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Who is Sam Jay?

Sam Jay (Samaria Johnson, born January 13, 1982, in Atlanta) is an American comedian and writer who grew up in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. After office jobs and work as a music manager, she did her first stand-up set in 2012, at 29. She wrote for Saturday Night Live from 2017 to 2020, becoming its first Black lesbian writer, and was nominated for Emmys for that work. Her first release was the audio album Donna’s Daughter; her Netflix special 3 in the Morning (2020) was filmed at The Masquerade in Atlanta, and Salute Me or Shoot Me (2023) aired on HBO Max. She co-created and starred in HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay (2021–2022) with producer Prentice Penny and Peacock’s Bust Down (2022), appeared in the film You People (2023), and roasted on Netflix’s The Roast of Tom Brady.

Sources: Wikipedia · Punchup bio (self-supplied) · official site · Comedy Club Tracker (sources per date below)

Career timeline

• 1982Born January 13, Atlanta
• 2012First stand-up set
• 2017Joins SNL writing staff; Comedy Central Presents
• 20203 in the Morning on Netflix
• 2021Pause with Sam Jay premieres on HBO
• 2022Bust Down on Peacock
• 2023Salute Me or Shoot Me; You People

Podcast & show guest appearances

16 verified guest appearances by Sam Jay on other people’s shows (their own podcasts are excluded), newest first.

MyShowNotes ✓ full episode notes exist on MyShowNotes · Request show notes tap to ask us to write notes for that episode

Each episode matched in the show’s own podcast feed.

Specials and series

Specials, albums & books

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Without a verified product ID, Amazon links open a search for the title; availability varies.

• Donna’s Daughter (comedy album (Comedy Central Records)) · source: Punchup bio · Amazon search link
• 3 in the Morning (stand-up special, 2020, Netflix) · source: Wikipedia · Amazon search link
• Salute Me or Shoot Me (stand-up special, 2023, HBO Max) · source: Wikipedia · Amazon search link

Licensed photo, credit above

Sam Jay live dates & lineups

From our comedy tracker: dates, rooms, roles and who opened, each with its source. Updated Saturday, October 17, 2026.

8upcoming runs

18show dates

0runs confirmed

Confirmed · 2+ sourcesUnverified · 1 source

Upcoming dates

Nov 20–21, 2026

Unverified · 1 source

Denver Improv

Denver, CO

Role not listed by the source

• Fri Nov 207:30 PMTickets for Fri Nov 20 ↗
• Sat Nov 216:30 PMTickets for Sat Nov 21 ↗

Sources: Punchup

Dec 3–6, 2026

Unverified · 1 source

The Port Comedy Club

Baltimore, MD

Role not listed by the source

• Thu Dec 38:00 PMTickets for Thu Dec 3 ↗
• Fri Dec 47:30 PMTickets for Fri Dec 4 ↗
• Sat Dec 57:00 PMTickets for Sat Dec 5 ↗
• Sun Dec 68:00 PMTickets for Sun Dec 6 ↗

Sources: Punchup

Dec 12, 2026

Unverified · 1 source

Vivarium

Milwaukee, WI

Role not listed by the source

• Sat Dec 128:00 PMTickets for Sat Dec 12 ↗

Sources: Punchup

Jan 29–30, 2027

Unverified · 1 source

Dallas Comedy Club

Dallas, TX

Role not listed by the source

• Fri Jan 297:30 PMTickets for Fri Jan 29 ↗
• Sat Jan 307:30 PMTickets for Sat Jan 30 ↗

Sources: Punchup

Show 4 more runs through Mar 6, 2027

Mar 4–6, 2027

Unverified · 1 source

SPORTS DRINK: Café & Comedy Club

New Orleans, LA

Role not listed by the source

• Thu Mar 49:00 PMTickets for Thu Mar 4 ↗
• Fri Mar 57:00 PMTickets for Fri Mar 5 ↗
• Sat Mar 67:00 PMTickets for Sat Mar 6 ↗

Sources: Punchup

Past performances

Openers & features

Sam opened for

None recorded yet. Club pages almost never print opener or feature names for Sam Jay’s shows, so this fills in as sources confirm them.

Opened for Sam

None recorded yet. Club pages almost never print opener or feature names for Sam Jay’s shows, so this fills in as sources confirm them.

Momentum

No momentum note yet. Our tracker started on Oct 14, 2026 (9 runs logged since), so there is no earlier period to compare bookings against. A note appears only when the data supports one.

Said on podcasts

No podcast mentions logged yet.

More on Sam

• Official site: samjaycomic.com
• Punchup tour listing

How we check: a run shows as confirmed only when two independent sources agree on it (for example the club’s own calendar plus a ticketing listing, or Sam naming the dates on a podcast). Everything else stays unverified until a second source turns up. Roles appear only when a source states them. Know a date or an opener we missed? Use the form below.

Sam Jay FAQ

Official links

• Official website
• Punchup
• Wikipedia

Disclaimer: Editorial content about comedians only. Facts are cited to the sources linked above; tour data comes from our comedy tracker and stays unverified until a second source confirms it. We do not fabricate quotes. Support performers via official channels.