Kel Mitchell on Success of ‘Good Burger 2’ and How He’s Giving Back This Holiday Season

Degen Pener
·6 min read
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One of Kel Mitchell’s favorite gifts this Christmas is the fact that his two of his kids, Honor and Wisdom Mitchell, have cameos in his new film Good Burger 2. “They play Pickles and Mustard. [My character] Ed has seven kids in the movie, and he named them all after condiments. It’s been so much fun having them have this experience with Dad and being in the movie too. So it’s a fun Christmas,” says Mitchell, whose film, which co-stars his longtime collaborator Kenan Thompson (Kenan & Kel), became the most-watched original film on Paramount+ after its release in November.

Filled with gratitude, the L.A.-based actor and comedian is also returning this year as a celebrity supporter of World Vision, the Christian humanitarian organization that for decades has supported people around the globe with everything from clean drinking water to gifts of livestock that can help empower them to get out of poverty. “It’s a blessing to be a blessing,” says Mitchell of what he gets out of giving back.

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Mitchell — who has also supported World Vision by taking part in its Global 6K for Water race (which represents the average distance round trip women and children in the developing world walk for water) — spoke with THR about his family’s favorite Christmas movie, his plans to release new music in 2024, and how donating money to World Vision can make a profound difference in people’s lives.

How does the response to Good Burger 2 feel?

It’s such a blessing and a surreal moment that everyone has been enjoying it. I mean, to see that it came in as the No. 1 most-viewed movie since the Paramount+ app launched — that’s such a beautiful thing. So we’re excited. That’s what Kenan and I both wanted. We wanted part two to be able to stand on its own as well as Good Burger one and to be just as good.

What was the most fun you had making the movie?

Of course. Working with my brother Kenan, us cracking up, laughing and improv on set, getting back into it was definitely like riding a bike. It was just fun creating new memories and new jokes because we always have inside jokes, and so it’s great to be able to do that again. And then all the wonderful cameos that we had in the movie as well.

How did you get involved with World Vision and why is it important to you to give back?

I’ve been working with World Vision for years. They reached out to me because they know that I love giving back and helping others. And it was around when I was promoting my devotional book Blessed Mode as well. I love God and giving back and putting a smile on people’s faces. And one of the quotes that I use all the time is “spread love like confetti.” When I was on Dancing With the Stars, they love confetti cannons, and I used to come home with confetti on me all the time. It’s the same way with love. You take it everywhere you go, and that’s what World Vision does every year with their gift catalog.

What are some of the specific World Vision gifts people can choose?

You can get an alpaca  [for farming families in Ecuador] or you can get a goat for a family and they can sell the milk from that goat and get out of poverty. There are so many other wonderful donations in there as well that are great and can help families. You could also do chickens as well, or bicycles for kids or sewing machines for families. And then even here in the U.S., we have food kits to get people off hunger. And then also too clean water; you can build wells in different places. It’s a great way to show your kids how to help as well. We just put up the Christmas tree and we have an alpaca ornament. And when my kids see that, they also know that we also got a real alpaca to help someone overseas and help a family. It’s really just about giving back and letting everyone know that we’re all God’s children and we’re all family.

What are some of your family’s Christmas traditions?

Of course spending time with family. We also love the movie Home Alone. That’s like a tradition here in the family. And then a lot of singing, a lot of playing board games and just being thankful for all the things God has done for this year and being thankful, man.

What has life been like for you post actors strike?

It’s been great. The strike was over right before Good Burger 2 was ready to premiere, so that was really cool for us and for the union as well. And now what’s going on is that I love being an author. I definitely have more books to come. Kenan and I both love showing the fans these new adventures that we’re going to take them on with Kenan and Kel as adults and seeing the adventures we’re having. So we’ve been talking about more projects coming out that we’re excited about, and ones that we are already in the pipeline that we’re working on, which is really great. And so more movies, also more music too as well in 2024. It’s going to be a big year.

I’m curious to hear about your music projects. What do you have planend next?

Along with my book Blessed Mode, I put out a song called “Blessed Mode” with the same title. And so that was really cool and it was my return back to music. I had been doing music for years and it was kind of cool to be able to do that. And then I have the Good Burger 2 song, “All Dudes,” which is a remix of Good Burger’s “We’re All Dudes.” So that’s on the Good Burger 2 soundtrack. So I’m super excited about that. And the soundtrack has been doing just as well as the movie. And yeah,  I have a single called “Go Time” that’s out too. A lot of my music is very motivating. It’s music that I like to listen to in the gym, so that’s my music. There’s a lot of joy to my music and, fun as well, to get you going for your day. So more of that to come to as well this year.

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