# Jay Pharoah
**Jay Pharoah** is the stage name of Jared Antonio Farrow (born 1987), an American stand-up comedian, impressionist, actor, and voice actor best known for six seasons as a cast member on NBC's *Saturday Night Live* (2010–2016), where he became known for a wide array of celebrity impressions, including [Barack Obama](https://www.edgepedia.org/barack-obama), Jay-Z, Will Smith, and [Denzel Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/denzel-washington).[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1099717-jay-pharoah) • [2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and date | Jared Antonio Farrow, born 1987; adopted the stage name at 19[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1099717-jay-pharoah) • [3](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/681981418/jay-pharoah-and-adam-pally-licensed-to-champaign-ill) |
| SNL tenure | Debuted as a featured player on September 25, 2010; six seasons; released in 2016[4](https://www.tcc.edu/jay-pharoah-from-here-to-saturday-night-live/) • [5](https://www.newsweek.com/jay-pharoah-attention-deficit-disorder-1958674) |
| Signature impressions | Barack Obama, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Stephen A. Smith, Kanye West, Chris Tucker, and the recurring character Daniel Frye[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) |
| Stand-up specials | *Can I Be Me?* (2015, with Broadway Video and Comedy Dynamics); *JARED* (2024, YouTube, over 1.5 million viewers)[6](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/aug/04/jay-pharoah-comedy-special-snl) • [2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) |
| Leading TV role | Floyd Mooney in Showtime's *White Famous* (2017), executive-produced by Jamie Foxx[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) |
| Recognition | Ranked the 55th greatest *Saturday Night Live* cast member by *Rolling Stone* in 2015[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) |
## Early life and education
Pharoah was born Jared Antonio Farrow and grew up in [Chesapeake, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/chesapeake-virginia).[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1099717-jay-pharoah) • [7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/named-and-famed) He began performing at age eight in a local children's theater troupe.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/named-and-famed) He graduated from Indian River High School in Chesapeake at 17 with a 3.06 GPA and a Rotary Club scholarship.[4](https://www.tcc.edu/jay-pharoah-from-here-to-saturday-night-live/)
**College years.** He earned an Associate of Arts from Tidewater Community College in 2008 and an Associate of Science in 2010.[4](https://www.tcc.edu/jay-pharoah-from-here-to-saturday-night-live/) He was accepted by [Virginia Commonwealth University](https://www.edgepedia.org/virginia-commonwealth-university) but left after one semester when he got his *Saturday Night Live* break.[4](https://www.tcc.edu/jay-pharoah-from-here-to-saturday-night-live/)
## Career beginnings in stand-up
His first impression came at age six, an imitation of Iago, the parrot voiced by [Gilbert Gottfried](https://www.edgepedia.org/gilbert-gottfried) in Disney's *Aladdin*.[3](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/681981418/jay-pharoah-and-adam-pally-licensed-to-champaign-ill) At 15 he performed stand-up at the Funny Bone comedy club in Virginia, where Charlie Murphy critiqued his [Eddie Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-murphy) impression; Murphy later became a mentor, and their first road stop together was Carolines on Broadway in New York when Pharoah was 18.[3](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/681981418/jay-pharoah-and-adam-pally-licensed-to-champaign-ill) • [8](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/jay-pharoah-trace-comedians-come-can-learn-3162/) Early on, his sister pawned her jewelry to help finance his club-to-club touring on the Chitlin Circuit.[3](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/681981418/jay-pharoah-and-adam-pally-licensed-to-champaign-ill)
He adopted the stage name at 19, explaining that "Pharaoh" means royalty.[3](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/681981418/jay-pharoah-and-adam-pally-licensed-to-champaign-ill)
## Saturday Night Live (2010–2016)
Pharoah debuted on *Saturday Night Live* as a featured player on September 25, 2010, in the show's thirty-sixth season, and was one of the youngest cast members to join the show.[4](https://www.tcc.edu/jay-pharoah-from-here-to-saturday-night-live/) • [1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1099717-jay-pharoah) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/aug/04/jay-pharoah-comedy-special-snl) His impressions of Jay-Z, Will Smith, and Denzel Washington quickly moved him into the primary cast.[4](https://www.tcc.edu/jay-pharoah-from-here-to-saturday-night-live/) Over six seasons he became known for a wide repertoire that also included [Stephen A. Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-a-smith), [Kanye West](https://www.edgepedia.org/kanye-west), and [Chris Tucker](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-tucker), along with the recurring character of school principal Daniel Frye.[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) In 2015 *Rolling Stone* ranked him the 55th greatest *SNL* cast member.[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/)
