As A Creative Who Is Heavily Inspired By ‘In Living Color,’ KevOnStage Sees Expanded Multi-Year Tubi Deal As A Way To Create More Superstars – AfroTech
Kevin “KevOnStage” Fredericks’ comedic empire is growing.
One common thread in KevOnStage’s story is his consistency and understanding of the importance of hard work. He learned this from his mother, he told AFROTECH™ in an interview. She worked three jobs during his younger years and has been disabled for a long time, yet she maintains a creative spirit, writing plays, short stories, poems, and novels.
“I think my mom was probably my biggest example of hard work … She’s been disabled for most of my life, very legally blind and hard of hearing, and she’s never let that stop her from creating,” he said.
KevOnStage has also remained persistent in pursuing his creative interests, a decision that led to him being fired from a 9-5 role at a bank because he shared his ultimate goal of being an entertainer. It all started with a desire to make people laugh, whether that be with his friends and family or at church, making sketches using a borrowed camera in the early 2000s.
“I wasn’t even doing stand-up, but just making my grandma laugh … my uncles and aunts and my mom, that was my only goal. So I guess my audience just got bigger, but the goal has always remained the same,” he said.
Following that passion, he would self-fund his visions, shoot and edit with his iPhone, and share content on YouTube beginning on Nov. 21, 2011. Now he has secured support from various major media players. This includes BET. His portfolio includes “Churchy,” a television show funded by savings from brand deals and commercials, he told AFROTECH™. It was picked up later by BET in 2024 with the help of Fulwell Entertainment executive Jamal Henderson.
KevOnStage has been taking his creativity to new heights through an expanded partnership with Tubi that began with the June 2025 launch of Tubi for Creators. The initiative has produced more than 20,000 episodes from more than 300 creators, according to a press release shared with AFROTECH™. KevOnStage’s Tubi creative success stories include comedy series “Safe Space” and freestyle comedy show “Bald Brothers.”
“When I didn’t have the funds, I just created kind of with whatever level I had, and I think that’s how I built my audience, and that audience is what led me to this partnership with Tubi,” he explained.
What’s more, KevOnStage is Tubi’s highest-volume creator. According to CreatorIQ Connect, he generated $10.6 million in earned media value across 116 posts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, where he has amassed millions of followers.
“So Tubi being free and instantly able to access… if I post a sketch in my stories and click here to watch the full episode on Tubi, you click there, and you can watch it. You don’t even have to put your email in. That removes a lot of the barrier of entry, and I think that result is why the shows are successful,” he noted.
Unsurprisingly, KevOnStage and Tubi are broadening their partnership. According to the press release, he has agreed to a multi-year deal with the streaming service. The agreement ensures he retains creative control, ownership, and backend participation.
On the way is the second season of “Safe Space,” launching in June. Also, “The Airport,” a 10-episode comedic series, will debut in November. Between the two shows, there are 40 production staff members, he says.
“That includes writers, crew, all that type of stuff. So through this partnership, I’m able to hire all these Black creators and give all these people their first writing gig,” he mentioned.
The third season of “Safe Space” is slated for 2027, as is “Grief Sucks,” KevOnStage’s first stand-up special on a streaming platform. He calls the special “the best comedy I’ve ever done,” and it will honor his late brother, Jason. He will also release a holiday comedy feature film and, in 2028, a horror-comedy.
With more projects, there are more opportunities, not only for himself but for other creators. He says he was greatly inspired by the blueprint of “In Living Color,” the brainchild of Keenen Ivory Wayans.
“The Wayans put all these people on, and they became superstars, from Jim Carrey to Jamie Foxx, obviously the Wayans, even Jennifer Lopez. All of them, you can trace their history back to ‘In Living Color.’ I wanna be able to do the same thing for people, which is open the door for them,” KevOnStage said.
“And if they blow past me, amazing, but at least we got to make this cool thing. And I hope people are grateful, but even if not, like, I’m grateful for the things that I’m able to do and the people I’m able to work with,” he continued.
