Jay Jurden is a rising American comedian, writer, and actor best known for his stand-up act and his comedy writing.
Born and raised in Mississippi, Jurden took an interest in the performing arts from a young age, earning a degree in acting from the University of Mississippi and then a Master’s of Fine Arts in acting from the University of Alabama. In particular, Jurden gravitated toward stand-up comedy.
Moving to New York City, Jurden became a fixture in the city’s legendary stand-up scene and a regular performer at top comedy clubs. His sharp, observational comedy, which leans into his life as a black bisexual man growing up in the American South, soon caught on with audiences as well as television producers. His breakout moment came in 2019 when he performed a stand-up set on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. From there on, his career has only grown.
Later that year, Jurden was selected as one of the New Faces of 2019 at the Just for Laughs comedy festival and named as one of the “Comedians To Watch” by Time Out New York. He’s been added to similar lists by the magazines Vulture and Variety. In 2020, he released his first comedy album, Jay Jurden, Y’all, which debuted at #1 on iTunes. In 2022, he appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden. And in 2025, he performed in his first stand-up special, Yes Ma’am, which streams on Hulu. In April 2021, Jurden was the host for Gag Reflex, the first-ever comedy special produced by the dating app Grindr. He has also been featured by Comedy Central, become a frequent performer at comedy festivals, and has taken his act on the road, touring at venues across the United States.
In addition to his career as a comedian, Jurden has established himself as a professional writer, penning essays for outlets including The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Vulture, and Teen Vogue, writing for Marvel’s Voices: X-Men #1, and working as a staff writer for Apple TV’s The Problem with Jon Stewart, for which he earned four Writers Guild of America Award nominations.
Jurden is openly and vocally bi, describing himself as a “bisexual demon”. In a 2019 interview with Vulture, he said:
I think that bi erasure is very real. I identify as bi or queer (cue the laughter from Gay Twitter), and one way to combat that is coming up with new stereotypes about bisexuality: the NBA of sexualities (in terms of current popularity and being fun to watch).
In a 2025 Instagram video, Jurden joked:
Ladies, dating a bisexual man is no different than dating a straight man, except for after sex, we gonna ask if we can go to Sephora — or Ulta.
In 2022, Jurden married Garrison Gibbons.