**The 2016 departure.** After six seasons he was released from the show.[8](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/jay-pharoah-trace-comedians-come-can-learn-3162/) He attributed the departure to underuse, citing castmates' comments from a 2017 Hot 97 radio interview: "If you have multiple people on the cast saying things like, 'You're so talented and you're able and they don't use you and it's unfair.'"[5](https://www.newsweek.com/jay-pharoah-attention-deficit-disorder-1958674)
## Impression style and technique
By age 27 Pharoah was described by *The Guardian* as one of the best impressionists in the world.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/aug/04/jay-pharoah-comedy-special-snl) His impressions are built over long periods: he has said it took him three years to master his Denzel Washington impression.[3](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/681981418/jay-pharoah-and-adam-pally-licensed-to-champaign-ill) Beyond live performance, his parody videos found large online audiences; his Kanye West parody "I Am a Dog" reached over a million views within its first week, and he released music videos including "Bad Kisser" through the comedy channel Above Average.[9](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/p/pa-pn/jay-pharoah/)
One viral video shaped his screen career directly: [Steven Soderbergh](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-soderbergh) saw the 2017 YouTube video "Will Smith Versus Denzel Washington," reached out to Pharoah, and cast him in the 2018 thriller *Unsane*.[3](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/681981418/jay-pharoah-and-adam-pally-licensed-to-champaign-ill)
## Stand-up specials and touring
His first stand-up special, *Can I Be Me?*, was produced in partnership with *SNL* executive producer [Lorne Michaels](https://www.edgepedia.org/lorne-michaels)' Broadway Video and Comedy Dynamics, released as an album on August 8, 2015.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/aug/04/jay-pharoah-comedy-special-snl) The hour-long special weaves his celebrity impressions into material on relationships, music, and pop culture.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/aug/04/jay-pharoah-comedy-special-snl) He has toured the United Kingdom, the United States, and Montreal.[9](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/p/pa-pn/jay-pharoah/)
His sophomore special, *JARED*, was released exclusively on YouTube in 2024 and reached over 1.5 million viewers.[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) AllMusic credits him as executive producer and primary artist on the 2015 *Can I Be Me?* album.[10](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jay-pharoah-mn0003419266)
## Acting and screen work
In 2017 Pharoah took his first leading role as Floyd Mooney in Showtime's *White Famous*, a stand-up comic on the verge of mainstream crossover, executive-produced by [Jamie Foxx](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-foxx); the two had become friends when Foxx hosted *SNL* in 2012.[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) • [7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/named-and-famed) • [8](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/jay-pharoah-trace-comedians-come-can-learn-3162/) His film credits include *Unsane* (2018), *Spinning Gold*, *Resort to Love*, *Private Property*, *Bad Hair*, *2 Minutes of Fame*, and *The Blackening*, the last of which premiered at the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival), sold to Lionsgate, and was released on [Juneteenth](https://www.edgepedia.org/juneteenth) 2023.[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) • [3](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/681981418/jay-pharoah-and-adam-pally-licensed-to-champaign-ill)
On television he starred as J.J. Evans in ABC's *Live in Front of a Studio Audience* and hosted and produced Nickelodeon's *Unfiltered*.[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) His voice work includes *The Mitchells vs. the Machines*, *Sing*, *Family Guy*, *The Simpsons*, *BoJack Horseman*, and *Robot Chicken*.[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/)
## What has changed since 2023
*The Blackening* reached theaters in June 2023 after its festival sale to Lionsgate.[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) In 2024 he released the *JARED* special on YouTube, topping 1.5 million viewers, and hosted Season 1 of the FOX game show *The Quiz With Balls*, which became the network's most watched summer debut in two years.[2](https://jaypharoahworld.com/) AllMusic also lists him as a featured artist on [De La Soul](https://www.edgepedia.org/de-la-soul)'s 2025 release *Cabin in the Sky*.[10](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jay-pharoah-mn0003419266)
**Health disclosure.** On the *Club Random with Bill Maher* podcast, Pharoah said he has ADHD and has learned to turn it into a "superpower".[5](https://www.newsweek.com/jay-pharoah-attention-deficit-disorder-1958674)
## References
1. [Jay Pharoah | The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1099717-jay-pharoah)
2. [Home | Jay Pharoah (official site)](https://jaypharoahworld.com/)
3. [Jay Pharoah And Adam Pally: Licensed To 'Champaign ILL' (NPR Ask Me Another)](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/681981418/jay-pharoah-and-adam-pally-licensed-to-champaign-ill)
4. [Jay Pharoah: From here to 'Saturday Night Live' (Tidewater Community College)](https://www.tcc.edu/jay-pharoah-from-here-to-saturday-night-live/)
5. [Comedian Jay Pharoah Speaks Out About Life With ADHD (Newsweek)](https://www.newsweek.com/jay-pharoah-attention-deficit-disorder-1958674)
6. [SNL's Jay Pharoah plans to make a big impression with comedy special (The Guardian)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/aug/04/jay-pharoah-comedy-special-snl)
7. [Named and Famed | Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/named-and-famed)
8. [Backstage — We Trace the Comedian's Come-Up](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/jay-pharoah-trace-comedians-come-can-learn-3162/)
9. [Jay Pharoah | Kennedy Center](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/p/pa-pn/jay-pharoah/)
10. [Jay Pharoah — Biography, Discography | AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jay-pharoah-mn0003419266)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › American stand-up comedians, contemporary › Stand-up comedians born 1980 onward › Surnames N 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