Story + Styling / Phil Gomez
Glam / Rory Alvarez
Photographs / Andrew White and Sam Bates
Video / Weston Flemmons
Photograph Assistant / Nas McKay
Enhancing / Andrew White, Sam Bates and Weston Flemmons
Location / The Marquis Theatre
Kalen Allen meets us on the prime of the facet stage stairs on the Marquis Theatre, radiating a vibrant power that immediately lights up the room. Polished and sharp, he exudes the identical charisma that captivated hundreds of thousands in his viral movies. But, the Kalen sitting throughout from me is a lot greater than “the man who reacts to meals.” He’s an actor, singer, storyteller—and above all, an individual fiercely dedicated to residing authentically and unapologetically.
“The humorous factor is to me the movies are the outliers. This feels regular. Even at the moment, I used to be at school for theater, I received my diploma in theater and movie with a focus in performing. ”Kalen says “The purpose was at all times to behave and carry out. So now, I see it as an alternative for individuals to truly see what I’ve finished my whole life. And that is in all probability extra of who I’m on the core, as a result of the meals movies have been an accident.” A cheerful accident for a broke school scholar making an attempt to make it work.
That “accident” changed into a launchpad, resulting in viral fame and finally to a internet hosting position on The Ellen DeGeneres Present. However for Kalen, this was only the start. His path has at all times been about evolution, and he’s fast to make one factor clear: he’s not outlined by these early viral moments.
“Individuals at all times ask, ‘Kalen, when are you going to do extra meals movies?’ And I’m like, honey, simply think about me Rihanna—it’s not coming again!” he says with amusing. “It doesn’t fulfill me artistically anymore. I’m the factor, I’m the second”. And whether or not he’s on Broadway or sitting in entrance of you’re nonetheless going to get Kalen.
Kalen’s latest activate Broadway in Elf is proof of this. The position lets him shine as his genuine self. “I don’t thoughts being typecast,” he explains.
“I identical to entertaining and I’m okay with doing roles which can be near me or near who I’m as a result of that’s the humorous. And that’s what I care about.”
That philosophy is woven into all the things Kalen does, from performing to music. His newest album, Christmas Recollections, is a mirrored image of his progress and his capacity to embrace each facet of himself. “The album journals my life by way of the lens of Christmas,” he says. “It begins with grownup Kalen and goes again to child Kalen. It’s a mirrored image of all of the completely different variations of me and the concept that we don’t have to stay to only one model of ourselves.”
As a Black queer man, Kalen is conscious of societal pressures to adapt. “They need us to be one sure means,” he says. “One factor that’s so irritating to me is once I dress up they’re like, oh, you’re like a younger Billy Porter, and I’m like,Ya’ll act like Billy Porter was the primary individual to placed on any garments.“ However you don’t see individuals saying, ‘You’re like a younger Neil Patrick Harris,’ to a Troye Sivan.”
Regardless of these challenges, Kalen stays true in his mission to point out up authentically. “I’ve conditioned myself to do the work without having validation. I do it as a result of I imagine in myself and for future generations to see it’s attainable.”
That dedication to face in his reality has led him to locations he as soon as dreamed of, from internet hosting occasions for Michelle Obama’s or having a relationship with Oprah. “After I take into consideration iconic moments, like, as an illustration, going to the White Home, being like,yeah, that is my eighth time right here” He remembers. “The opposite day I used to be watching me and Mariah Carrie’s collab for the twenty fifth anniversary of “All I Need for Christmas is You”, and having the ability to take a look at that stuff, particularly stuff once I was youthful, in pondering of how a lot I’ve grown and altered, I feel that’s the reward.”
Sustaining pleasure in a demanding profession isn’t at all times straightforward, however Kalen has discovered the significance of boundaries. “It’s being conscious however not in it,” he explains. “Individuals underestimate how a lot work that is. My purpose is to work now and retire later.”
Trying forward, Kalen is concentrated on constructing an empire. Balancing performing, music, content material and a grasp’s diploma in journalism from NYU. Quickly he will probably be instructing. “I’ve at all times needed to show,” he says, visibly lighting up on the thought. He’s set to show a summer season course on content material creation and journalism, bringing his experience to the subsequent technology of storytellers.
With Elf closing in January, Kalen plans to take a well-deserved break. However he’s additionally laying the groundwork for future endeavors, “My purpose is to create a basis for myself the place I’m now not reliant on others to approve or dictate my alternatives. I wish to create one thing sustainable that enables me to thrive independently, with out having to depend upon model offers to pay the payments. In essence, my subsequent large venture is me.” The imaginative and prescient is the Kalen Allen Community, the place every platform serves a definite objective with particular forms of content material. For instance, Fb will focus solely on cooking, TikTok will launch a podcast within the works, Instagram will act because the central hub for selling all the things, and platforms like Threads and Twitter will interact audiences with popular culture polls, and scorching subjects. This may make his content material extra impactful and streamlined for audiences to know the place to search out it.
Kalen’s story isn’t about going viral; it’s about transformation. It’s about defying expectations, embracing evolution, and displaying the world what’s attainable whenever you stay authentically. Whether or not it’s on Broadway, a cheeky vacation tune, or instructing, he simply needs individuals to see all of the completely different sides of Kalen.
And with each step ahead, Kalen Allen is doing simply that—a journey that could be a crash course in authenticity, resilience, and staying true to your goals. From viral movies to Broadway and past, he’s proving that with expertise, exhausting work, and slightly bit of religion, something is feasible.
Try the unique photographs beneath:
Full look, KidSuper. Shirt + Flower Broach, Classic. Footwear, Dr. Martens.
Full look, HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE. Hat, Kabute. Footwear, Dr. Martens. Eyewear, Luar.
Full look, UGG. Jewellery, ALEXIS BITTAR.
