Jak Knight, stand-up comic from Netflix and actor on Peacock series 'Bust Down,' dead at 28

Charles Trepany, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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Jak Knight, a stand-up comedian, writer and actor who appeared on the show "Bust Down," has died. He was 28.

A representative for Knight confirmed in a statement that Knight died Thursday night at his home in Los Angeles. The rep said Knight's family announced his death and will not release additional details at this time.

In 2022, Knight appeared on the Peacock original series "Bust Down" alongside Chris Redd, Sam Jay and Langston Kerman. He also voiced the character Devon on the Netflix animated series "Big Mouth" from 2017 to 2021 and co-executive produced HBO's “Pause with Sam Jay."

Knight also performed live stand-up around the world, with his half-hour Netflix special airing as part of "The Comedy Lineup" series in 2018.

Following the news of Knight's death, comedians and actors took to Twitter to mourn the loss and share fond memories.

Jak Knight, a stand-up comedian, writer and actor who appeared on the show "Bust Down," has died. He was 28.
Jak Knight, a stand-up comedian, writer and actor who appeared on the show "Bust Down," has died. He was 28.

"Rest In Peace Jak Knight," wrote actor Kumail Nanjiani. "Hilarious comedian and a great guy. I can’t believe it."

"This is not some great philanthropist/ 'incredible most amazing person of ever' that died young so we put him on a shirt at Target," wrote actor and comedian Moses Storm. "No, this is just our friend Jak. This was just a sometimes meanly honest, beyond kind, sweet, more helpful than he will ever know, flawed idiot that I loved."

"jak knight was so (expletive) important," wrote comedian Kyle Kinane. "he was music while everyone else was being amusing static. this sucks."

Knight was "brilliant, hilarious, loving, and one of a kind," wrote "Big Mouth" co-creator Andrew Goldberg.

"My heart goes out to his family, by blood and by comedy, and everyone who loved Jak," Goldberg continued. "There were a lot of us, and we miss him already."

"I’m in shock. There was no one like Jak Knight," wrote actor Joel Kim Booster. "A singular talent, actually funny and a genuinely kind person, a rare combo. I just can’t believe this at all."

"RIP Jak Knight," wrote actor Jack Quaid. "I only met him a few times but every time I would see him it always felt like I was talking to one of the greats. My heart goes out to his close friends and family. He was incredible."

Comedian and actor Ify Nwadiwe wrote Knight was "such a force."

"Stand up is so f----- up because we surround ourselves with dope people that we never make an effort to see more often because we always assume we’ll see each other around," Nwadiwe continued.

"It still doesn’t feel real," wrote comedian Josh Johnson. "Comedy won’t be the same without you and it hurts so much."

"Whenever I was on a lineup with Jak Knight, I knew it was going to be a wildly funny night," wrote comedian James Adomian. "Always loved watching him over the last decade. He was winning big, all of it well deserved, so witty and memorable every moment onstage and off. A painful loss to comedy."

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"I don’t know what to say about Jak Knight that he wouldn’t make fun of me for," wrote writer and actor Dani Fernandez. "But you were so incredibly loved and respected. There will never be anyone quite like you."

"RIP to Jak Knight," wrote comedian Tim Dillon. "We taped Netflix specials together years ago. He was an incredibly funny original voice in comedy and a great guy who will be sorely missed."

"I used to see him with his backpack on at all the LA shows when he was literally just a kid," wrote mo Mandel. "He was funny from the start and always had on an incredible smile. Very sad to read of his passing. Prayers to his family and go check out his comedy.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jak Knight, Netflix stand-up comic and 'Bust Down' actor, dead at 28