James Austin Johnson

James Austin Johnson (born July 19, 1989),^[2][3] occasionally known by his initials, JAJ, is an American comedian and actor. He is a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live, which he joined as a featured player for the show's 47th season in 2021. On SNL, he has impersonated both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Johnson was promoted to a repertory player in 2023.^[4]

James Austin Johnson
Johnson in 2022
Born	(1989-07-19) July 19, 1989 (age 36) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma mater	Trevecca Nazarene University (BA)
Occupations	Comedian actor
Years active	2009–present
Spouse	Rebekah Lain
Children	1[1]
Website	jamesaustinjohnson.com

Early life

Johnson was born on July 19, 1989, in Nashville, Tennessee. As a child, he appeared in various productions by Lifeway Christian Resources.^[5] He began performing stand-up comedy as a teenager.^[6][7] He attended Davidson Academy and graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University in 2011. Johnson regularly performed at open mics in Nashville before moving to Los Angeles in 2013.^[8][9]

Career

Johnson began his acting career starring in independent Christian films.^[5]

He has appeared in television series such as Adam Ruins Everything, Better Call Saul, and All Rise.^[10] In 2016, he appeared in a DirecTV television ad alongside National Football League veteran Peyton Manning.^[11]

In August 2020, Johnson's impression of President Donald Trump went viral in a video uploaded to Twitter, amassing over one million views.^[5]

In 2021, Johnson was cast as a featured player on Saturday Night Live, alongside Aristotle Athari and Sarah Sherman, for its forty-seventh season.^[12][13] During the season premiere cold open, he portrayed President Joe Biden^[14] and later portrayed President Trump beginning in the season's fifth episode. Johnson was promoted to repertory status in 2023.^[4]

In March 2024, Deadline announced Johnson had been cast in the Bob Dylan biopic film A Complete Unknown.^[15] Johnson voiced the character Pouchy in the 2024 Pixar animated film Inside Out 2.^[16]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2011	October Baby	Truman
2012	Blue Like Jazz	Drunk Freshman
2014	Rocket Pack Jack and the Babylon Virus	Krane
2016	Hail, Caesar!	Studio Assistant at Action Western
2022	She Said	Donald Trump	Voice
2024	Inside Out 2	Pouchy	Voice	[16]
2024	A Complete Unknown	Gerde’s MC
2027	The Angry Birds Movie 3	TBA	Voice	[17]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2009	Alumni	Jeffry	Television film
	Coffeeteria	Barrett Klausman	Miniseries
2015	Adam Ruins Everything	Farmer Jed	Episode: "Adam Ruins Summer Fun"
2016	The Last Tycoon	Movie Theater Usher	Episode: "Pilot"
2017–2020	Future Man	Young Gabe Futturman	2 episodes
2018	Better Call Saul	Fred Whalen	Episode: "Winner"
2019	All Rise	Adam Connolly	Episode: "How to Succeed in Law Without Really Re-Trying"
2020	Kwaczala	Dennis (Glenn)	Episode: "I am a Lion"
	Robbie	Ninja Turtle	Episode: "Robbie vs. Ava vs. Danielle"
2021	Tuca & Bertie	Kyle	Voice; 2 episodes
	Squidbillies	Pharmacy Man	Voice; Episode: "One Man Banned"
2021–present	Saturday Night Live	Various characters
2022	Fairview	Wade Moonman, Pastor Marv	Voice; recurring role
2022	The G Word	Various characters
	Birdgirl	Ed Todd/Kaptain Khaos	Voice; Episode: "With a K"
2023	Barry	Pastor #2	Voice; Episode: "the wizard"
2024	John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA	Bob Dylan	Voice; Episode: "Helicopters”[18]