Sam Jay has a brilliant mind, and has created a unique lane for herself in the entertainment industry. After being introduced to comedy at an early age, it wasn’t until the age of 20 that she wanted to pursue comedy as a career path. Since then, she has written for several shows, and has produced an acclaimed stand-up special on Netflix, titled 3 in the Morning.
Growing up in Boston, Jay comes from a long line of comedians, namely the late Patrice O’Neal, whom she has been compared to on occasion. As such a prolific writer, the You People star feels it’s important to maintain a balance when it comes to the things she’s creating. “Standup is just such a ‘you’ thing,” she tells ESSENCE. “It’s writing only for yourself and it’s very personal.”
“I think when you’re writing for the people, you’re considering a lot of things outside of yourself,” she adds. “Even if you’re writing based on characters, you’re thinking, ‘how would they react?’ You’re not thinking, ‘how would you react?,’ you know what I mean? So you have to step outside of yourself and your personal feelings to do that, to write for other people. So it’s definitely a very different process.”
When Jay says “writing for other people,” she’s referring to her work on her Peacock series Bust Down, as well as her stint as a three-time, Emmy-nominated writer for Saturday Night Live. It was there that she was able to hone her skills, as delivered her first comedy album, 2018’s Donna’s Daughter, as well as her aforementioned special two years later. In 2021, she, along with Prentice Penny, created PAUSE, which was a fresh take on the traditional late-night talk show format. During its two-season run, Sam used her platform to plunge into the cultural issues that are ingrained in American life, and inspired provocative conversations for her guests, as well as for viewers worldwide. In the process of filming her show, she made something that was truly special.
“I mean, I just wanted to make a show that I wanted to watch essentially,” the Massachusetts native says. “I was just like, ‘what would I like to see in late night that I’m not seeing?,’ And I kind of started at that space as far as creating the show. Then I worked with Prentice and we went through a lot of different iterations of what the show could be, and followed it on this party idea and how to make it as real and honest as possible.”
“Bringing in the interviews was to give the party conversation some validation and some level of research,” she continues. “Now that we’ve kind of yelled about this drunkenly, let’s take it out into the world and really bring some substance to it. We also wanted to do a show where we talk to regular people about how they feel about these highly politicized issues and ideas rather than talking to the same talking heads that we kind of always see pontificate on these things – that was really the plan. Then, we just kind of set out to execute it.”
Writer. Comedian. Actor. Jay does all of them – and all of them at a very high level. For some, being able to juggle so many things may become overwhelming, but for the 41-year-old, it’s what comes with the territory when you’ve chosen a career as a creative. “It is three very different parts of my brain in a way, but it’s also fun to be able to be creative in all these different spaces, and they all inform each other,” she says. Her talents have allowed her to reach unimaginable heights, especially as a woman of color. Jay, who also identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, embraces everything that comes with that by never losing sight of who she is. “I just try to represent myself and I happen to embody those things,” she tells ESSENCE. “And so I feel like as long as I’m staying true to me, by default I represent those groups.”
Representation is perhaps the most impactful part of her legacy. Being a Black, lesbian woman, she serves as an inspiration for so many people. In delivering comedy and the rest of her art from her own experience, Jay gives others a blueprint on how to succeed in the ever-changing medium of show business, while also letting people know that it’s perfectly ok to be oneself. In fact, it’s paramount to create a life worth living.
When asked “what’s next for Sam Jay?,” the Emmy nominee gives a funny, but introspective response, further giving a glimpse into the things that truly bring her joy. “Well, I’m working on a special, and I have a couple of shows in development that hopefully will come to the light of day and people will get to see them,” she says.
“I’m just staying busy and kind of taking the opportunities that are coming to me to be creative and walking towards the things that scare me, loving my fiancé, and trying to get good sleep.”