Usually, when KevOnStage grabs a microphone, you prepare for a laugh. But on the red carpet at the ABFF Honors, the comedian and host of the Black Excellence ceremony delivered a message that was dead serious: Black men need to stop dying from preventable causes.
The conversation stemmed from a simple, well-intentioned post Kev recently shared on X: “Just had my annual physical. Black men go to the doctor.”
Normally, advocating for health would be universally applauded. But as Kev noted during our interview, the comment section took a turn, with the discourse going “everywhere but where it was supposed to go.” Despite the internet noise, Kev isn’t backing down from the message.
Just had my annual physical. Black men go to the doctor.
— Kevín (@KevOnStage) January 31, 2026
“Listen, brother, I went to my PCP and got my annual physical. Annual! Okay?” Kev told The Quintessential Gentleman.
And he didn’t stop there. He broke down his recent “health tour,” which included a trip to the optometrist to check a twitching eye and a visit to the dentist—a checkup he noted is often overlooked by men.
“People don’t know that, and I didn’t know this… your dental health is often connected to your internal health,” he explained. “A lot of dental disease can lead to heart failure.”
Kev didn’t dismiss the very real hesitation many Black men feel regarding the healthcare system. He acknowledged the validity of the barriers we face, listing “fear,” “lack of resources,” “lack of trust,” and the undeniable “history of medical malpractice” in this country.
However, he emphasized that succumbing to that fear allows silent killers to thrive. “Colorectal cancer, prostate cancer disproportionately affect Black men,” Kev shared. “And Black men recover from it the least because when they catch it… it’s usually in stage four.”
Standing beside Kev, his wife, Melissa, drove home the point that going to the doctor isn’t just self-care; it’s an act of love for your community and family.
“Your wife, your mother, your sister, your kids, your niece, they want to see you here,” she said.
His final plea to the men watching was simple and urgent. “Go see the doctor, brother… They ain’t going to hurt you. Hopefully,” he joked, before getting back to the point. “Just check it once a year, brother. You’re going to be all right.”
