Jerome Charles Minor Jr. (born October 4, 1969) is an American actor, comedian and writer known for his comedic roles in numerous television programs such as '' Mr. Show'', ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'', '' Trigger Happy TV'', '' Delocated'', ''

Brickleberry ''Brickleberry'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Waco O'Guin and Roger Black for the basic cable network Comedy Central. Executive produced by O'Guin, Black, and comedian Daniel Tosh, the series follows a group of park rangers ...

'', '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'', '' Crossballs'', '' The Hotwives of Orlando'', ''

Carpoolers ''Carpoolers'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 2, 2007, to March 4, 2008. The show was created by Bruce McCulloch, who also executive produced alongside Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, David Miner, Marsh McCall, Jo ...

'', ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

'', ''

Lucky Louie ''Lucky Louie'' is an American television sitcom created by Louis C.K., which aired on HBO in the U.S. for one season in 2006 — and in Canada on Movie Central, The Movie Network, and The Comedy Network. As the show's creator, writer and executi ...

'', and ''

Dr. Ken ''Dr. Ken'' is an American multi-camera sitcom that aired on ABC from October 2, 2015, to March 31, 2017. The series was created, written, and co-executive produced by its lead actor, Ken Jeong, who based the concept on his experience as a physic ...

''.

Life and career

Minor was born in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

and grew up in Flint, Michigan. Minor was raised as a

Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

during most of his youth. Later in life, after rejecting his Jehovah's Witness upbringing, Minor was shunned by some members of his family. He began doing stand-up comedy and writing/performing with sketch comedy groups in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

before eventually joining the Second City Detroit's mainstage improv troupe. After writing and performing in three

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

s, he joined the Second City

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

for two shows and then one revue at the Second City

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. At the time he was the only performer to have belonged to all three of the Second City's touring companies. Minor was hired as a cast member and writer on ''

'' for one season in 2000–2001. He was let go from the show over the summer hiatus, before the start of the 2001–2002 season, because Lorne Michaels wanted to hire four new cast members, but did not want to go over budget. Minor's best known work at ''SNL'' included the recurring sketch ''Rap Street'' (which he performed with

Horatio Sanz Horacio Sanz (born June 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Horatio Sanz, is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on '' Saturday Night Live'' from 1998 to 2006. Early life Sanz was born on June 4, 1969 in Sant ...

) and his appearances on

Weekend Update ''Weekend Update'' is a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typic ...

Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democrati ...

. In addition to ''SNL'', Minor has appeared regularly on a number of other sketch comedy programs, including HBO's '' Mr. Show'', where he was a cast member during its final season. He was briefly a correspondent on ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...

'' in early 2000, had a recurring role as Officer Carter on ''

Arrested Development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...

'' and was one of the main cast members of

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...

's debate show parody '' Crossballs'' in 2004. He worked briefly as a writer and occasional performer on the short-lived FOX sketch series ''

Cedric the Entertainer Presents ''Cedric the Entertainer Presents'' is an American sketch comedy television series and television program featuring dance numbers starring Cedric the Entertainer. The series premiered September 18, 2002 on Fox and after the first season, Fox rene ...

''. In 2006, Minor was part of the main cast of the HBO series ''

'', on which he played Louis C.K.'s neighbor, Walter. Minor was praised for his ''Lucky Louie'' role in a 2006 issue of ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'', where he was given a "Cheers" in the magazine's ''Cheers and Jeers'' section. He was part of the cast of the 2008 ABC sitcom ''

'', playing the role of Aubrey and was a featured comedian on '' Lewis Black's Root of All Evil'' on Comedy Central. Minor has also gained attention online in 2010, for his memorable appearances as "Cyber Thug" on the '' Comedy Bang Bang'' podcast, which was briefly spun off into its own podcast titled ''Cyber Thug Radio'' on the

Earwolf Earwolf is an American comedy podcasting network founded by Scott Aukerman and Jeff Ullrich in August 2010. In 2011, they announced a partnership with Funny Or Die. It merged with podcast advertising network The Mid Roll in 2014, a separate com ...

network. For a number of years Minor and comedian Craig Robinson had a comedy act where they performed as musical duo "L. Witherspoon & Chucky", with Minor as smooth singing "L. Witherspoon" and Robinson as "Chucky", the keyboard player and back-up singer. They performed the act on several stand-up shows on Comedy Central as well as on ''

Real Time with Bill Maher ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' is an American television talk show that airs weekly on HBO, hosted by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher. Much like his previous series ''Politically Incorrect'' on Comedy Central and later on ABC, ''Real ...

'' and '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!''. Minor has appeared in films such as ''

I Love You, Man ''I Love You, Man'' is a 2009 American bromantic comedy film written and directed by John Hamburg, based on a script by Larry Levin. The film stars Paul Rudd as a friendless man looking for a best man for his upcoming wedding. However, his new ...

'', ''

Drillbit Taylor ''Drillbit Taylor'' is a 2008 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Steven Brill, produced by Judd Apatow, Susan Arnold and Donna Arkoff Roth with screenplay by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen based on an original story by John Hughes ( ...

'' and ''

Beer League ''Artie Lange's Beer League'' (also known simply as ''Beer League'') is a 2006 American comedy film written and produced by, and starring, Artie Lange. It was released in select theaters on September 15, 2006 in the New Jersey, New York, Cleveland ...

'', and had a small part in the 2003 movie ''

Melvin Goes to Dinner ''Melvin Goes to Dinner'' is a 2003 American film adaptation of Michael Blieden's stage play ''Phyro-Giants!'', directed by Bob Odenkirk. Blieden wrote the screenplay from his stage play, and he also stars in the film (as he did in the Los Angel ...

