Geoff James Nugent (born February 1977), known professionally as Jim Jefferies, is an Australian and American comedian, actor, and writer. He created and starred in the FX sitcom ''

Legit Legit, a slang abbreviation of the word '' legitimate'', may refer to: * Legit (professional wrestling) * ''Legit'' (2006 TV series), a Scottish sitcom * ''Legit'' (2013 TV series), created by comedian Jim Jefferies * Legit.ng, a Nigerian digi ...

'' (2013–2014) and the

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

late-night show ''

The Jim Jefferies Show ''The Jim Jefferies Show'' is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian Jim Jefferies. The show aired Tuesdays on Comedy Central and tackles the week's top stories and most controversial issues. In Marc ...

'' (2017–2019). In 2023, Jim began hosting '' The 1% Club''.

Early life

Jefferies was born Geoff James Nugent in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia in February 1977. His mother worked as a substitute teacher and his father was a cabinet maker and maintenance worker from

Roma, Queensland Roma is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Maranoa Region. The town was incorporated in 1867 and is named after Lady Diamantina Bowen ...

. Jefferies grew up in Sydney before moving to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

to study musical theatre and classical music at the

Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a performing arts school in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1980, it is notable for being the most comprehensive performing arts school in Aus ...

, though he left several months before graduating. He has two older brothers: Scott, an investment banker, and Daniel, an inspector in the

New South Wales Police Force The New South Wales Police Force is a law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia, established in 1862. With more than 17,000 police officers, it is the largest police organisation in Australia, policing an area of 801,60 ...

Public Order and Riot Squad The Public Order & Riot Squad (PORS) is the full-time Riot Police, riot squad of the New South Wales Police Force. PORS reports via the Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Command to the Deputy Commissioner Investigations and Counter Terrorism. ...

Career

Stand-up

Jefferies began his stand-up comedy career after dropping out of university, initially returning to his native Sydney before relocating to the United Kingdom. He took the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

"Jim Jeffries", but amended the last name to "Jefferies" to avoid confusion with a similarly named American performer. He initially began performing stand-up with one-liners. He changed to

anecdotal Anecdotal evidence (or anecdata) is evidence based on descriptions and reports of individual, personal experiences, or observations, collected in a non- systematic manner. The term ''anecdotal'' encompasses a variety of forms of evidence. This ...

humour when he began doing hour-long sets. One of his early UK appearances was in October 2003 when he performed at Birmingham's Glee Club, as a part of

Birmingham Comedy Festival Birmingham Comedy Festival is an annual arts festival in the city of Birmingham. The festival takes place throughout the city for 10 days during October. While primarily focused on stand-up comedy, it also includes films, theatre, cabaret, visual ...

. He first achieved international attention in 2007, when he was attacked onstage while performing at the Manchester Comedy Festival. Footage of the incident was incorporated into his act and can be seen on his 2008 DVD ''Contraband''. He became known in the United States in 2009, after the release of his debut

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

special ''I Swear to God''. Jefferies has performed at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

, Just for Laughs,

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the largest international comedy festival in the world. First held in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starti ...

Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...

, and

Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...

. He has also performed routines on ''The World Stands Up'', ''Comedy Blue'' and ''Edinburgh and Beyond'' for

. Following the release of his

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 ...

special ''Freedumb'' in July 2016, he began The Unusual Punishment Tour with all-new material, and filmed his new special ''This Is Me Now'' at the

Hammersmith Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in January 2018. On 17 December 2018, he completed his Night Talker Tour with the final performance in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. At the 2019 Just for Laughs festival, in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, he was honoured as Stand-up Comedian of the Year. April 2024 saw Jefferies start his ''Give 'Em What They Want'' tour in South Africa, moving on to Australia in August. In September and October 2024, while Jefferies is in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, he will be joined by

Jimmy Carr James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is an Irish-British comedian, presenter, writer and actor. He is known for his rapid-fire deadpan delivery of One-line joke, one-liners. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regula ...

for what is being billed as ''The Charm Offensive Tour''. In November 2024, it was announced Jefferies will host a standup series for the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

in 2025 titled ''Jim Jefferies and Friends''.

''Legit''

Jefferies' comedy series ''

'' premiered on 17 January 2013 on FX. A second season premiered on 26 February 2014, having been moved to FXX. The series received positive attention among the disabled community for its portrayal of people with mental and physical disabilities. The series was cancelled after two seasons.

''The Jim Jefferies Show''

On 3 March 2017, Comedy Central announced ''

'', a new ten-episode weekly series, that premiered on 6 June 2017. Jefferies, hosting the show, takes a look on culture and politics behind his desk, and travels around the world to tackle the week's top stories and most controversial issues. On 25 July 2017, the first season was extended with ten additional episodes, that completed airing on 21 November 2017. On 15 January 2018, Comedy Central renewed the series for a twenty-episode second season, which premiered on 27 March 2018. The network renewed the show for a third season in January 2019, which premiered on 19 March 2019. The series concluded on 19 November 2019, after the end of its third season.

