Jay Pharoah Successfully Kept It Moving After Being Fired From ‘SNL' — Here's What He's Doing Now

The Breakdown: Stand-up comedian and impressionist Jay Pharoah gained prominence for his impersonations of some of Hollywood and hip-hop’s biggest names. Here’s a look at what he’s been doing since seemingly vanishing from the spotlight.

Comedian Jay Pharoah, renowned for his exceptional celebrity impressions and dynamic comedic presence, has had many highs and lows in his career.

The Virginia native, born Jared Antonio Farrow, started his stand-up career at 15 (via Celebrity Net Worth), resulting in him living one of a comedian’s wildest dreams: a full-time spot on Saturday Night Live.

Jay’s meteoric rise in the comedy space landed him box office success, millions in the bank, and the attention of some of his best impersonations like Jay-Z and Barack Obama. However, he eventually scaled back in his career. Here’s what led to him stepping away.

Jay’s career seemed only to go up when he joined SNL. After signing onto the show at 22, a job that came after his viral Obama impersonation caught Lorne Michaels and co.’s attention. During his six-season run on the show, he landed roles in films like Underdogs, Take Five starring Chris Rock, and Ride Along starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube.

After earning critical acclaim for his time on SNL and movie roles, Jay began to make his way out of the iconic show. SNL didn’t renew his contract in 2017 after six seasons. He shared how the show didn’t allow him to showcase all of his talents and instead put him in an “impression box,” only bringing him out when they needed a Black character. It’s safe to say Jay wasn’t having it.

“You go where you’re appreciated,” he told Hot 97 about his SNL departure in 2017. “If you have multiple people on the cast saying things like, ‘You’re so talented and you’re able and they don’t use you, it’s unfair and it’s making us feel bad because they don’t use you and you’re a talent…”

“They put people into boxes and whatever they want you to do, they expect you to do,” he added. “And I’m fiery. I’m not a yes n---a-.”

Jay also said he didn’t hold his tongue regarding SNL’s diversity, or lack thereof. He claimed he was almost fired from the show in 2013 after calling it “Wonder Bread — straight up.” While Jay speaking out nearly cost him his job, he said it resulted in SNL’s push for the inclusion of Black women on the show, as comedians Leslie Jones and Sasheer Zamata were hired on in 2014.

You can never keep a funny man down, and Jay made sure he still ate after his time on SNL was over. Immediately after his exit, he booked the Showtime series White Famous, a show based on Jamie Foxx’s career. The show only lasted for three episodes.

Jay maintained his hustle mentality after White Famous ended, dabbling in more movies, standup tours, and TV and hosting spots. In 2024, he began hosting the Fox game show The Quiz with Balls, which challenges contestants with trivia questions under the threat of being dunked into a pool for incorrect answers. The show, filmed in Melbourne, Australia, was renewed for a second season that premiered in June 2025.

Jay has also shown his serious side in his film roles. In 2023, He starred as Casablanca Records co-founder Cecil Holmes in the biopic Spinning Gold, portraying the right-hand man of 1970s record producer Neil Bogart. Additionally, he appeared in the horror-comedy film The Blackening, which gained attention at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released by Lionsgate during Juneteenth weekend.

And, in case you forgot, our guy is still the impersonator king. Jay maintains an active presence on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where he shares his best impressions, comedic content, updates on his projects, and engages with fans.