Kalen Allen

Early life and education Kalen Allen was born and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He attended Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, a high school in Kansas City. He subsequently went to Temple University where he majored in film, theater, and media arts. Using Temple University's Los Angeles Study Away program, he graduated in 2018 soon after his rise in popularity. As of 2022, Allen is enrolled in a master's in journalism program at New York University.

Career In 2017, while still a college student, Allen stumbled upon a video tutorial for a peculiar dish called 7-Up Salad. The recipe consisted of soda, marshmallows, lime Jell-O, cream cheese, and other unlikely ingredients. Intrigued by the absurdity of the recipe, Allen recorded his reaction and posted it on social media, adding humorous commentary. The video went viral.

Allen started the YouTube channel Kalen Reacts, which primarily featured him reacting to other bizarre and unconventional videos of people making food with unusual recipes. He posted his first Kalen Reacts video in November 2017. But these videos quickly gained traction, garnering millions of views and attracting widespread attention. Ellen DeGeneres took notice of them and expressed her admiration on her talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in an episode that aired on December 7, 2017. The film's plot revolves around a man who falls into a vat of pickles in 1918, is preserved, and reemerges in present-day Brooklyn. Allen plays one half of a Brooklyn gay couple who help the man establish a successful pickle business.

In 2021, Allen became a judge on Cakealikes which aired on Food Network and the streaming service Discovery+. In 2022, he was also a judge on the network's Supermarket Stakeout. At the end of 2022, Allen became a judge, along with Stephanie Boswell and Carla Hall, on Food Network's Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown, a spin off of Holiday Baking Championship.

In 2023, Allen hosted the year's GLSEN Respect Awards.

Personal life Allen is openly gay.

Filmography

Television

Film

Discography Year Title 2020 For Christmas Sake! 2024 Christmas Memories