, Marriage Be Hard, New York Times bestselling book.
15:54She raised my level.
15:56She's a much better writer and communicator than I am.
16:00So when I would want to phone it in and lean on a joke, she never said anything.
16:04She just wrote at her level.
16:06And I'd be like, well, dang, now I got to rise up.
16:09You know what I'm saying?
16:09So she challenged me with her greatness without embarrassing me with my, you know, I mean, I'm great, but you know what I'm saying?
16:18So I think that was it.
16:19And it also was amazing to work on a project with her that reached that level of success because she's amazingly talented in her own right.
16:26So I think it was just, and now no matter what my next book does, I will always be a New York Times bestseller.
16:31But I would like to be one for this book, so I need all y'all to buy her.
16:35Hey, Jameela, Mecca, Dale Taylor, Danielle.
16:39I need y'all all to buy my book, especially the lady who went to the Target thing.
16:42If you're going to go over to Target, and I know you better download Successful Fair, go in Target and buy 10 since you're going over there.
16:51And what did you do differently than writing the second book?
16:54Without writing with my wife, I was more lazy and humorous.
16:58I didn't have anybody to push me, no.
16:59So in my second book, I told a lot of stories I'd never have shared on social media ever.
17:06I always knew that I had a chance to write a book, and I knew that if you're writing a book, you have to share something that nobody knows.
17:13And because I podcast and make so many videos, there are some stories in there, like the time somebody robbed me of like $150,000, $200,000, $200,000.
17:23I was trying to give a job to a black person, trusting black people, and he hit me for the black dollar.
17:43I mean, he beat the brakes off of us.
17:48And I remember that other black producer I was telling you about was kind of like, see, see?
17:52And I'm like, I told you that lady wasn't going to say it.
17:55What did I tell y'all?
17:56Is it 5 o'clock?
17:575.02.
17:59Oh, she's serious about it.
18:00I never told that story on social media because I wanted to save it for the book.
18:09But I still went back and hired.
18:11I've hired a black woman the next time, though, for that job.
18:14I feel like I got a better chance.
18:17But all that would have been avoided if I would have listened to my wife.
18:20And that story is in there.
18:21She told me three, four times along this process, you shouldn't do this.
18:26This is not the right way.
18:27But I was so ambitious that I was like, no, no, it'll be fine, it'll be fine.
18:31And he got me for that bread.
18:33Oh, he got me for that bread.
18:35And I couldn't even sue him because my lawyer was like, brother, it's going to cost you more.
18:38You still ain't going to get your bread.
18:40So, yeah.
18:41So that story is in the book that you guys should be buying from successful failure everywhere, including Target, but not from there.
18:49Support a black-owned bookstore.
18:51That's what you do.
18:51Independent black-owned bookstore.
18:55That's where you go.
18:55So what actually inspires you to write books?
18:59Like, why do you feel like it's the right time to publish a book?
19:02And, like, how does that creative process go for you?
19:05The offer I received to write a book was so substantial.
19:08All those should be closed at this time.
19:14There should be no further sales at this time.
19:18I feel like this is personal now.
19:19She, like, hear me talking, like, say another word.
19:22You, Kevin.
19:23You in Oklahoma.
19:24But, no, I feel like the thing I like about writing a book is you only have to tell that story once, and you can live with it forever.
19:33The Five Loving Languages was the first book me and my wife read together that was really helpful in our marriage.
19:38We got married in 2004.
19:40That guy wrote that book in, like, 1990 or something like that.
19:431990.
19:44And it's still on the New York Times bestselling list today.
19:46Like, it still is on there.
19:47So a great book can tell a story forever.
19:50So, and in the age of, like, physical media going away, 20 years from now, somebody needs encouragement.
19:56I'd love for them to say, oh, read Successful Failure by Kev On Stage.
19:59It'll help you.
20:00So that's why I wanted to write something that could be used for a long time.
20:04Videos, they go further and further down your timeline.
20:06But a book on a bookshelf is, you know, forever.
20:09And then you spoke about your podcast earlier, too.
20:12With your books, how do you decide what personal moments that you want to share?
20:19I think the ones that are central to the story.
20:21So Marriage v. Horror, we shared stories that were central to marriage.
20:25We were very open and honest about things that we were going through because we wanted to be interesting and entertaining.
