Jak Knight, comedian, writer, and Bust Down star, dies at 28
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Jak Knight, a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor best known for his work on Bust Down, Big Mouth, and Pause With Sam Jay, died Thursday night in Los Angeles at 28. Knight's family confirmed the news to EW. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Knight's star was on the rise. He recently co-created Bust Down, which premiered on Peacock in March, with Sam Jay, Langston Kerman, and Chris Redd. The series, which Knight also executive-produced, starred each of them and followed a group of friends working low-paying jobs at an Indiana casino. Knight also collaborated with Jay on the HBO series Pause with Sam Jay, serving as a co-executive producer and writer.
"We are devastated by the passing of Jak Knight," reads a statement issued to EW by Peacock and UTV. "He was a brilliant comedian, visionary and artist and we were all lucky to experience his greatness. Our hearts are with Jak's family, friends and community during this heartbreaking time."
FilmMagic/FilmMagic Jak Knight
On the film side, the comedian had recently finished shooting on Chelsea Peretti's directorial debut, First Time Female Director, which also stars Peretti, Amy Poehler, and Megan Mullally.
In his early years in the industry, Knight, who was originally from Seattle, was a writer on the 2013 Fox animated series Lucas Bros. Moving Company, and as an executive story editor on a season of Black-ish. From there, he wrote for Bill Burr's comedy series Immoral Compass, before landing a stint on Netflix's animated hit Big Mouth, where he served a number of roles including staff writer and story editor. He also voiced the character of DeVon. His voiceover work also included the video game NBA 2K17 and the Fox series American Dad!.
As a stand-up comedian, Knight appeared in a half-hour Netflix special in 2018 as part of the streamer's The Comedy Lineup. He was also named a 2014 Comedy Central Comic to Watch and a New Face at the 2015 Montreal Just for Laughs Festival. On television, he appeared on The Meltdown With Jonah and Kumail, @Midnight, and Adam Devine's House Party. On the road, he performed at the main stage of 2015's Oddball Comedy Festival headlined by Amy Schumer and Aziz Ansari, and has opened for various stand-ups including Joel McHale, Eric Andre, Moshe Kasher, and Dave Chappelle.
The comedy world expressed its sadness upon hearing the news on Friday. Comedy Central's official Twitter account posted, "Jak Knight was a hysterical and honest comedian. We will miss him tremendously." And fellow comedian Kumail Nanjiani shared his condolences, writing on his Twitter account, "Rest In Peace Jak Knight. Hilarious comedian and a great guy. I can't believe it."
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