Kalen Allen

Kalen Allen (born January 4, 1996) is an American actor, comedian, and internet personality who built a career spanning social media, television, film, and Broadway. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Allen attended Sumner Academy of Arts and Science before enrolling at Temple University, where he studied film, theater, and media arts. He completed his degree in 2018 through the university's Los Angeles Study Away program. As of 2022, he has been pursuing a master's degree in journalism at New York University.

Allen's public profile emerged in 2017 while he was still a college student, after he recorded and posted a reaction video to a recipe for a dish called 7-Up Salad, which combined soda, marshmallows, lime Jell-O, and cream cheese, among other ingredients. The video spread widely online and led to the creation of his YouTube channel, Kalen Reacts, where his first video appeared in November 2017. The channel focused on his comedic responses to unconventional food recipes and accumulated millions of views. Ellen DeGeneres discussed the videos on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in a December 7, 2017 episode, and Allen appeared on the program on January 2, 2018, at which point he was hired to produce reaction content for the show. His work on OMKalen earned him a Webby Award in 2020.

Allen made his film acting debut in the 2020 comedy An American Pickle, starring Seth Rogen, in which he played one half of a Brooklyn couple who assist the film's central character in launching a pickle business. That same year, he released his debut album, For Christmas Sake. His subsequent screen credits include the Amazon Prime series With Love, HBO Max's A Black Lady Sketch Show, and the Netflix film Meet Me Next Christmas.

On the Food Network and its streaming partner Discovery+, Allen served as a judge on Cakealikes in 2021 and on Supermarket Stakeout in 2022. He also hosted Buddy vs Duff, a competition featuring Buddy Valastro and Duff Goldman. At the end of 2022, he joined Stephanie Boswell and Carla Hall as a judge on Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown, a spin-off of Holiday Baking Championship. In September 2022, Allen began co-hosting Raised by Ricki, a podcast alongside Ricki Lake. In 2023, he hosted the GLSEN Respect Awards.

Allen made his Broadway debut in 2024, appearing in Elf the Musical in the role of Store Manager during the show's Christmas season run. Allen is openly gay.