20:30Successful Failure, I shared my real failures.
20:33Like, the ones that I was really embarrassed to talk about, the ones that were, you know, six, seven years ago.
20:38And there was stuff that I was happening during the writing process that I shared about, you know.
20:43So I think if you're not serious about being transparent, then I don't think a book is for you.
20:50Like, you really got to be for real open.
20:53Otherwise, people are going to be like, man, this book is trash, and they'll move on to the next thing.
20:56So that, my book is not trash.
20:58It's a very good book.
21:00Very good.
21:01Now, I think you're hilarious.
21:02Oh, thank you, Oakland.
21:03You're hilarious, man.
21:04But in your book, you talk about bombing and stand-up and wanting to quit comedy at some point.
21:08Yes.
21:09What inspires you to, like, push forward and keep going up there, man?
21:13I ain't no punk, man.
21:15Like, I ain't no punk.
21:18Like, you got to take them L's, especially in comedy.
21:22You really, no great comedian has not bombed.
21:26Like, you are a liar, or you're not good.
21:28But, um, so I have bombed a lot, right?
21:32Especially early.
21:33But I bombed Keep Your Distance.
21:34I bombed.
21:35You know what I'm saying?
21:36So I think that approach is also part of life.
21:39Like, you got to try.
21:40And trying does not equal success.
21:43It's the try is the success.
21:44The result is the result.
21:46Oh, another bar.
21:47Kev's still killing.
21:49But I think that approach to comedy, like, comedians expect to bomb, and they still go out there.
21:55I think sometimes in life, we try to avoid any failure.
21:58And sometimes trying to avoid failure completely, you just become risk-averse, and you don't try anything at all.
22:04Right?
22:04And technically, of course, you can't fail if you don't try, but you also can't achieve anything.
22:08So I try new jokes, and they don't always work.
22:10I actually had a dream last night that I tried a new joke that bombed.
22:13In my sleep, I bombed.
22:15That's how scary it is.
22:16But you got to take that L, because that L will lead to the success full.
22:23That has two L's in it.
22:25Bar.
22:26No, that has one L.
22:27That has one L.
22:28My bad.
22:29I was like, successful?
22:30No.
22:31You know, but anyway, I try to, everything's not a bar.
22:33You see, I just bombed right now.
22:35And I was having a good little panel before the pool lady.
22:38It's all, it's all.
22:38You know.
22:41Now, you're also a business man, too, my brother.
22:44And you've gone from viral videos to running your own studio.
22:48What's been the biggest lesson in building something of your own from scratch?
22:55I'm not even going to give you a cookie-coater, a candy-coated answer.
22:59That's a colloquialism about candy.
23:00I'm going to give you three, a couple, and then we got to wrap it up.
23:05I see them over there.
23:06One, one deal is not the next deal.
23:11So, because you partner with somebody and this thing goes well, does not mean you should apply
23:16those same principles to the next thing, because they might not be the best person for the next thing.
23:20Right?
23:21I made that mistake recently.
23:26Move on.
23:28Second one, you sometimes got to learn how to take that L and cut your losses.
23:35Right?
23:35Sometimes you want it to work, you want it to work, but you can't put money or time or energy
23:39into something indefinitely if it's not working.
23:42And the third is be okay with pivoting.
23:46I think most of my success came from pivoting.
23:48I was a live stand-up touring the nation.
23:51The pandemic came.
23:52Touring is not possible.
23:54I pivoted to Keep Your Distance, which was a virtual comedy show.
23:58African high fashion.
24:00African high fashion.
24:01She's naming names.
24:02Can you discontinue sales now, please?
24:05She coming after.
24:06Wrap it up.
24:07She going to be like, Okla, Kev.
24:11She not playing.
24:12She African concession.
24:14Shut it down.
24:16No more oil.
24:18Not another candle.
24:19Better go or you won't be in here tomorrow.
24:23Let's just close it, Okla.
24:24Thank you guys so much.
24:25I can't take that.
24:26Hold on.
24:27So if y'all want signing, you know he's doing signing on the other side too, so y'all can
24:31get your book signed for a purchase after this.
24:33Y'all give some love and make some noise.
24:35But Kev.
24:36God bless you guys.
24:37I'm sorry.
24:38I'm sorry I was late.
24:48I'm sorry.
24:49You
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