INTERVIEW: Kel Mitchell serves up details on MTV’S Deliciousness, his new book, and Good Burger’s impact

As one half of Nickelodeon’s iconic duo Kenan & Kel, Kel Mitchell holds a firm spot in the hearts of elder millennials who grew up watching his shenanigans on All That, Kenan & Kel, and Good Burger. At 43, Mitchell is not slowing down — continuing to dish out laughs on MTV’s Deliciousness — a comedy where he and a panel of stars (Tiffani Thiessen, Angela Kinsey, and Tim Chantarangsu) react to crazy food fails from around the web. Culturess chatted with the comedian about his evolving career, his bond with fellow Nickelodeon alum and SNL star Kenan Thompson, and how he really feels about getting offered orange soda after all these years.

Culturess: Season 3 of Deliciousness just dropped! What got you into this type of comedy? Would you consider yourself a “foodie?”

Kel: Yeah! I love eating. I love cooking. My wife and I love trying new recipes at home. And of course, because of Good Burger, everywhere I go people give me free burgers. It just felt right to do Deliciousness.

Culturess: People give you free burgers? Do they ever give you orange soda? Tell us more!

Kel: *laughs* All of the above. It doesn’t matter where we go. I could be in a drive-through or a 5-star restaurant; if I order something that is not an orange soda, the waiter will say something like, “wait a minute, you love orange soda!” The whole place will crack up. It’s crazy.

Culturess: Does that ever get old?

Kel: No, it’s fun! I really enjoy it. I love that people have a special place in their hearts for it. I’m not one of those actors that would get upset by it. I’m really humbled by it. We just celebrated our 26th year of Kenan & Kel and Good Burger, as well. It’s been awesome.

Culturess: The cast of Deliciousness is amazing. You’ve got Angela from The Office, Tiffani from Saved by the Bell… what’s it like working with all these members of TV royalty?

Kel: Man, it’s crazy. We are like a big family now. It’s our third season and everyone is so funny. We get to just sit on the couch and crack up. The stuff that Angela and Tim say is hilarious. Tiffani is an awesome host, you know. I’ve been watching her since Saved by the Bell.

Culturess: Do you ever find yourself being a fan of your own coworkers?

Kel: Of course. I love The Office, I love Saved by the Bell, and I love Wild ‘N Out. We are always just in awe of each other and talking about each other’s projects. But now it just feels like we are all cousins.

Culturess: Speaking of projects… we hear you have a new book coming out. Can you tell us about it?

Kel: Yeah, it’s coming out September 6, and it’s called Prank Day. It’s about this kid named Chase that does all these pranks on April Fool’s Day, but here’s the catch: the next day, all of his pranks come true. So now you have refrigerators running through the neighborhood… you’ve got flying spiders… you’ve got clowns coming out of toilets — it’s pretty crazy. He has to find out why all of this is happening, so you have to get the book to find out why. I love this book; it’s a fiction novel for tweens, and I really wanted to do a story that’s an action-adventure that’s fun for kids. They are going to love it.

Culturess: You have kids now. Is that why you are leaning into more kid-based comedy?

Kel: Yeah, I’m a dad now. I love reading bedtime stories to my kids. I really get into it and I play different characters. I’ve been doing that for years. Also just working in kids’ entertainment for so long with Nickelodeon and Game Shakers and all these different shows — I love putting a smile on kids’ faces. And also adults’ faces, because a lot of adults have told me that they are going to read Prank Day, too.

Culturess: We saw that your old pal Kenan got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but you had to miss the ceremony!

Kel: I was supposed to be there, But I’m in Canada filming a movie right now and I couldn’t make it. But I called him, I watched the live stream while it was going on. My parents went because we are still all family. Kenan and I have been talking about how awesome of a moment that is… that his name is cemented in Hollywood. It’s awesome and I’m so proud of him.

Culturess: Well, maybe you’ll be next. Hopefully, they save a spot for you next to his star.

Kel: Mine will be somewhere down the street next to a burger spot *laughs*

Deliciousness airs weeknights at 10/9 central on MTV.