Thomas "Trey"Kennedy III is a comedian, actor and singer, known for his YouTube and TikTok videos.[1][2] He emerged on the video sharing app, Vine, but after its shutdown, he transitioned to Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Kennedy is from Edmond, Oklahoma.[3][4] He has described himself as a "shy kid" who never thought he would be an entertainer.[5] Kennedy played basketball during his childhood.[6] Kennedy attended Oklahoma State University, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi and began making videos on Vine with his friends.[7][4] After Vine ended, Kennedy continued to make comedic videos and release them on Facebook and Instagram.[4] Kennedy later received an MBA from Oklahoma State University, where he was on the board of the Master's of Business Administration Association.[8]
Kennedy began singing in 2011, at age 19, performing pop and rhythm and blues.[3] He did not sing when he was growing up, and his family was not very musical.[9][10] His college friends encouraged him to pursue singing after hearing him sing along to the radio, and he entered a charity contest during which he was well received.[10][11] In 2016, Kennedy released an EP, Take Me to the River. Kennedy has also released several singles.[5][10] He has stated that he is working on a music project with a producer in his home state of Oklahoma.[10] Kennedy started a Kickstarter campaign to fund the project.[10]
Beginning in 2017, Trey Kennedy frequently collaborated with John Crist.[12][13][14] Together, the comedians have released several viral videos, including one about bachelorette parties in Nashville.[15][16] Additionally, Kennedy joined Crist on several of his 2018 tour dates.[17][18] Kennedy has also done several collaboration videos with King Bach.[10]
In 2019, Kennedy began hosting a podcast, Correct Opinions with Trey Kennedy, which is produced by Studio71.[4] According to Chartable, the podcast has been in the top 100 for comedy podcasts in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Great Britain.[19]
Kennedy has done several stand-up appearances, including a November 2019 appearance in Madison, Wisconsin.[20]
Kennedy's January 2019 video, "Moms", had over 4.8 million views on Facebook.[21] Another video of Kennedy's that mocks middle school students received over 14 million views.[4] The video led to more videos about middle school students,[22] and in March 2020, Kennedy released a TV series, Middle School Maddox, in which Kennedy spoofs middle school angst.[23][24]
As of August 2022, Kennedy has 3.5 million followers on TikTok, 240.7 million total views on YouTube, and over 4.7 million Facebook followers.[4][25][26][27]
Kennedy's 2020 tour, the “Are You For Real?” tour, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[28][29] It was originally announced in January 2020 and was scheduled to begin on March 11, 2020.[27]
In September 2019, Kennedy announced his engagement to Katie Byrum, a biomedical engineer.[12][4] Trey and Katie were married in a private ceremony on May 23, 2020. The couple welcomed a son in February 2023 and a daughter in September 2024.[30][31] Kennedy is based in Kansas City,[14] and as a result is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.[32] Kennedy is a Christian.[33][25]