On Sunday September 28th, the Council of University Programs (CUP) and fraternity Kappa Sigma brought SNL’s resident celebrity impersonator and rapper extraordinaire Jay Pharoah to headline the 12th Annual Comedy Night. The moment Pharoah stepped onstage it became clear that this would be a comedy show like no other. In his 90 minute set he dropped every obscenity known to man, performed an array of impersonations from Katt Williams to Blue Ivy and managed to heckle at least three unfortunate (or extremely lucky) Northeastern students who found themselves in the comedian’s radar.
When Pharoah joined the Saturday Night Live cast in 2010, TV Guide hailed him as the show’s “breakout star.” As a series regular, Pharoah has captivated audiences with his incredibly attuned impersonations, seamlessly transitioning from President Obama to Yeezus himself, Kanye West. Pharoah’s star continues to grow, making a cameo in the buddy cop film Ride Along and appearing in the upcoming Intramural starring SNL cast member Kate McKinnon.
What makes Pharoah so refreshing as a comedian is his uninhibited sense of humor. Not joke is too extreme for the SNL star and no topic taboo. Whether you were hysterically laughing at his bawdy jokes or cringing at his off color remarks about more controversial topics, you couldn’t help but be captivated by his presence. Pharoah is an unapologetic comedian in a politically correct world, risky enough to pull off the dirty jokes and remind people that sometimes it’s okay to laugh about the bad things- as long as the bad things are said in the voice of Jay Z or Kanye.