The audience listened as the speaker told them about the value of saying no, to pave ways for opportunities in life. Mo’Kelly narrated his life story to over 170 spectators in the Marsee Auditorium early October.
“You must be your biggest cheerleader at all times,” he told attendees.
Born Morris O’Kelly, the 53-year-old is a radio personality. He hosts his radio show “Later, with Mo’Kelly” on KFI AM 640, which broadcasts weekdays from 7-10 p.m.
O’Kelly is a South Bay local and a graduate of South Torrance High School where he was the only Black student. O’Kelly pursued his passion for media and writing to enter the radio broadcasting industry after attending Georgetown University.
The audience in the auditorium ranged from young students to retirees, among them was 23-year-old Myles Smith.
“It was a great speech, a lot of coverage of being consistent while being humble and minding energy to master your craft,” Smith said.
A friend of O’Kelly, Lyonell Henson, 63, came to support the radio personality. Henson said he enjoyed hearing about O’Kelly’s tough background.
“[I learned] Mo’s history, and about his upbringing, and not knowing that he went to a predominantly white high school,” Henson said.
In 2011, he struggled financially and was three months behind on his mortgage. He was considered “overqualified” for his job application given his 20-year radio experience.
The operations manager for KFI AM 640 was looking for a part-time producer, the position paid a little above minimum wage.
“Part-time, barely above minimum wage, I’m drowning in debt, but I said, ‘Be humble and be hungry.’ So I said ‘yes,’” O’Kelly said in his speech.
O’Kelly took the job. His “yes” paved the way for the first broadcast of the Mo’Kelly show.
Since then, O’Kelly has been featured in The New York Times, CNN and dozens of other national outlets, according to KFI AM 640’s website. O’Kelly also had a syndicated column, The Mo’Kelly Report, on HuffPost.
He was interviewed in “American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest,” MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” “Good Morning America” and “The Jim Rome Show.”
“Where did you get your hunger?”12-year-old Mark Barker asked O’Kelly during the Q&A session.
Barker, a student of Intellectual Virtues Academy in Long Beach, said O’Kelly’s answer was his favorite part of the event. “He just woke up [and] he wanted to go far. His stories were all funny and very interactive,” Barker said.
O’Kelly said he doesn’t know how long his show will last and how long he’ll be on the radio. He felt this dilemma when he woke up one day and realized he was not 21 anymore.
“I want to make sure that when I die I have used every ounce of creative ability and talent that I’ve been blessed with,” O’Kelly said.
Editor’s Note: Article was corrected to remove inaccurate information, previously the radio program “Later with Mo”Kelly” mislabeled The Mo’Kelly Report which was a written column. Changes made Oct. 26, at 11:31 a.m.