Other work

From November 2010 to November 2012, Jefferies co-hosted the podcast ''Jim and Eddie Talkin' Shit'' with his fellow comedian and former roommate,

Eddie Ifft Eddie Ifft (born 1974 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. Biography Ifft graduated with honors from Fox Chapel Area High School in 1990. After graduation from the University of Pittsburgh, where he ...

. Jefferies had to quit because of his busy work schedule. Jefferies appeared on comedy panel shows such as ''

Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first host ...

'', ''

Have I Got News for You ''Have I Got News for You'' (''HIGNFY'') is a British television panel show, produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC, which premiered on 28 September 1990. The programme focuses on two teams, one usually captained by Ian Hislop and one ...

'', ''

The Heaven and Earth Show ''The Heaven and Earth Show'' is a BBC television programme that aired on Sunday mornings from 10am to 11am on BBC One. The show ran for nine years between 1998 and 2007, looking at spiritual and moral issues. Over the years it had numerous prese ...

'' and ''

8 Out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' (stylised as ''8 out of 10 CATS'') is a British comedy panel show that aired from 3 June 2005 to 17 January 2021. It was first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2005 to 2015, then More4 from 2016 to 2017, and finally E4 from ...

'', the US comedy panel show '' The Green Room with Paul Provenza'' and Comedy Central's ''

@midnight ''@midnight with Chris Hardwick'' (shortened to and formerly exclusively titled ''@midnight'') is an American late night Internet-themed panel game show, hosted by Chris Hardwick, that aired Monday through Thursday nights between October 21, ...

''. He has also been featured on various radio programmes, including

BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts mainly news, sport, Talk show, discussion, interviews and phone-ins, and is on air 24 hours a day. It is the principal BBC radio station Broadca ...

's Saturday morning sports show, ''

Opie and Anthony ''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part in ...

'', and ''

Fighting Talk ''Fighting Talk'' is a topical sports show broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live during the English football season. The show is broadcast on Saturday mornings for an hour between 11.00 and 12.00 and is currently presented by Rick Edwards. This show is ...

''. In 2015, he starred in Australian film '' Me and My Mates vs the Zombie Apocalypse'' with comedians

Greg Fleet Gregory Fleet (born 1962) is an Australian comedian and actor. Early life Fleet was born in Michigan, in the United States. His father moved the family to Australia when Greg was four. He grew up in Geelong, and as a teenager boarded at Geelong ...

and Alex Williamson. It premiered on 25 July and was released on DVD and

Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...

in Australia and New Zealand in late 2015, and in the UK, Ireland, and the US in 2016. In 2019, Jefferies and Suzanne Martin developed the sitcom ''Jefferies'' for NBC, in which Jefferies will star as a fictionalized version of himself. Jefferies has hosted the ''I Don't Know About That'' podcast alongside Kelly Blackheart, Forrest Shaw, and Jack Hackett since May 2020. Jefferies began a new podcast 'At This Moment' with co-host Amos Gill on January 21, 2025.

Personal life

Jefferies lives in

Studio City, California Studio City is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1 ...

. He was previously in a relationship with actress Kate Luyben. Their son was born in 2012. He married English actress Tasie Lawrence in September 2020. Their son was born in 2021. Jefferies is an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

. He believes he is

autistic Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...

and states he only found out at the age of 36. In 2018, he became a naturalized American citizen.

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

* 2008: ''Hell Bound'' (CD) * 2008: ''Contraband'' (DVD) * 2009: ''I Swear to God'' (video download) * 2010: ''Alcoholocaust'' (DVD) * 2012: ''Fully Functional'' (video download/DVD) * 2014: ''Bare'' (video download) * 2016: ''Freedumb'' (video download) * 2018: ''This Is Me Now'' (

) * 2020: ''Intolerant'' (Netflix) * 2023: ''High & Dry'' (Netflix)

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferies, Jim 1977 births Living people 21st-century atheists 21st-century Australian male actors 21st-century Australian writers 21st-century Australian comedians 21st-century Australian male writers Australian activists Australian atheism activists Australian columnists Australian comedy writers Australian expatriates in England Australian male comedians Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Australian podcasters Australian political commentators Australian political writers Australian satirists Australian stand-up comedians Australian television producers Australian emigrants to the United States Comedians from Sydney Critics of creationism Australian critics of religions American free speech activists Gun control advocates American gun control activists Late night television talk show hosts Male actors from Sydney Naturalized citizens of the United States Writers from Sydney Autistic actors Australian atheists