Former SNL star Jay Pharoah talks coining the term Karen years before it went viral and how he never got credit for it: ‘I’ve had other big ideas stolen before’
He starred on Saturday Night Live from 2010 until 2016, known for his impressive impressions he did of Barack Obama, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Tracy Morgan and more.
And Jay Pharoah also talked about how he essentially coined the term Karen during a his 2015 special called: Jay Pharoah: Can I Be Me? during an interview on Couch Surfing for People TV.
In the interview, the actor/comedian, 33, said that he did that joke for years, before the memes about Karen went viral.
Speaking out: Jay Pharoah also talked about how he essentially coined the term Karen during a his 2015 special called: Jay Pharoah: Can I Be Me? during an interview on Couch Surfing for People TV
In the clip, he is heard saying during his stand up segment: ‘Why do people do such things? Oh my God Karen. It’s always a Karen…’
The actor spoke out about the term: ‘It’s funny, there is always a white woman named Karen. Now unbeknownst to be, even before that, there was a Karen stuff but I think Dane Cook had a joke about Karen always being somebody annoying but like the white woman named Karen I experienced that so I said that and literally when I saw the memes and all that…I was like really? What?’
He continued: ‘It is funny because Bryan Tucker, an SNL alumni, he tweeted, he was like “Karen? I remember that from Black Jeopardy.”‘
Bryan Tucker is a senior writer for SNL.
Adding: ‘And I was like, I remember that from Jay Pharoah but… it’s fine. It’s cool. You can ask any of my friends, any of my friends for years I did that joke, for years!’
Candid: In the interview, the actor/comedian, 33, said that he did that joke for years, before the memes about Karen went viral; pictured Arpil 16, 2016 in NYC at the SNL after party
‘Came to the show, refined it, everything… and then just… when everything dropped, they were like “Oh my G, they owe you money. They stole that. They owe you money.’
‘Hey its cool. I’ve had other big ideas stolen before but we’re not going to get into that… whatever.’
Jay also spoke about a scene he did for White Famous, where cockroaches were poured over him: ‘To have that on me and just… and they were hissing like rattlesnakes… when you heard that screaming, that was really me.’
He also starred in the movie Unsane by Steve Soderbergh, which was filmed on an IPhone 7 Plus.
He said of the IPhone twist: ‘At first, I was like how is this going to happen? Like it’s a freaking IPhone. But being on set with Steven Soderbergh and seeing him putting the IPhone on a track and sit there and dolly it up… it was amazing. It almost made the performances more natural. And he put me in that movie.’
He explained how he ended up on Steven’s radar: ‘Because Matt Damon showed him my Denzel [Washington] impression back in 2010. That’s literally how it happened. And then he called me up and I said yes I.. its Steven Soderbergh… My agent hit me up and was like “Steven Soderbergh wants to call you.” I said “What?”
‘All from YouTube videos, what?!’ Jay added.
Throwback: He starred on Saturday Night Live from 2010 until 2016, known for his impressive impressions he did of Barack Obama, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Tracy Morgan and more
Host Lola Ogunnaike also asked him about his run on SNL, revealed he did six impressions and two characters during his audition for the show back in 2010.
Jay was part of the SNL cast from 2010 (the show’s 36th season) until 2016.
The actor recently wrapped filming for two projects, The Adventures of Drunky and Spinning Gold.