Jay Mohr
A Hollywood veteran hiding precise impressions inside casual storytelling.
1 special · 2015
Get an email when there's a new special. You'll need a Google account.
Jay Mohr does not attack the microphone. He treats a stage like a living room, leaning on a stool, checking in with the front row, and letting his premises spool out at an unhurried pace. A typical set feels less like a rehearsed hour and more like listening to a guy at a diner who happens to be an exceptional mimic. He will casually drop into an eerie Colin Quinn, Norm Macdonald, or Tracy Morgan, but he does not deploy impressions as standalone parlor tricks. They are simply the voices of the characters in his stories.
Specials
-
Stories of marriage, raising children, and wandering the Liberace Museum high.
Showtime · 67 min
On stage
He is a show business survivor. After a dense run in the nineties and early two thousands that included a stint on Saturday Night Live, acting in blockbusters, and hosting reality television, he now operates as a veteran club headliner. He commands a room without the sweat of a comic looking for a break. He has the settled pacing of a guy who has seen the entire industry from the inside.
His best material lives in that space between industry war stories and regular domestic life. When he recounts working on a set or dealing with a massive ego, he structures the anecdote so the celebrity’s behavior provides the punchline. Because his act relies so heavily on a loose rhythm, he occasionally lets a tangent stretch until the room quiets down. But he always knows how to pull an audience back. He just shifts his posture, drops into a specific voice, and resets the energy.
Turning points
-
1993–2004
SNL Featured Player and Memoir Publication
Mohr spent two seasons on Saturday Night Live while battling severe panic attacks, later publishing his candid behind-the-scenes memoir Gasping for Airtime in 2004.
-
2003–2006
Creation and Hosting of Last Comic Standing
Mohr created, hosted, and executive produced NBC's comedy reality competition Last Comic Standing, earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his role on the program.
-
2015–2016
Grammy Nomination for Happy. And A Lot.
Mohr's stand-up album Happy. And A Lot., which was written entirely by his then-wife Nikki Cox, received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album.
At a glance
- Born
- , Verona, New Jersey
- On stage
- since 1990
- Style
- observational, impressions, storytelling
- Breakout
- Happy. And a Lot.
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Fans also like
-
Aries SpearsBoth comedians emerged via 1990s sketch television and specialize in razor-sharp celebrity impersonations alongside personal observational stand-up.
Podcasts
-
Mohr Stories · host
Jay Mohr hosts long-form comedic interviews and discussions covering broad career, entertainment, and personal topics with a wide array of performers and friends.
Also on screen
- 1993–1995
- Saturday Night Live
- The Jeff Foxworthy Show
- Jerry Maguire
- Picture Perfect
- Action