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Jay Pharoah
American actor and comedian From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jared Antonio Farrow (born October 14, 1987), better known by his stage name Jay Pharoah, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2010 to 2016.[1] In 2015, he was ranked the 55th greatest Saturday Night Live cast member by Rolling Stone magazine.[2] He also voiced characters such as Meena's Grandfather in Sing (2016), Noah in The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021).
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Early life
Pharoah was born and raised in Chesapeake, Virginia. He began performing impersonations at age six and cites Gilbert Gottfried's character Iago in Aladdin as his first voice, explaining, "My father put me in a talent competition a couple of months later, and out of the whole thing I got fifth place."[3]
In 2005, Pharoah graduated from Indian River High School in Chesapeake. One of his characters, Principal Daniel Frye, is heavily influenced by IRHS's former principal,[4] James Frye.[5] Pharoah graduated from Tidewater Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in 2008 and an Associate of Science in 2010.[6] He briefly attended Virginia Commonwealth University.[1]
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Career
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Perspective
Pharoah has been performing stand-up comedy in community theaters and at comedy clubs in Virginia since he was 15.[7] He at one point toured with Corey Holcomb and Charlie Murphy.[1]
He became known for his many celebrity impressions,[8] including Barack Obama, Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac, DMX, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Clarence Thomas, Rick James, Eddie Murphy, Charlie Murphy, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, Chris Tucker, Dave Chappelle, Mr. T, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Kanye West, Stephen A. Smith, Shaq, Tracy Morgan, Orlando Bloom, Peter Dinklage, Michael Strahan and Denzel Washington.[1]
Pharoah became an internet phenomenon when his impersonation of Barack Obama became widely seen on YouTube.[1][3]
2010–2016: Saturday Night Live
In 2010, Pharoah was hired by Saturday Night Live as a featured performer for the show's 36th season. Producer, Lorne Michaels in a 2014 interview with Vulture said he "...does a really good Obama."[9] Pharoah debuted on Saturday Night Live on September 25, 2010 and was regarded by Rob Moynihan of TV Guide as the "breakout player" for that season, for his impressions of Barack Obama, Ben Carson, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Stephen A. Smith, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Chris Tucker, Michael Strahan, Lil Wayne, Kevin Hart, Kendrick Lamar, Shaq and Denzel Washington.[1][3] He debuted his SNL impersonation of Barack Obama in the 38th season premiere on September 15, 2012, succeeding Fred Armisen in that role.[10] Rolling Stone magazine described him as the "Jimmy Fallon of 2 Chainz impressions."[2]
Pharoah appeared in the independent film Lola Versus, released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in June 2012. In 2014, he had a small role in the buddy cop film Ride Along, starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, and appeared in the independent film Balls Out, a sport comedy starring fellow SNL cast members Beck Bennett and Kate McKinnon.[11]
In 2016, he appeared in a commercial for Old Navy,[12] alongside fellow SNL cast members Nasim Pedrad and Cecily Strong. On August 8, 2016, it was announced Pharoah alongside fellow cast member Taran Killam would be exiting the show ahead of its 42nd season.[13] Pharoah hosted the American Music Awards of 2016 with model Gigi Hadid. Pharoah has been working on his first album with record producer Myles William.[14]
In 2024 Pharoah started hosting The Quiz with Balls on Fox.[15]
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Personal life
2020 police encounter
In June 2020, Pharoah released footage showing how he had been detained at gunpoint by police several months earlier while in his neighborhood, after he matched the description of a wanted black man wearing grey sweatpants and shirt. He released the footage in response to the George Floyd protests.[16] Officers of the Los Angeles Police Department detained Pharoah, with an officer kneeling on Pharoah's neck similar to what happened in the murder of George Floyd.[17][18] After the officers confirmed Pharoah's identity with an online search, they apologized and let him go.[17]
Filmography
Film
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
Video games
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016) – Andre
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References
External links
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