# Jake Shane
**Jake Shane** is an American comedian, content creator, and podcast host who became a TikTok sensation in 2023 with improvised comedy reenactments of pop culture moments and historical events, and who now hosts the celebrity advice-comedy podcast *Therapuss with Jake Shane*[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/). He is known online by the handles @octopusslover8 on TikTok and @passthatpuss on Instagram, and by the slogan "pass that puss"[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/). He was 25 years old when *TIME* profiled him in July 2025[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Around 4.9 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube as of mid-2025[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/) |
| Breakout | February 20, 2023 Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky skit: 2 million views, 100,000 followers five days later, 1 million followers within a month[2](https://www.gq.com/story/jake-shane-tiktok-interview) • [3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview) |
| Signature show | *Therapuss with Jake Shane*, an advice-and-comedy podcast that premiered in January 2024[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview) |
| Chart performance | Appears frequently on Spotify's top U.S. comedy charts; debut comedy album *Puss & Poems* reached No. 4 on Billboard's comedy albums chart[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/) |
| Screen work | Acting debut on HBO's *Hacks* as the "Social Media Girlie"; a Hulu half-hour comedy about his life is in development[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/) • [4](https://www.thewrap.com/jake-shane-podcast-therapuss-interview/) |
| 2026 expansion | *Therapuss* Season 3 premiered on Netflix on February 18, 2026; Broadway debut in *All Out* on February 17, 2026[5](https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/jake-shane-therapuss-season-3-netflix-broadway-interview) |
| Recognition | Rolling Stone's "25 Most Influential Creators of 2024"; TIME100 Creators list, 2025[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview) • [1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/) |
## Rise on TikTok
Shane began posting on TikTok in 2021 while studying at the [University of Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-southern-california), using the account @octopusslover8 to post "puss reviews" of octopus dishes, his favorite food[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview). At the time he worked in the music industry, first as an executive assistant for a manager, with ambitions of working in the A&R side of the business[6](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jake-shane-reveals-poetic-text-160000174.html).
The turn came on February 20, 2023, when, after reaching 60,000 followers, he asked his audience to submit prompts for him to reenact[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview). His first skit, a deadpan one-man performance of [Bill Clinton](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-clinton) denying his relationship with [Monica Lewinsky](https://www.edgepedia.org/monica-lewinsky), drew 2 million views, and the account reached 100,000 followers five days later[2](https://www.gq.com/story/jake-shane-tiktok-interview). He kept the format going with reenactments such as a put-upon Moses parting the [Red Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-sea), an aggrieved president omitted from Mount Rushmore, George Washington posing for the dollar bill, and the Founding Fathers reacting to John Hancock's oversized signature on the Declaration of Independence[2](https://www.gq.com/story/jake-shane-tiktok-interview) • [7](https://www.thedailybeast.com/hacks-star-jake-shane-undergoes-drastic-body-transformation/). The Hancock video alone accumulated nearly 30 million views on TikTok[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/).
**Rapid growth.** He hit 1 million followers within a month of the first skit and signed with the talent agency WME on March 29, 2023[2](https://www.gq.com/story/jake-shane-tiktok-interview) • [8](https://www.elle.com.au/culture/celebrity/who-is-jake-shane-tiktok-28840/). His videos were unscripted and largely unedited, performed with his roommates laughing behind the camera, and this informal style was central to their appeal[2](https://www.gq.com/story/jake-shane-tiktok-interview). He has said he was inspired to try comment-acting after seeing [Julia Fox](https://www.edgepedia.org/julia-fox) respond to her own Instagram comments that way[8](https://www.elle.com.au/culture/celebrity/who-is-jake-shane-tiktok-28840/). *Teen Vogue* reports that he quit his record-label job during this period and later signed with UTA, while *GQ* and *ELLE* identify his early agency as WME[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview) • [2](https://www.gq.com/story/jake-shane-tiktok-interview).
The pace took a toll. He was posting two skits a day and, by his account, burned out; he told *Teen Vogue* that his fears of being forgotten intensified as his audience grew[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview).
## Therapuss
*Therapuss with Jake Shane* premiered in January 2024[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview). The format puts Shane in the "therapist's chair": fans submit their problems through a website system, and he offers advice in short segments such as "Tell Me What's Wrong," mixed with interviews of guests ranging from industry professionals to his own roommates[9](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/therapuss-with-jake-shane/id1723626781). His fans call themselves "Pussies"[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview).
The guest list expanded quickly. Early episodes featured [Charli XCX](https://www.edgepedia.org/charli-xcx), Glen Powell, Reneé Rapp, Snooki, and [Tate McRae](https://www.edgepedia.org/tate-mcrae); later sessions have included [Selena Gomez](https://www.edgepedia.org/selena-gomez), Katy Perry, Lorde, Benny Blanco, Hailey Bieber, Hilary Duff, Kerry Washington, Paul Rudd, Bowen Yang, and Niall Horan[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview) • [10](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3328773/meet-podcaster-jake-shane-whos-friends-kaia-gerber-sofia-richie-and-glen-powell) • [4](https://www.thewrap.com/jake-shane-podcast-therapuss-interview/) • [11](https://podcastrex.com/shows/therapuss-with-jake-shane/episodes). Shane has said his goal is to "make Therapuss the new late night," and he treats the show as a video-first product, arguing that his physical comedy requires visuals[5](https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/jake-shane-therapuss-season-3-netflix-broadway-interview) • [4](https://www.thewrap.com/jake-shane-podcast-therapuss-interview/).
