Jakim Maulana (November 6, 1993 – July 14, 2022), better known by his stage name Jak Knight, was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was best known for his roles as DeVon in the animated

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

sitcom '' Big Mouth'' and Jak in the

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comedy series '' Bust Down''.

Early life

Knight was born as Jakim Maulana in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, on November 6, 1993.

Career

He appeared in the 2014 movie ''LieGuys'' as an iPhone cameraman in his debut acting role. From 2017 until his death in 2022, he provided the voice of DeVon in the

adult animated sitcom '' Big Mouth''. In 2020, he provided vocal passages as interludes on ''Limbo'', an album made by

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

artist and friend of Knight, Aminé. In March 2022, four months before his death, he starred in the

comedy series '' Bust Down'', alongside Langston Kerman,

Chris Redd Christopher Jerell Redd (born March 25, 1985) is an American comedian and actor. After several years performing stand-up comedy, Redd was hired to join the cast of the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' ahead of the show's 43rd s ...

and Sam Jay.

Personal life

He resided in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Death

On July 14, 2022, Knight was found dead on an embankment in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, at age 28. His cause of death was determined to be suicide. Many celebrities, including Kumail Nanjiani, Tim Dillon, Max Silvestri,

James Adomian James Adomian is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and impressionist. He is best known for his work on ''Comedy Bang! Bang!'', ''Chapo Trap House'', ''Last Comic Standing'', ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' where he Impressionist ...

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' (2012) during one of his high school suspension ...

Hannibal Buress Hannibal Amir Buress ( ; born February 4, 1983) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He started performing comedy in 2002 while attending Southern Illinois University. He starred on Adult Swim's '' The Eric Andre Show'' from 20 ...

, Blake Anderson and Vanessa Ramos, reacted to Knight's death by paying tribute on

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Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Jak 1993 births 2022 deaths 2022 suicides American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors 21st-century American comedians Male actors from Seattle 21st-century American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors African-American male comedians African-American comedians Comedians from Seattle American male comedians African-American screenwriters American male television writers American television writers 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male writers Screenwriters from Washington (state) Writers from Seattle Suicides by firearm in California