Kenny DeForest, a popular stand-up comic who made appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Late Show with James Corden, HBO’s Crashing and Comedy Central’s Tales From The Trip, died yesterday at a Brooklyn hospital days after a Dec. 8 traffic accident in which his bicycle was struck by a motor vehicle. He was 37.
His death was announced by his friend and fellow comic Ryan Beck, who posted the news on a GoFundMe page that had been set up to assist with medical bills following the accident. According to Beck, DeForest had undergone neurological surgery to remove a piece of his skull and relieve pressure from a brain bleed.
“Kenny died on Wednesday December 13th at Kings County Hospital surrounded by his parents, family, and friends,” Beck wrote. “Kenny’s final moments included some of his favorite songs, stories of his childhood, and memories of his extensive positivity and joy for life.”
Additional details on the accident were not immediately available.
“Kenny DeForest was a universally beloved comedian who died tragically, and much too young,” tweeted Late Night with Seth Meyers. “His relaxed, confident delivery always stood out. As you can see from his debut late night set on LNSM, he wasn’t afraid to tackle controversial topics, but never just to be edgy- always in service of an original angle and a great joke. It’s a shame we won’t get to see what he comes up with next.”
“Kenny DeForest was one of the funniest and most beloved comics any of us knew,” wrote comic and Adam Ruins Everything host Adam Conover on Instagram. “A tragedy. Watch his special on YouTube. It came out three months ago. It’s beautiful. F*ck cars forever.”
Kenny DeForest – Don’t You Know Who I Am?, his comedy special shot at Brooklyn’s The Gutter and released in August, and is available on YouTube. Watch it below.
A native of Springfield, Missouri, where he was part of a growing stand-up comedy scene before he relocated to New York City, DeForest made his breakthrough performance in 2016 on the web series Live @ The Apt, and the following year appeared on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers.
In 2018 he appeared on MTV Decoded, and the following year on CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden. Other credits include a 2019 episode of the Just For Laugh’s TV series Straight Up, Stand Up and, the same year, Comedy Central’s Tales From The Trip.
A familiar presence on the New York stand-up scene, DeForest released his debut stand-up album B.A.D. Dreams in 2017, and was invited in 2018 to perform at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. His comedy style has been described as wry and gentle, with an “ever-evolving jaded-optimistic POV on what it means to be alive on this planet at this moment…”
DeForest recently completed a Nov. 30-Dec. 3 run of shows at the Funny Bone in St. Charles, Missouri. Last night, the comedy club posted a tribute message on Instagram that reads, “@kennydeforest you were one of the funniest, kindest people to walk the face this planet and we are all feeling so grateful for our time with you and will miss you tremendously!”
The GoFundMe page indicates that DeForest’s organs will be donated: “Even in death he will continue to make meaningful improvements in the lives of others.”
Information on survivors was not immediately available.