Jordan Peele Quotes

“Nobody wants to see sketch comedy that's the same sketch they've seen time and time again, or that's just a rehash of that thing.”

— Jordan Peele

“Obama was the best thing for black nerds everywhere. Finally we had a role model. Before Obama, we basically had Urkel.”

— Jordan Peele

“I was raised that emotion was a good thing.”

— Jordan Peele

“You can track elections by who was playing that president on 'SNL' at that time. There's the theory that the more likable or charismatic impression would help get the president elected.”

— Jordan Peele

“It's a no-win situation with politics; it's always going to be stressful. I'm more into the comedy of life.”

— Jordan Peele

Any time I claimed to be white, that would be unacceptable. It just doesn't make sense in people's minds. If I'm white, how can I walk through a department store and still have people scared that I'm going to rob them? Which, that can still happen.

— Jordan Peele

“As kids, there's somehow the fear that these bullies can end your life if they want to. Everything is blown up, and occasionally that kind of awful thing does happen.”

— Jordan Peele

“I didn't know my father very well; I only met him a few times.”

— Jordan Peele

“You never want to be the whitest-sounding black guy in a room.”

— Jordan Peele

“Anyone who's really utilized collaboration has a philosophy like, 'Let's throw it all against the wall and see what sticks.' That's how we do it. At a certain point, we're cutting scripts that we love.”

— Jordan Peele

“Like comedy, horror has an ability to provoke thought and further the conversation on real social issues in a very powerful way.”

— Jordan Peele

“'Get Out' takes on the task of exploring race in America, something that hasn't really been done within the genre since 'Night of the Living Dead' 47 years ago.”

— Jordan Peele

“I've been very lucky to have a family who has welcomed me and not been hung up on anything racial, almost overlooking the fact that there was a racial difference. But I can honestly say I do feel like I missed out on some lessons of what the African-American experience is like growing up.”

— Jordan Peele

“The world has wanted me to speak differently than I speak. I speak like my mom. I speak like the whitest white dude. I speak like a "Def Comedy Jam" comedian doing an impression of a white guy.”

— Jordan Peele

“Since we were renamed, and now it feels like 80 percent of the African-American population has the name Washington or Jefferson or some president or slave owner's name. And, I almost wonder is this, like, is this part of a way of taking back the principle of naming your - I might be going too far into this - but naming your kids something of your choice?”

— Jordan Peele

“Everybody knows this legend in kind of African-American lore. There's always somebody in your neighborhood named Orangejello or Lemonjello. And that's spelled - Orangejello is spelled O-R-A-N-G-E-J-E-L-L-O.”

— Jordan Peele

“I think that is also something he [Barack Obama], in the beginning of his presidency, he couldn't really explore and couldn't show. He had to be almost a one-dimensional, stoic leader during that first election.”

— Jordan Peele

[Barack Obama] will touch you on the shoulder and, you know - in that big brother or father figure kind of way. And you really do feel sort of shepherded by him.

— Jordan Peele

[ When I met Barack Obama] He says, I do a pretty good me myself - he said something like that. But he's - he is a close talker. He's a touchy guy.

— Jordan Peele

“We need to break boundaries, so every time I feel like, "Oh snap, oh my God, I don't know how this is gonna be received," I also feel this validation, like, "All the greats, all my favorites have felt this."”

— Jordan Peele

“What teenagers are ready to laugh at is the misery of other people.”

— Jordan Peele

“I've always thought of myself as an African-American comedian, African-American man, everything.”

— Jordan Peele