Jim Carrey Engineered Two ‘In Living Color’ Reunions On His New Showtime Series ‘Kidding’
You can do what you wanna do, in living Carrey. The first two episodes of Showtime’s new series “Kidding” have also served as a bit of an unexpected “In Living Color” reunion for star Jim Carrey. Among the guests in those episodes: Kelly Coffield Park and T’Keyah Crystal Keymáh, both of whom starred alongside Carrey in the iconic early 1990s Fox sketch comedy series.
In “Kidding,” Carrey plays Jeff Piccirillo, who has played PBS kids TV host “Jeff Pickles” for 30 years — but is now struggling to cope with the death of his son and the end of his marriage. In the show’s first two episodes, Coffield Park played Joanne, a Realtor who’s selling the house next door to Jeff’s estranged wife and son. And after Jeff, in an impulse, shaves part of his head, Keymáh appears in Episode 2 as Amika, a hair stylist who fixes his look.
“Kidding” casting director Amber Wakefield credited Carrey with reaching out to cast his “In Living Color” pals.
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“This was a great opportunity for audiences to see him reunited with these exceptional talents,” she said. “Jim suggested finding a role for Kelly Coffield Park in the show, and at the time we were casting the role of the realtor ‘Joanne.’ The role required an upbeat, vivid energy — which was a great fit for Ms. Park. He also suggested T’Keyah Crystal Keymáh specifically for the role of ‘Amika’ the hairdresser, who fits ‘Jeff Pickles’ with a hairpiece after he shaves a stripe down his head. Ms. Keymáh was able to carve time out of her schedule to come do this cameo.”
“In Living Color” was a pop cultural phenomenon when the show, created by Keenan Ivory Wayans, first debuted on Fox in 1990. It turned several of its cast members into stars — including several Wayans family members, David Alan Grier, and Carrey, who quickly moved into movie superstardom. Keymáh (who later starred on “Cosby” and “That’s So Raven”) and Carrey (then billed as “James Carrey”) appeared throughout “In Living Color’s” five season, 127-episode run, while Coffield Park was on the show for its first four seasons.
Carrey isn’t the only “In Living Color” alum Coffield Park and Keymáh have reunited with in recent years. Coffield Park appeared last season on Fox’s “Lethal Weapon” series, which stars Damon Wayans. She also appeared on several episodes of Wayans’ mid-2000s sitcom “My Wife and Kids,” which also featured a guest stint from Keymáh. Two snaps up!
“Kidding” airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime.
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