Chris Redd facts for kids

Christopher Jerell Redd (born March 25, 1985) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for being a cast member on the famous NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) for five years, from 2017 to 2022.

While on SNL, Redd won a big award called a Primetime Emmy Award. He won for helping to write a funny song called "Come Back Barack." He has also acted in movies like Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) and TV shows like Kenan (2021–2022).

Early Life and First Steps in Comedy

Chris Redd was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 25, 1985. When he was eight, his family moved to a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. As a child, Redd had a stutter, which made it hard for him to speak smoothly. He found that learning to rap helped him overcome it.

He went to high school in Illinois and later attended a community college. It was there that he took his first class in improvisational theater, a type of acting where you make up the scenes as you go. This class sparked his interest in comedy.

Career in Comedy and Acting

From Rapping to Sketch Comedy

At first, Redd wanted to be a rapper. He even worked at an Olive Garden restaurant to support himself. But after seeing the work of comedian Steve Carell, he realized he was better at and enjoyed improvisational comedy more.

In 2009, he decided to focus on comedy. He took classes at a comedy club in Chicago and joined a famous comedy group called The Second City. He toured the country performing with them. In 2016, he moved to Los Angeles to find more acting jobs. His first movie role was as a rapper named Hunter the Hungry in the comedy film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

Joining Saturday Night Live

After trying out for Saturday Night Live once before, Redd successfully joined the cast in 2017. He started as a "featured player" along with other new cast members. SNL is a live TV show where actors perform funny skits, pretend to be celebrities, and make fun of current events.

In 2018, Redd won a Primetime Emmy Award for helping write the song "Come Back Barack." The song was a funny and heartfelt plea for former president Barack Obama to return to the White House. He shared the award with his co-writers, including fellow SNL star Kenan Thompson.

In 2019, Redd was promoted to a "repertory player," which is a main cast member on the show. During his time on SNL, he became known for his impressions of famous people like Senator Cory Booker, musician Kanye West, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Redd left the show in 2022 after five seasons.

Other Projects and Shows

Besides SNL, Redd has worked on many other projects. In 2019, he released his first stand-up comedy album, But Here We Are. From 2021 to 2022, he starred in the TV show Kenan with Kenan Thompson. Because SNL was filmed in New York and Kenan was filmed in Los Angeles, he had to travel back and forth a lot.

Redd also co-created and starred in the comedy series Bust Down, about a group of friends working at a casino. In 2025, he joined the cast of the drama series Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

Personal Life

In October 2022, Redd was injured in an incident outside a comedy club in New York. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and was released after recovering.

Helping the Community

In June 2020, Redd and another comedian, Lisa Beasley, started a GoFundMe campaign. They raised over $360,000 to help pay the medical bills of people who were part of protests for racial justice.

That same month, Redd joined other Black performers from The Second City comedy group. They wrote an open letter asking for an investigation into claims of unfair treatment at the group. They wanted to make sure the comedy school was a fair and welcoming place for everyone.

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography