Jared Antonio Farrow

Jay Pharoah (born October 14, 1987), born Jared Antonio Farrow, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2010 to 2016, and in 2015 was ranked the 55th greatest Saturday Night Live cast member by Rolling Stone magazine. He also voiced characters such as Meena's Grandfather in Sing (2016) and Noah in The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021).

Pharoah was born and raised in Chesapeake, Virginia, and began performing impersonations at age six, citing Gilbert Gottfried's character Iago in Aladdin as his first voice. He graduated from Indian River High School in 2005 and from Tidewater Community College, and briefly attended Virginia Commonwealth University. He has performed stand-up in Virginia community theaters and comedy clubs since he was 15, and at one point toured with Corey Holcomb and Charlie Murphy. He became known for his many celebrity impressions, including Barack Obama, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Jay-Z, Denzel Washington and Chris Rock, and became an internet phenomenon when his impersonation of Barack Obama was widely seen on YouTube.

Hired by Saturday Night Live as a featured performer for the show's 36th season in 2010, Pharoah debuted on September 25, 2010 and was regarded by TV Guide's Rob Moynihan as the "breakout player" of that season. He debuted his SNL impersonation of Barack Obama in the 38th season premiere on September 15, 2012, succeeding Fred Armisen. His film roles include Lola Versus (2012) and Ride Along (2014), and in 2024 he started hosting The Quiz with Balls on Fox.