Jay Pharoah, is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and impressionist. He first became widely-known from “Saturday Night Live”, where he performed a number of popular impressions. He has gone on to become a successful film and television actor. He joined the cast of NBC’s Saturday Night Live in 2010, for its thirty-sixth season. In 2015, he was ranked the 55th greatest Saturday Night Live cast member by Rolling Stone magazine.
Jay Pharoah was born in Chesapeake, Virginia, and began performing impersonations when he was in elementary school. After initial success in local talent shows, he began performing at comedy clubs and in theaters. He went on to tour with such comedians as Charlie Murphy while still in his teens.
He gained national recognition for his impressions of Barack Obama, which he uploaded to YouTube. This led to appearances on such shows as, “106 and Park”, and then an invitation from “Saturday Night Live”. He began performing on “Saturday Night Live” in 2010, and has become known for his impressions of such celebrities as Jay-Z, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Lil’ Wayne, and Barack Obama.
Jay left SNL in 2016 to focus full-time on his film career. Some notable films include “Ride Along”. “Balls Out”, “Get a Job”, “Sing” and “Bad Hair”.
