Kyle Mooney

Kyle Mooney was born in San Diego, California. Raised in a close-knit family with his two brothers, Mooney stayed close to his Southern California roots and completed his schooling in the nearby University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he went on to study film. While he learned the ropes of making his own shorts, Mooney also honed his comedic skills in the campus improv troupe Commedus Interruptus. After college, Mooney formed a new troupe, Good Neighbor, with his childhood friend Dave McCary and USC college buddies Beck Bennett and Nick Rutherford in 2007. When it came to developing his comedic style and sketches for Good Neighbor, Mooney was greatly influenced by his ever-growing collection of old VHS tapes. The troupe steadily grew in popularity, performing live at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles and online, where one of their videos amassed almost 7 million views. As their videos picked up steam, Mooney landed acting opportunities with guest appearances on shows like "Parks and Recreation" (NBC 2009-) and the surrealist Elijah Wood vehicle "Wilfred" (FX 2011-2014). The screwball charm of Good Neighbor did not go unnoticed, and the boys were tapped to shoot their own series titled "The Good Neighbor Show" for Comedy Central, produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay of Funny or Die. But right after they wrapped the pilot, production was put on hold when the whole troupe was asked to audition for SNL in 2013. SNL was experiencing one of their biggest casting shakeups in the show's history, with several veterans such as Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis and Bill Hader leaving. Mooney and Bennett (well-known at the time for a series of ads for a mobile phone carrier in which he interviewed bunches of small children) joined the cast, while McCary came on as a director/videographer for their filmed shorts. Just before his SNT stint started, Mooney joined the comedy series "Hello Ladies" (HBO 2013). The creative mind behind the British "The Office" (BBC 2001-03), Stephen Merchant, played a clueless British expat navigating the L.A dating scene, with Mooney co-starring as his nerdy co-worker and bumbling wingman, Rory. Mooney's brand of awkward self-assurance and complete lack of self-awareness perfectly suited the show, but the series was canceled after one season.