Jak Knight, comedian and 'Big Mouth' voice actor, dies at 28

Jak Knight dies unexpectedly at age 28

Hard and surprising news for the comedy world. Jak Knight, one of Hollywood's most promising comedians, has died at the age of 28.

Family confirmed his death

His family confirmed the actor's death via his management to The Hollywood Reporter.

An extremely difficult time

"Knight's loved ones ask that their privacy be respected during this extremely difficult time," their statement reads.

Cause of death unknown

The family did not reveal the cause of death for the comedian, who had not even reached his thirties.

A star that had just begun to shine

Jak Knight was a prominent name among the comedians emerging in Los Angeles in recent years.

Dave Chapelle, his mentor

In an interview with 'Respect' in 2018, Jak Knight said that his great example had always been Dave Chapelle.

Stage shared with Chapelle

Jak Knight's talent helped him get a spot to open for Dave Chapelle during one of his stand-up tours.

Among the best

Jak Knight told 'Respect' that he also shared the stage with renowned artists such as Aziz Ansari, Joel McHale and Eric André.

Jak Knight as a voice actor

In parallel to his performances on stage, Jak Knight participated in movies and series.

Big Mouth

He worked as a screenwriter on the critically acclaimed Netflix series 'Big Mouth', whose characters are funny teenagers at the height of their adolescent years.

Photo: Netflix

DeVon's voice

In 'Big Mouth,' Jak Knight voiced the character DeVon (on the right in this Netflix image).

Black-ish

In addition, he also worked as a screenwriter for the acclaimed ABC comedy 'Black-ish,' one of the best sitcoms of recent years.

His own comedy special

By that time, Knight had already gotten his own comedy special in 'The Comedy Lineup' (Netflix) in 2018.

A big job in 2022: Pause with Sam Jay

It was precisely in his best year, professionally, that Jak Knight lost his life.

In 2022, he worked with Sam Jay on the HBO program 'Pause with Sam Jay.' Not only did he act there, but he also wrote scripts and was a co-executive producer.

Photo: Instagram - @jakknight123

Protagonist in 'Bust Down'

In partnership with Sam Jay, he had also developed the first season of the series 'Bust Down' in 2021. Produced by Peacock, it narrated the daily lives of the employees of a casino in Indiana. Jay Knight was the protagonist, screenwriter and creator, The Hollywood Reporter states.

Role in Chelsea Peretti's movie

An upcoming project for the actor was a role in the movie 'First Time Female Director,' the directorial debut of yet another American comedy legend: Chelsea Peretti. The film was announced in July 2022. Sadly, Jak Knight won't make it on the big screen in that movie.