Joe Keery
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Joseph David Keery, born April 24, 1992, also known by his musical moniker Djo, is an American actor and musician who has captivated audiences across both screens and stages. He first shot to stardom playing the iconic Steve Harrington in the science fiction phenomenon *Stranger Things*, a role he continues to embody to this day. Since then, Keery has expanded his acting portfolio, gracing the silver screen in the 2021 comedy hit *Free Guy* and bringing his talents to the acclaimed crime comedy-drama series *Fargo* in its fifth season.
But Keery’s artistic expression doesn't stop there. As a musician, he was a founding member of the psychedelic rock band Post Animal, a chapter he closed in 2018 to focus on his acting commitments. Undeterred, he launched a vibrant solo career as Djo, releasing the studio albums *Twenty Twenty* in 2019 and *Decide* in 2022. The latter gave rise to the sleeper hit and his first Billboard Hot 100 entry, "End of Beginning," a track that exploded in popularity and went viral on TikTok in 2024. The musical journey continues with Djo's third album, *The Crux*, released on April 4, 2025, followed by a deluxe re-release, *The Crux Deluxe*, on September 12, 2025. Adding another exciting turn, Keery rejoined Post Animal in 2025, with the band releasing their album *IRON* on July 25, 2025. Djo then embarked on the "Back On You" tour, with Djo headlining and Post Animal opening, showcasing the breadth of his creative endeavors.
Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Joe Keery is the second of five children. His early education took place at River Valley Charter School, a Montessori institution, and Newburyport High School. Even in his youth, he was drawn to the performing arts, participating in "Theater in the Open," a program at Maudslay State Park. It was his older sister’s encouragement that ultimately led him to pursue acting during his high school years. Keery honed his craft at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting in 2014.
Before his breakout role, Keery appeared in commercials for major brands like KFC, Domino's, and Amiibo, and had guest spots on television series such as *Empire* and *Chicago Fire*. His feature film debut was in Stephen Cone's independent film, *Henry Gamble's Birthday Party*.
Keery's breakthrough came with the role of Steve Harrington in Netflix's *Stranger Things*. Initially auditioning for the character of Jonathan, he later submitted a tape for Steve, a role he’d embody from the show's premiere in 2016. He was soon promoted from a recurring to a series regular for the second season, with subsequent seasons releasing in 2019 and 2022. Beyond *Stranger Things*, Keery has starred in independent films like the 2020 satire *Spree*, and played game developer Walter "Keys" McKey in the 2021 blockbuster *Free Guy*. In 2022, he was cast alongside Liam Neeson in the sci-fi action film *Cold Storage* and took on the role of Gator Tillman in the fifth season of *Fargo*. Rumors also suggest he might portray Harry Osborn in *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*, though this remains unconfirmed.
Beyond his acting prowess, Keery is a talented musician. In his early twenties, he released music under the name "Cool Cool Cool." He was a guitarist and drummer for the Chicago-based garage and psych-rock band Post Animal, whose debut album arrived in October 2015. Their second album, *When I Think Of You In A Castle*, released in April 2018, featured Keery on guitar and vocals. By 2019, he had transitioned from a touring member of Post Animal, eventually parting ways due to his acting commitments.
On July 19, 2019, Keery unveiled his solo career as Djo, releasing the single "Roddy." He followed this with "Chateau (Feel Alright)" on August 9, 2019. His debut album as Djo, *Twenty Twenty*, was released on September 13, 2019. Critics lauded Keery as a musician of "very high calibre," delving into "inventive, warped psychedelia" reminiscent of Tame Impala and Ariel Pink.
September 9, 2020, saw the release of his new single, "Keep Your Head Up." In 2022, he participated in a summer music festival tour. His sophomore album, *Decide*, was announced in June 2022, accompanied by its first single, "Change." The album, released on September 16, 2022, garnered positive reviews. In 2024, "End of Beginning," the sixth track from *Decide*, gained immense popularity and went viral on social media, leading to its release as a single.
April 4, 2025, marked the release of Keery's third album as Djo, *The Crux*, preceded by the singles "Basic Being Basic," "Delete Ya," and "Potion." The "Back On You" tour commenced to promote the album, with Post Animal serving as the opening act. The tour was extended with the "Another Bite" tour on May 2nd. In September 2025, Djo surprise-released *The Crux (Deluxe)* on September 12, preceded by the unannounced singles "Carry The Name," "It's Over," and "Awake." On November 4, 2025, Djo announced a new tour spanning South America and Mexico for March 2026.
Joe Keery was in a relationship with actress Maika Monroe from 2017 to 2023.
