Jared

Jay Pharoah has spent most of his public life hiding behind other people. Best known for a six-year run on Saturday Night Live where he became the default voice for Barack Obama, Kanye West, and Denzel Washington, he uses his sophomore stand-up special to introduce himself by his real first name. Filmed at The Den Theatre in Chicago, the hour-long set focuses on the tension between his public persona and his real life as Jared Farrow.\n\nPharoah uses his shape-shifting vocal talent to anchor the show, but he channels it into personal stories rather than isolated sketches. He jokes about using his birth name to get better treatment on dinner reservations because it sounds white, and he addresses a terrifying 2020 encounter where the Los Angeles Police Department wrongfully detained him at gunpoint. The police eventually released him, though not before confusing him with his former Saturday Night Live colleague Michael Che.\n\nReleased on YouTube in late 2024, the special arrived during a busy year for Pharoah, who also hosted the Fox game show The Quiz with Balls and voiced a character in Netflix’s Good Times revival. While he still delivers his celebrated Denzel Washington and Will Smith impressions, they serve as comic relief within a broader narrative of personal survival.