Jim Jefferies (comedian)

Jim Jefferies
Jefferies in 2012
Birth name Geoff James Nugent
Born (1977-02-14) 14 February 1977
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Medium Stand-up, television
Education Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Genres
Subject(s)
Children Hank
Notable works and roles
Website jimjefferies.com

Geoff James Nugent (born 14 February 1977),[1] known professionally as Jim Jefferies (and previously Jim Jeffries), is an Australian stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, and writer. Alongside his stand-up comedy, Jefferies is best known for his work in American television, creating and starring in the FX sitcom Legit from 2013–2014 and Comedy Central's late-night comedy The Jim Jefferies Show since 2017.

Early life

Born in Sydney, Australia,[2] as Geoff James Nugent,[1] he initially took the stage name Jim Jeffries but amended the last name to Jefferies to avoid confusion with a similarly named American performer. His father was a cabinetmaker and maintenance worker from Roma, Queensland,[3] and his mother was a substitute teacher.[4] Jefferies grew up in Sydney,[5] before moving to Perth to study musical theatre and classical music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.[6] He began his stand-up comedy career once he left the Academy several months before completing his degree,[3] relocating initially to Sydney and then to the United Kingdom.[4]

Career

Stand-up

Jefferies initially began stand-up with short-form jokes. He moved to long-form jokes when he began doing hour-long sets.[7] Jefferies first achieved international attention in 2007, when he was attacked onstage while performing at the Manchester Comedy Store.[8][9] Footage of the incident was incorporated into the comedian's act and can be seen on his 2008 DVD, Contraband. He became well known in the United States in 2009, after his debut HBO special, I Swear to God.[10]

Jefferies has performed at numerous festivals, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Just for Laughs Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals and the Glastonbury Festival. Jefferies has also performed spots on The World Stands Up, Comedy Blue and Edinburgh and Beyond for Comedy Central.

Following the release of his Netflix special, Freedumb, in July 2016, Jefferies has been performing The Unusual Punishment Tour with all-new material,[11] and filmed his most recent comedy special "This Is Me Now," at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, in January 2018.[12]

Acting

In February 2014 he starred in a low budget Australian feature film called Me and My Mates vs the Zombie Apocalypse with Australian comedians Greg Fleet and Alex Williamson, which premiered in Australian cinemas on 25 July 2015.[13] It was released in DVD and on Vimeo in Australia and New Zealand in late 2015,[14] in the UK and Ireland on 2 May 2016 and was released in the US on 5 July 2016.

Jim and Eddie Talkin' Shit

From November 2010 to November 2012, Jefferies co-hosted the podcast Jim and Eddie Talkin' Shit with his fellow comedian and former roommate, Eddie Ifft. Jefferies had to quit because of his busy work schedule.[15][16]

Legit

Jefferies's comedy series Legit premiered on 17 January 2013 on FX. A second season premiered on 26 February 2014, having been moved to FXX.[17] The series received positive attention among the disabled community for its portrayal of people with mental and physical disabilities.[18] The series was cancelled after two seasons.[19]

The Jim Jefferies Show

On 3 March 2017, Comedy Central announced The Jim Jefferies Show, a new ten-episode weekly series,[20] that premiered on 6 June 2017.[21] Jefferies, hosting the show, takes a look on culture and politics behind his desk, and travels around the world to tackle the week’s top stories and most controversial issues. On 25 July 2017, the first season was extended with ten additional episodes,[22] that completed airing on 21 November 2017. On 15 January 2018, Comedy Central renewed the series for a twenty-episode second season,[23] which premiered on 27 March 2018.[24]

Other work

Jefferies has appeared on comedy panel shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, The Heaven and Earth Show and 8 Out of 10 Cats, the US comedy panel show The Green Room with Paul Provenza and Comedy Central's @midnight. He has also been featured on various radio programmes, including BBC Radio 5 Live's Saturday morning sports show, Opie and Anthony, and Fighting Talk.[25]

Personal life

Jefferies was previously in a relationship with actress Kate Luyben.[26] Together, they have a son named Hank, born in November 2012.[27] Jefferies describes himself as an atheist.[28]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2014 Me and My Mates vs the Zombie Apocalypse Joel
2016 Punching Henry Charlie
2017 Killing Hasselhoff Tommy

