Jay Jurden is an amazingly talented up-and-coming New York City comedian. I spotted Jay at New York Comedy Club's Comedy Mob show-mic this Sunday on 85 East 4th Street. Jay was first recognized by Stand Up NY's Chief of Staff Jon Borromeo at a Comedy Mob audition. Jay won first place and then began performing regularly on Stand Up NY's own stage. Jay can be spotted performing all around NYC and is definitely a talent to keep your eye on. On Tuesday, Jay performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon!
I sat with Jon Borromeo and talked about Jay's comedy, accomplishments, and the NYC comedy collective, Comedy Mob.
P.S. Be sure to check out the Comedy Mob's "Bring It" Show at Standup NY this (and every) Saturday at 6 P.M.!
1. When did you first meet Jay Jurden?
I first met Jay Jurden at Caveat. I was judging the first competition for Comedy Mob and the first time I saw him I was like “Wow, this is an amazing comic.” And I knew that he was gonna win the competition. It was some stiff competition [...] and in the end he was just fantastic. So yeah, we started utilizing him there, giving him check spots and guest spots at the club and he’s really gone a long way.
2. You voted for Jay to win the Comedy Mob competition. What is it that you saw in him as a comic that makes him unique?
One of the first things that Jay actually did was he did crowd work when he started his set, which is something that you usually don’t do when you’re doing an audition for a competition. But he did it, and it crushed. It did so well. It was also a very different face to what you’ve seen in comedy. Being from the LGBT+ community and being black, it is one of those things that wasn’t really done before. And if it wasn't done, it wasn’t done in this way. It had a lot of power, a lot of passion behind it. And it was just different and unique. And it was a great feeling to hear a refreshing take on comedy.
3. When did you realize that Jay was going to make it big?
I first knew that Jay was gonna make it big when he did his first check spot here at Standup NY. The check spot is that area in the show where the guests are receiving their checks and Jay went up there like he had done it one thousand times before. And people paid their bills so quickly, and I remember the check spot usually gets five to six minutes. I remember that everyone had paid, and I was just like ‘let him go… because he can keep going’. It was an amazing feeling to watch that.
4. How do you feel about Jay Jurden being on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon?
There are milestones in every comics’ career. Whether it’s your first ten thousand followers, maybe it’s getting verified on Instagram or Twitter, but there’s nothing like your first TV credit. The legacy of The Tonight Show has skyrocketed so many different careers—including Jay Leno’s career, David Letterman’s career, as well as going as far back as Freddie Prinze, Ellen DeGeneres, and hearing that Jay made it to Jimmy Fallon was one of the most uplifting moments I’ve had in my career in comedy. It’s a proven sign that he made it. It’s a proven sign that you’re there. You are palatable for everyone’s consumption. And it’s a great feeling because not only, one: is it Jay, who is a homegrown talent. It’s also a talent that is set mostly about his sexuality. And at the same time being an African American. And it was a great feeling to see that on a network station like NBC and on the stage of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
5. You’ve booked Jay on various shows since the Comedy Mob audition which has helped him gain notoriety as an up-and-coming New York City comedian. Do you think Jay is proof that audiences can see great new talent at Comedy Mob?
Absolutely. Comedy Mob has been a system that I have relied on a lot throughout my career here at Stand Up NY. Our business is like an ecosystem. If the audience doesn’t like it, they’ll stop buying tickets. They’ll stop laughing. And Jay is a proven fact that Comedy Mob brings such great talent to the forefront out of open mics and into decision maker’s minds. And that is exactly what Comedy Mob is doing. They are putting together some of the best lineups at Stand Up NY at 6 P.M. every single Saturday. And I am just looking forward to what Comedy Mob is going to be bringing. It is going to be very exciting to see what Comedy Mob brings to our table next and what comedy brings to the audiences and the masses in the next couple of months.