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 (2017–2021), her Netflix comedy special 3 in the Morning (2020), and as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO comedy series PAUSE with Sam Jay (2021–present) and the Peacock comedy series Bust Down (2022–present).
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 Saturday Night Live, 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 joined the cast 32 years prior). Jay left the show in 2021. She co-wrote the "Black Jeopardy" sketch. In 2018, she performed stand-up on Netflix's The Comedy Lineup and starred in a half-hour stand-up special for Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents.
Jay appeared in the "Fresh Prince" sketch as Carlton in the January 20, 2018 episode, and in the monologue of the January 27, 2018 episode, as an audience member.
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! and at the 2017 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival.
In September 2020, it was announced that HBO had ordered a sitcom co-written by and starring Jay. She partnered with producer Prentice Penny 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 Bust Down, co-created and co-starring by Jay, premiered on Peacock in March 2022.
Jay has discussed being a black lesbian during her stand-up routines.
SNL Career[]
- 2017-2021: Writer