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2004 The Last Chancers Whoppit
2007 Comedy Cuts Various
2008 Jim Jefferies: Contraband Himself Stand-up special
2009 Jim Jefferies: I Swear to God Stand-up special
2010 Jim Jefferies Alcoholocaust Stand-up special
2012 Jim Jefferies: Fully Functional Stand-up special
2013 Tainted Love Priest
2013–14 Legit Jim Jefferies Also creator, writer and executive producer
2014 Bad Judge Keith Episode: "The Cat's Out of the Bag"
The Librarians British Santa Episode: "And Santa's Midnight Run"
Jim Jefferies: Bare Himself Stand-up special
2016 Not Safe with Nikki Glaser Guest (2 episodes)
Jim Jefferies: Freedumb Stand-up special
2017–present The Jim Jefferies Show Host; also creator, writer and executive producer
2018 Jim Jefferies: This Is Me Now Stand-up special

Discography

  • 2008: Hell Bound (CD)
  • 2008: Contraband (DVD)
  • 2009: I Swear to God (video download)
  • 2010: Alcoholocaust (DVD)
  • 2012: Fully Functional (video download/DVD)
  • 2014: Bare (video download)
  • 2016: Freedumb (video download)
  • 2018: This Is Me Now (Netflix)

References

  1. 1 2 Roe, Jon (23 October 2014). "Five facts about Jim Jefferies" (Press release). Swerve Management via Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  2. ↑ The Jim Jefferies Show Podcast - Kaepernick, Chickens & Fisting. ART19. 27 September 2017. Event occurs at 31:29.
  3. 1 2 Bell, Steve (26 March 2015). ""At Least A Million People In Australia Fucking Hate Me!"". themusic.com.au. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 Fitzmaurice, Larry (22 June 2017). "Jim Jefferies Hated Going to School with His Mother". Vice. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  5. ↑ Northover, Kylie (25 March 2015). "Controversial comic Jim Jefferies promises to offend". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  6. ↑ Bodey, Michael (12 April 2014). "Comedian Jim Jefferies finally finds success at home". The Australian (paywalled). Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  7. ↑ Frances-White, Deborah; Shandur, Marsha (2016). Off The Mic:The World’s Best Stand-Up Comedians Get Serious. Bloomsbury. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-4725-2638-0. I learned to tell stories...[prior to this,] I did little jokes
  8. ↑ "Comic attacked on stage". Chortle.co.uk. 16 April 2007. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "Jim Jeffries: How I got a scar on the back of my head" (Podcast). Boston, Massachusetts: WZLX-FM. 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  10. ↑ "Jim Jefferies: I Swear to God". HBO. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  11. ↑ "Jim Jefferies Announces The Unusual Punishment Tour". Jim Jefferies. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  12. ↑ "Jim Jefferies: The Unusual Punishment". Time Out London. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  13. ↑ "Me and My Mates vs. The Zombie Apocalypse (2015)". IMDb. 14 April 2015.
  14. ↑ "Me And My Mates vs The Zombie Apocalypse". Titan View. 2015. Archived from the original on 28 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  15. ↑ "Jim Jefferies on Twitter - Starting Jim and Eddie Talkin' Shit". 16 November 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  16. ↑ "Jim Jefferies on Twitter - Leaving Jim and Eddie Talkin' Shit". 30 November 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  17. ↑ Legit on FXX
  18. ↑ Couch, Aaron. "How FX's 'Legit' Became the Darling of the Disabled Community". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  19. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (14 May 2014). "FXX's 'Legit' & FX's 'Chozen' Cancelled". Deadline.com. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "Jim Jefferies Brings Inquisitive and International Point of View to Comedy Central in New Weekly Late Night Series". Comedy Central Press. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  21. ↑ "The Jim Jefferies Show Debuts Tuesday 6 June at 1030 PM". Comedy Central Press. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  22. ↑ Otterson, Joe (25 July 2017). "Comedy Central Orders More 'President Show,' 'Jim Jefferies Show'". Variety. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  23. ↑ Petski, Denise (15 January 2018). "'The Jim Jefferies Show' Renewed For Second Season By Comedy Central". Deadline. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  24. ↑ "Video: A Valentine's Day Message from Jim Jefferies - Season 2 of "The Jim Jefferies Show" Premieres 27 March on Comedy Central". TheFutonCritic.com. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  25. ↑ BBC Radio 5 live – Fighting Talk. BBC Online. Retrieved on 5 April 2012.
  26. ↑ The Jim Jefferies Show Podcast - Prohibition, Clowns & Dr. Zeus. ART19. 4 October 2017. Event occurs at 24:38.
  27. ↑ Randall, Lee (6 August 2012). "Interview: Jim Jefferies, comedian". The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  28. ↑ Jim Jefferies [@jimjefferies] (23 December 2015). "I'm an atheist who loves Christmas it's a very confusing time of year for me" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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