Jak Knight, Big Mouth And Bust Down Star, Dead At 28
The family of comedian Jak Knight has announced his death at the tragically young age of 28 years old. Knight was a writer and co-star on Netflix's envelope-pushing cartoon series "Big Mouth," playing the character DeVon. He died Thursday, July 14, 2022, and the family hasn't released any other details at this time.
Knight was a well-loved performer within the L.A. comedy scene and was just establishing himself as a top comedy writer with his multi-season-long contributions to Netflix's "Big Mouth" and his co-creator credit on Peacock's "Bust Down" with Sam Jay, Chris Redd, and Langston Kerman. He also worked with Sam Jay on HBO's talk show "Pause with Sam Jay."
His presence on stage was the same mixture of childlike excitement and filthy language that propelled comics like Eddie Murphy to stardom. He always had a raunchy story to tell, whether it was about an uncle teaching him how to please his future girlfriend at a ridiculously young age or how doing cocaine can sometimes end with making out with dudes, but he told these ridiculous anecdotes with a smile and no judgments.
Comedians are brave creatures. Even if they're telling a bulls*** story, the best of them have a small kernel of truth in there and expose themselves up on that stage. There was an honesty to Knight's work that made even his filthiest and extreme jokes land without being too offensive.
A perfect fit for Big Mouth
Knight's style made him an immediate and perfect fit for "Big Mouth," which is an honest and profane look at what it's like to be around a bunch of hormone-crazy kids going through puberty. That whole show is about finding a little bit of authenticity in the absurd and offensive, which was Knight's bread and butter.
The young comedian was also breaking into film, having recently wrapped his work on Chelsea Peretti's directorial debut, titled "First Time Female Director." Peretti also stars with Amy Poehler, Megan Mullally, Kate Berlant, Max Greenfield, and Megan Stalter.
He was on the cusp of breaking out, which makes his untimely death all the more tragic. If you watch any of his stand-up specials (I recommend his set for "Netflix Is A Joke," an example can be seen here) you'll see a guy comfortable on stage, young enough to convincingly tackle that tried and true generational humor in a real and funny way, still hungry enough to push his boundaries, but without feeling like he was punching down or excluding people.
Knight was a star on the rise, but even at 28, he was able to leave behind a legacy that will keep people laughing for years to come.