Comedian KevOnStage Set to Launch Web Series With The CDC to Promote Black Health

Comedian, actor, and popular content creator KevOnStage, together with the CDC Foundation, is launching a new web series, Live to the Beat with KevOnStage, on July 21. The series is said to have been created to show that learning about your health and improving it can be fun.

Black adults die from heart disease at a rate 2 times higher than their counterparts and their risk of death from stroke is even greater. In fact, in 2018 Black men experienced 30 percent more deaths due to heart disease than their counterparts.

The seven-episode series will show KevOnStage as he meets with experts to discuss topics ranging from healthy eating to mental health, including a visit to the cardiologist. Deaths from heart disease and stroke have also increased during the pandemic.

"We’ve seen the statistics. We know Black people are at higher risk for heart disease. And that can feel scary and overwhelming, and it’s easy to say ‘oh well,’ said the entertainer. “But there is something we can do to change the statistics; there’s something each of us can do to make the world healthier for Black folk and that’s why it was so important for me to make this series. To show experts, who look like me and understand me, sharing information that can help me—and millions of others.”

The series is part of the CDC Foundation’s “Live to the Beat” campaign, a national cardiovascular disease prevention campaign created for the Black community, informed by the Black community. The Live to the Beat campaign aims to reduce CVD risk among Black adults ages 35–54 with a focus on moving more, eating better, quitting smoking, and addressing key risk factors like hypertension, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. To inform the campaign, the CDC Foundation commissioned a national survey of 3,000 U.S. adults that found most adults, including most Black adults, are now both aware of the threat of CVD and knowledgeable about how to prevent it. However, the same survey found that, compared to other racial or ethnic groups, Black adults were least likely to view heart disease and strokes as preventable.

KevOnStage shows no signs of slowing down. From his streaming service, KevOnStage Studios to his latest book, Marriage Be Hard: 12 Conversations to Keep You Laughing, the popular content creator is poised to become one of social media's biggest breakout stars. With his latest series helping to promote Black health, the rising star shows how the importance of using platforms for education as well as entertainment.

Premiering a new episode each Thursday, Live to the Beat with KevOnStage can be seen online.