**Video economics.** After bringing the show to Spotify as a video podcast, Shane doubled his hours per listener, according to a Spotify case study published in March 2025[12](https://creators.spotify.com/resources/case-study/jake-shane-video-audience-growth). Spotify's own Fan Study found that among 13-to-17-year-olds, video shows account for over 21% of total podcast consumption, a cohort appetite Shane's format matches[12](https://creators.spotify.com/resources/case-study/jake-shane-video-audience-growth). The podcast appears frequently on Spotify's top U.S. comedy charts[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/).
In February 2026 the show moved to Netflix: Season 3 premiered there on February 18, 2026, opening with an interview with [Hailey Bieber](https://www.edgepedia.org/hailey-bieber)[5](https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/jake-shane-therapuss-season-3-netflix-broadway-interview).
## Touring, music, and screen work
Shane's first live tour, Therapuss Live, began on October 7, 2024, and mirrored the podcast, with Shane dispensing advice to audience members live[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview). In 2024 he sold out his first headline tour and released his debut comedy album, *Puss & Poems*, produced with the musician [Alexander](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexander) 23; the album reached No. 4 on Billboard's comedy albums chart[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/) • [3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview).
His acting debut came on HBO's *Hacks*, playing a character called "Social Media Girlie" who manages the social presence of [Jean Smart](https://www.edgepedia.org/jean-smart)'s Deborah Vance[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/) • [7](https://www.thedailybeast.com/hacks-star-jake-shane-undergoes-drastic-body-transformation/). He auditioned for a different *Hacks* role first, did not get it, and kept posting skits over a weekend hoping they would reach the show's writers' room[4](https://www.thewrap.com/jake-shane-podcast-therapuss-interview/). He has since appeared in [Lena Dunham](https://www.edgepedia.org/lena-dunham)'s Netflix series *Too Much* and filmed the relationship comedy *Wishful Thinking* with [Maya Hawke](https://www.edgepedia.org/maya-hawke) and Lewis Pullman[4](https://www.thewrap.com/jake-shane-podcast-therapuss-interview/).
**Development deals.** He will star in and executive produce a half-hour Hulu comedy written by *Hacks* co-creator Genevieve Aniello, centered on Shane and his friends navigating online fame[4](https://www.thewrap.com/jake-shane-podcast-therapuss-interview/). In early 2026 he made his Broadway debut in *All Out*, appearing alongside [Jenny Slate](https://www.edgepedia.org/jenny-slate), Ray Romano, and [Nicholas Braun](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-braun), and was named chief creative officer of the German candy company Katjes[5](https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/jake-shane-therapuss-season-3-netflix-broadway-interview).
## Personal life and mental health
Shane grew up in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood, with a journalist mother and a screenwriter father; he came out as gay to his parents in fourth grade, though he hid it from peers until high school[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview). He was diagnosed with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder at age seven, and has spoken publicly about how sudden fame affected his mental health, including intrusive thoughts and fears of being forgotten[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview) • [2](https://www.gq.com/story/jake-shane-tiktok-interview). He shares his experiences with anxiety and OCD on *Therapuss*, and describes his fan community's feedback on Spotify as constructive rather than hostile[1](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/) • [12](https://creators.spotify.com/resources/case-study/jake-shane-video-audience-growth).
## References
1. [Jake Shane Is on the 2025 TIME100 Creators List, TIME (July 9, 2025)](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299132/jake-shane/)
2. [Jake Shane Might Be the Funniest (and Most Anxious) Guy on TikTok, GQ (April 20, 2023)](https://www.gq.com/story/jake-shane-tiktok-interview)
3. [Jake Shane Needs to Make You Laugh — But His 'Therapuss' Ambitions Are No Joke, Teen Vogue (September 30, 2024)](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jake-shane-therapuss-live-interview)
4. [Jake Shane on Breaking Into Hollywood as Digital and Traditional Talent Merge, TheWrap (November 10, 2025)](https://www.thewrap.com/jake-shane-podcast-therapuss-interview/)
5. [Jake Shane On 'Therapuss' Season 3, Broadway, & More, Elite Daily (February 17, 2026)](https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/jake-shane-therapuss-season-3-netflix-broadway-interview)
6. [Jake Shane Reveals the Poetic Text 'Mentor' Glen Powell Wrote Him, Yahoo Entertainment / PEOPLE (December 18, 2024)](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jake-shane-reveals-poetic-text-160000174.html)
7. ['Hacks' Actor Jake Shane Undergoes Drastic Body Transformation, The Daily Beast (July 10, 2026)](https://www.thedailybeast.com/hacks-star-jake-shane-undergoes-drastic-body-transformation/)
8. [Who Is Jake Shane? The TikTok Comedian Taking Over Everyone's FYP, ELLE Australia (June 28, 2023)](https://www.elle.com.au/culture/celebrity/who-is-jake-shane-tiktok-28840/)
9. [Therapuss with Jake Shane, Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/therapuss-with-jake-shane/id1723626781)
10. [Meet podcaster Jake Shane, who's friends with Kaia Gerber, Sofia Richie and Glen Powell, South China Morning Post (October 13, 2025)](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3328773/meet-podcaster-jake-shane-whos-friends-kaia-gerber-sofia-richie-and-glen-powell)
11. [Episodes — Therapuss with Jake Shane, Podcast Rex](https://podcastrex.com/shows/therapuss-with-jake-shane/episodes)
12. [How Jake Shane turned short-form video comedy into long-form success with Spotify, Spotify for Creators (March 14, 2025)](https://creators.spotify.com/resources/case-study/jake-shane-video-audience-growth)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Online creators and internet personalities › TikTok and short-form creators › Surnames I to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license