Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Sam Jay may have changed the trajectory of her career with the set she did at “The Roast of Tom Brady” on Netflix. Jay was already a comedy star — she’s done a Netflix comedy special called “Sam Jay: 3 In the Morning” and starred in an HBO show called “Pause With Sam Jay” — but there’s still room for her to grow much bigger. She’s hilarious and fearless and a star within the comedy world but not yet a household name. The roast was a gigantic show — it got 1.67 billion minutes of viewing, far more than any other show that week — and it introduced her to millions of people who did not know her. Jay talks to me about the roast in a clip from our recent interview with her on “Masters of the Game.”
Everyone knew the Brady roast would be a big show, so there was a lot of pressure going into it. Jay surely felt the pressure as a comic who wasn’t as famous as many of the standups on the bill —Kevin Hart, Nikki Glaser, Jeff Ross — but she got a lot of support from the other comics and she has a ton of self-confidence. She moves with a swagger onstage and off. She talks like someone who knows she has something important to say. I don’t get the feeling that she’s looking for our validation. She has found her comedic voice and she’s ready to lay it on us.
Jay came to comedy later in life — she did her first comedy routine at 29. Most successful comics start far earlier than that. There were life hurdles that kept her from starting earlier but no matter — starting late has given her confidence and focus. She has risen fast because she’s smart and talented but also because maturity has centered her.
You can hear Sam Jay’s whole story on the latest episode of “Masters of the Game,” now streaming.
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Toure is a host and writer at TheGrio. He hosts the TheGrio TV show “Masters of the Game,” and he created the award-winning podcast “Being Black: The ’80s” and its upcoming sequel “Being Black: The ’70s.” He is also the creator of “Star Stories” and the author of eight books, including “Nothing Compares 2 U an oral history of Prince.” He also hosts a podcast called “Toure Show.” He is also a husband and a father of two.
