Jay Pharoah

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."

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, James Frye. Pharoah graduated from Tidewater Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in 2008 and an Associate of Science in 2010. He briefly attended Virginia Commonwealth University.

Career

Pharoah has been performing stand-up comedy in community theaters and at comedy clubs in Virginia since he was 15. He at one point toured with Corey Holcomb and Charlie Murphy.

He became known for his many celebrity impressions, 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, Shaquille O'Neal, Tracy Morgan, Orlando Bloom, Peter Dinklage, Michael Strahan and Denzel Washington.

Pharoah became an internet phenomenon when his impersonation of Barack Obama became widely seen on YouTube.

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." 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, Shaquille O'Neal and Denzel Washington. Rolling Stone magazine described him as the "Jimmy Fallon of 2 Chainz impressions."

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.

In 2016, he appeared in a commercial for Old Navy, 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. 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.

In 2024 Pharoah started hosting The Quiz with Balls on Fox.

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. 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. After the officers confirmed Pharoah's identity with an online search, they apologized and let him go.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016) – Andre

References

References

1. (September 8, 2010). "Virginia native Jay Pharoah snags cast spot on "Saturday Night Live"; will he be their new Obama? Pharoah also raps". [[Washington Post]].
2. "55. Jay Pharoah - 'Saturday Night Live': All 141 Cast Members Ranked".
3. Moynihan, Rob. (March 7, 2011). "SNL's Fab Four". [[TV Guide]].
4. (2014-06-12). "After 27 years, Indian River Principal James Frye retires". The Virginian-Pilot.
5. (2010-12-14). "Jay Pharoah pays tribute to his Chesapeake principal on 'SNL'". The Virginian-Pilot.
6. (January 28, 2016). "Jay Pharoah: From here to "Saturday Night Live"". TCC Today.
7. Sources conflict on when he started standup. The [https://web.archive.org/web/20121005175552/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2010/09/this_just_in_saturday_night_li.html ''Washington Post''] source indicates he started at 15.
8. (2010-09-07). "NBC'S 'Saturday Night Live' Premieres September 25 With SNL Alum Amy Poehler & Chart-Topping Musical Guest Katy Perry". NBC Universal.
9. Lane Brown. (2014-02-02). "In Conversation: Saturday Night Live's Lorne Michaels".
10. He debuted his ''SNL'' impersonation of Barack Obama in the 38th season premiere on September 15, 2012, succeeding [[Fred Armisen]] in that role."Inbox". ''[[TV Guide]]''. October 8, 2012.
11. Luippold, Ross. (2013-07-24). "Kate McKinnon, Jay Pharoah Shooting Indie 'Intramural' In Austin This Summer". [[The Huffington Post]].
12. "Old Navy enlists ''SNL'' alums to improvise series of online spots". campaignlive.com.
13. "Jay Pharoah Is Saying Goodbye to 'Saturday Night Live' to Pursue Other Opportunities".
14. (August 30, 2016). "Jay Pharoah ('Saturday Night Live') Preps New Mixtape".
15. (21 February 2024). "Jay Pharoah to Host Fox Game Show 'Quiz with Balls'".
16. (June 13, 2020). "'SNL' alum Jay Pharoah says LAPD officers held him at gunpoint, kneeled on his neck". ABC7.com.
17. Frew, Cameron. (June 13, 2020). "SNL Comedian Jay Pharoah Releases Footage Of Police Kneeling On His Neck".
18. Lewis, Sophie. (June 13, 2020). "Former "SNL" star Jay Pharoah releases surveillance footage of LAPD officer apparently kneeling on his neck".
19. Porter, Rick. (June 26, 2020). "Jay Pharoah to Host Nickelodeon Game Show ''Unfiltered'' (Exclusive)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
20. "Invincible Season 2: Release Date, Trailer, Cast & More". Rotten Tomatoes.