'' directed by Bob Odenkirk. Minor has made guest appearances on shows such as '' Curb Your Enthusiasm'', ''

Funny or Die Presents ''Funny or Die Presents'' is a half-hour sketch comedy show that spawned from the comedy website Funny or Die, created by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. It premiered on HBO on February 19, 2010. Creation Funny or Die Presents was created in June ...

'', '' Drunk History'', ''

The League ''The League'' is an American sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, Illinois, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football leagu ...

'', ''

Nick Swardson's Pretend Time ''Nick Swardson's Pretend Time'' is a TV sketch comedy show created by and starring actor and comedian Nick Swardson. The show premiered on Tuesday, October 12, 2010, at 10 p.m. EST on Comedy Central and ran for two seasons, with the final firs ...

'', ''

Key & Peele ''Key & Peele'' (abbreviated to ''K&P'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele for Comedy Central. Both Key and Peele previously worked on '' Mad TV.'' Each episode of the show consists ...

'', '' Jon Benjamin Has a Van'', '' Last Man Standing'', '' How I Met Your Mother'', and '' Brooklyn Nine-Nine''. In 2010, he co-starred as "Mighty Joe Jon the Black Blonde" in the second season of the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

series '' Delocated''. Minor has also had recurring appearances on comedy programs such as ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series o ...

'' as Brandon, '' Eastbound & Down'' as Jamie Laing, ''

'' as Jerry the Janitor, ''

The Hotwives ''The Hotwives'' is an American sitcom that premiered on July 15, 2014, on the video streaming website Hulu. Developed by Paramount Digital Entertainment as a parody of ''The Real Housewives'' reality television franchise broadcast on Bravo, th ...

'' as Rodney, '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' as Chris, and in the animated series ''

Bob's Burgers ''Bob's Burgers'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard that premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox on January 9, 2011. The show centers on the Belcher family—parents Bob Belcher, Bob and Linda Belcher, Linda and t ...

'' as the voice of Officer Julia. He also co-starred as the voice of Denzel in the

animated series ''

''. Minor is now the co-host of ''The Cult Awareness Podcast'' that discusses Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other subjects. He stars as the lead in the satirical musical ''For the Love of a Glove'', which portrays

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's glove as a sentient being and the true cause of his many misfortunes.

Characters on ''SNL''

*Grand Master Rap, co-host of the old-school rap music program ''Rap Street'' on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

. *Terrell, the catty and effeminate security guard who works with conceited deskclerk Jackie ( Maya Rudolph) *Willy Sluggs, a magician who performs less-than-spectacular magic tricks on his show ''Willy Sluggs' Eye Poppers''

Celebrity impressions

Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Emmy nomination. After his breakthrough role as Tre Styles in ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), he appear ...

(on ''SNL'') * Jimi Hendrix (on ''SNL'') *

(on ''SNL'') *

Miss Cleo Youree Dell Harris (August 12, 1962 – July 26, 2016) was an American television personality and actress best known for portraying Miss Cleo, a spokeswoman for a psychic pay-per-call-minute service called Psychic Readers Network, in a s ...

(on ''SNL'' - cut sketch) *

Nipsey Russell Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005)Nipsey J. Russell, born September 15, 1918, died October 2, 2005. Social Security Administration. ''Social Security Death Index'' ( Death Master File).U.S. Census, January 1, 1920, ...

(on ''SNL'' - cut sketch: shown in 2001 SNL Halloween Special) * Puff Daddy (on ''VH1 Divas Live'' Aretha Franklin special) *

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as Lando Calrissian in the '' Star Wars'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and thir ...

(on ''Mr. Show'' DVD audio commentary') *

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

(on ''Lucky Louie'') *

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with '' Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single " Holla Holla". Dur ...

(on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'') *

Chris Tucker Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series '' Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990s. He ap ...

(on ''Primetime Glick'' and ''The Martin Short Show'') * Michael Winslow (on Showtime's ''The Offensive Show'' pilot) *

Joseph Kony Joseph Rao Kony (likely born 1961) is a Ugandan militant who founded the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a Christian fundamentalist organization, designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Peacekeepers, the European Union and variou ...

(on ''PoliPopTV'' viral video) *

Boyd Tinsley Boyd Calvin Tinsley (born May 16, 1964) is an American violinist and mandolinist who is best known for having been a member of the Dave Matthews Band. Early life Tinsley was raised in a musical family. His father was a choir director and his un ...

(at UCB's ''The Midnight Show'') *

Steve Harvey Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian. He hosts '' The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', '' Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud,'' the Miss ...

(at UCB's ''Comedy Death-Ray'') *

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

(at UCB's ''Comedy Death-Ray'') *

Ben Carson Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgeon and politician who served as the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021. A pioneer in the field of neurosurgery, he ...

(at UCB's ''Decision Election 2016 All-Star Clusterfuck'')

References

External links

*
Jerry Minor
on YouTube
In depth interview from November 12, 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minor, Jerry 1969 births Living people African-American male actors American comedy musicians American male film actors American stand-up comedians American male television actors American male voice actors American television writers American male television writers Former Jehovah's Witnesses Writers from Flint, Michigan Male actors from Memphis, Tennessee Male actors from Michigan 21st-century American male actors 20th-century American male actors American sketch comedians Actors from Flint, Michigan Screenwriters from Michigan Screenwriters from Tennessee 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people