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Joseph David Keery (born April 24, 1992), also known professionally in music as Djo, is an American actor and musician. He became known for playing Steve Harrington in the science fiction series Stranger Things (2016–present), and has since starred in the comedy film Free Guy (2021) and in the fifth season of the crime comedy-drama series Fargo (2023–2024).
As a musician, Keery was a founding member of the psychedelic rock band Post Animal, but left the band in 2018 due to acting commitments. Following his departure from the band, he embarked on a solo career, and released the studio albums Twenty Twenty (2019) and Decide (2022) as Djo. The latter spawned the sleeper hit and his first Billboard Hot 100 entry, "End of Beginning", after it became viral on TikTok in 2024. Djo's third album, The Crux, was released on April 4, 2025, with a re-release (The Crux Deluxe) following on September 12, 2025. Keery also rejoined Post Animal in 2025 and the band subsequently released the album IRON on July 25, 2025. Djo performed the Back On You tour with them, featuring Djo as the headliner and Post Animal as the openers.
== Early life ==
Keery was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and is the second of five children. He attended River Valley Charter School, a local Montessori elementary and middle school, and Newburyport High School. When he was young, he participated in Theater in the Open, a performing arts camp at Maudslay State Park. He acted during high school at his older sister's insistence.
Keery studied at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago, graduating in 2014 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting.
== Career ==
=== Acting ===
Before his breakout role in Stranger Things, Keery appeared in KFC, Domino's, and Amiibo commercials, and had roles in Empire and Chicago Fire. His first appearance in a full-length film was in Stephen Cone's indie, Henry Gamble's Birthday Party.
Keery's breakthrough role was as Steve Harrington in the Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things. He was cast in late 2015; having initially auditioned for the role of Jonathan, he later sent in a tape for his character, Steve. The show premiered in 2016 to critical acclaim. He was promoted from recurring cast to a series regular for the second season of Stranger Things. The third and fourth seasons were released in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
Since beginning Stranger Things, Keery has also acted in a few independent movies, including starring in the 2020 satire film, Spree. He also played the role of Walter "Keys" McKey, a game developer, in the 2021 action comedy film Free Guy, which went on to become a major box-office hit. In May 2022, he was cast opposite Liam Neeson in the sci-fi action film Cold Storage. In August 2022, he was cast as Gator Tillman in the fifth season of Fargo. He is rumored to be playing Harry Osborn in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, although this is not confirmed.
=== Music ===
Aside from acting, Keery is also a musician. In his early twenties, he released music under the name "Cool Cool Cool." Keery was a guitarist and drummer for Chicago-based garage and psych-rock band Post Animal. Their debut album was released in October 2015. The band's second album, When I Think Of You In A Castle, was released in April 2018 and saw Keery performing guitar and vocals. As of 2019, Keery was no longer a touring member of the band, and he later parted ways due to acting commitments.
On July 19, 2019, Keery self-released the single "Roddy" as a solo artist under the moniker Djo. Keery released a second single on August 9, 2019, titled "Chateau (Feel Alright)" under the same moniker. On September 13, 2019, Keery released his debut album as Djo, Twenty Twenty. In a positive review of the album, NME called Keery "a musician of very high calibre who... dabbles in the kind of inventive, warped psychedelia that gently twists your melon and constantly shapeshifts around you," and compared his music to that of Tame Impala and Ariel Pink.
On September 9, 2020, he released a new single, "Keep Your Head Up". In 2022, he took part in a summer music festival tour. His sophomore album Decide was announced in June 2022, along with the release of its first single "Change". The album was released on September 16, 2022, and received positive reviews. In 2024, the sixth track of the album, "End of Beginning", was released as a single after gaining popularity and becoming viral on social media.
On April 4, 2025, Keery released his third album, The Crux, which was preceded by the singles "Basic Being Basic", "Delete Ya", and "Potion". Djo went on the Back On You tour to promote the album, bringing Post Animal along as openers. On May 2nd, the tour was extended with the Another Bite tour. In September of 2025, Djo released the three singles "Carry The Name", "It's Over", and "Awake" unannounced before surprise releasing The Crux (Deluxe) on September 12.
On November 4, 2025, Djo announced another tour in South America and Mexico for March 2026.
== Personal life ==
Keery dated actress Maika Monroe from 2017 to 2023.
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
=== Television ===
=== Music videos ===
== Discography ==
=== Studio albums ===
=== Extended plays ===
=== Singles ===
== Accolades ==
== Tours ==
Back on You World Tour (2025)
== Notes ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Official website
Joe Keery at IMDb
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