Actor, comedian and regular Saturday Night Live contributor Jay
Pharoah has performed stand-up in clubs in his native Virginia since
the tender age of 15, citing his love of impressions, and more
specifically Gilbert Gottfried's portrayal of Iago in Disney's 1991
movie Aladdin. Joining SNL in 2010, his impressions of fellow black
actors Jay-Z, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Lil Wayne, and Denzel
Washington received critical acclaim, following his rise to Youtube
fame for his impression of Barack Obama.