Samaria Johnson (born January 13, 1982), better known as Sam Jay, is an American comedian and writer. She is best known as a writer for ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...

'' (2017–present), her

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

comedy special ''3 in the Morning'' (2020), and as the co-creator and co-star of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, 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 ba ...

comedy series ''PAUSE with Sam Jay'' (2021–present) and the

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

comedy series ''

Bust Down ''Bust Down'' is an American comedy television series co-created by and co-starring Langston Kerman, Jak Knight, Chris Redd, and Sam Jay. The series premiered on Peacock on March 10, 2022. Plot The series follows a group of friends working low- ...

'' (2022–present).

Early life

Jay was born Samaria Johnson in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

on January 13, 1982. She grew up in the Dorchester neighborhood of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, and studied for a degree in communications but quit due to lack of interest.

Career

After years of working in an office and as a music manager, Jay performed her first stand-up comedy routine in 2012, at the age of 29. In 2017, she joined the writing staff of ''

'', becoming the first black lesbian writer in the show's history and the second black lesbian to be involved with the show overall (after performer

Danitra Vance Danitra Vance (July 13, 1954 – August 21, 1994) was an American comedian and actress, who was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) during its eleventh season in 1985. Raised in Chicago's South Side, ...

joined the cast 32 years prior). She co-wrote the "Black Jeopardy" sketch. In 2018, she performed stand-up on

's ''The Comedy Lineup'' and starred in a half-hour stand-up special for ''

Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents ''Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents'', formerly known as ''The Half Hour'', is an American stand-up comedy television series that airs on Comedy Central in the United States. The program features various stand-up comedians in each episode. It repl ...

''. Jay's first stand-up comedy release was ''Donna's Daughter'' (2018), which was made available as audio only. Her first Netflix stand-up comedy special, ''3 in the Morning'' (2020), was filmed at The Masquerade in Atlanta and received acclaim. Her other work includes appearances on '' Take My Wife'' (2016–2018) and stand-up performances on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's l ...

'' and at the 2017 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. In September 2020, it was announced that

had ordered a sitcom co-written by and starring Jay. She partnered with producer

Prentice Penny Prentice Penny (born December 1, 1973) is an American producer, writer, and director. He is best known as the showrunner for the HBO series '' Insecure''. He is the writer and director of the Netflix film '' Uncorked''. He was the creator and ho ...

to create the series, which was named ''PAUSE with Sam Jay''. The first season premiered in May 2021, and the show was renewed by HBO for a second season two months later. The comedy series ''

'', co-created and co-starring by Jay, premiered on

in March 2022.

Style

Jay's stage persona has been described as self-aware and observational, inviting comparisons to

Patrice O'Neal Patrice Lumumba Malcolm O'Neal (December 7, 1969 – November 29, 2011) was an American comedian and actor. He was known for his stand-up comedy career and his regular guest appearances on the talk show '' Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn'' and th ...

Personal life

Jay has discussed being a black lesbian during her stand-up routines.

Comedy albums

Filmography

Film

* 2023: '' You People''

Television

* 2012: '' Just for Laughs: All Access'' (TV series) – (episode: "Episode #6.6") * 2015: ''Get Your Life'' (TV series) – Lady in Dickies (episode: "Girl Get Your Blacktresses") * 2016: '' Take My Wife'' (TV series) – (episode: "Punchline") * 2016: ''Flophouse'' (TV documentary) – (episode: "Haircuts at Babe Island") * 2016: ''

The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail ''The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail'' is a stand-up comedy television series that aired on Comedy Central in the United States. It was hosted by stand up comedians Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Ali Nanjiani (; ur, کمیل علی نن� ...

'' (TV series) – (episode: "The One Without Neil DeGrasse Tyson") * 2017: ''Pinsky'' (TV series) – Sam * 2017: ''

Comedy Central Presents ''Comedy Central Presents'' is an American stand-up comedy television series created for Comedy Central. It is the network's main half-hour program which highlights either one or a series of stand-up comedians each episode. In 2011, the series e ...

'' (TV series) – (episode: "Sam Jay") * 2018–present: ''

'' (TV series) – writer * 2018: '' Nobodies'' (TV series) – Andrea * 2018: ''The Comedy Lineup'' (TV series) – executive producer, writer (episode: "Sam Jay") * 2018: ''

2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards The 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards was held on June 16, 2018, from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, U.S. and was broadcast on June 18, 2018. Similar to the 2016 MTV Movie Awards, the event was not aired live and was pre-recorded on June ...

'' (TV special) – writer * 2018: ''

70th Primetime Emmy Awards The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in U.S. prime time television programming from June 1, 2017, until May 31, 2018, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held live on September 17, 2018, at the Mi ...

'' (TV special) – writer * 2019: ''

Broad City ''Broad City'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. It was developed from their independent web series of the same name, which was produced between 2009 and 2011. The sitcom, like the web seri ...

'' (TV series) – Doorwoman (episode: "Along Came Molly") * 2019: '' Donald Glover Presents'' (TV mini-series) – writer (5 episodes) * 2020: ''

BET Awards 2020 The 20th BET Awards took place on June 28, 2020. The ceremony celebrates achievements in entertainment and honors music, sports, television, and movies. They also honored the many African-American people killed from police brutality and racial in ...

'' (TV special) – writer * 2020: '' Shrill'' (TV series) – Fran's Friend (2 episodes) * 2021: ''

Kenan Kenan (also spelled Qenan, Kaynan or Cainan) (; ar, كِنَاْنْ, Keynān; grc-x-biblical, Καϊνάμ, Kaïnám) is an Antediluvian patriarch first mentioned in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. In scriptures According to Gen ...

'' (TV series) – consulting producer * 2021: ''

That Damn Michael Che ''That Damn Michael Che'' is an American sketch comedy streaming television series created by and starring Michael Che that premiered on HBO Max on May 6, 2021. In July 2021, the series was renewed for a second season. Premise Each episode fo ...

'' (TV series) – Barber (episode: "Well Played, Crackers") * 2021: ''Pause with Sam Jay'' (TV series) – executive producer, writer * 2022: ''

'' (TV series) – Sam, also co-creator, executive producer

Awards and nominations

* 2018:

Emmys The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series for ''Saturday Night Live'' (nominee) * 2019:

, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series for ''Saturday Night Live'' (nominee) * 2020:

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers G ...

, Best Comedy/Variety – Sketch Series for ''Saturday Night Live'' (nominee)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jay, Sam Living people American stand-up comedians Comedians from Massachusetts Writers from Boston Lesbian comedians African-American female comedians African-American stand-up comedians American women comedians LGBT African Americans American lesbian writers 1982 births 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women American television writers American women television writers Screenwriters from Massachusetts 21st-century American screenwriters