Jay Jurden always makes us laugh. With his quick wit and comedic chops, the Mississippi native is a rising star in the New York standup scene.
But this week, he’s been generating a different kind of reaction from his queer fans.
In a true sign that he’s arrived in NYC, Jurden is spending a well-deserved vacay on Fire Island, and posting plenty of thirst traps along the way. The “bicon’s” speedo collection appears to be as vibrant and colorful as his humor.
How about we take this to the next level?
Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“Baby girl said enough pictures,” he teased over the weekend.
baby girl said enough pictures🐶🐶🐶 pic.twitter.com/G1ze6vzTVP
— JAYPRIDEMONTH (@JayJurden) June 16, 2024
A 2024 Queerties nominee, Jurden has been on our radar for the last couple of years. He was named one of Variety‘s 10 comics to watch in 2022, and his album, Jay Jurden Y’all, debuted No. 1 on iTunes.
As a Black queer man from the Deep South, he represents a different perspective than most other East Coast comics. He says his differences have helped him stand out, and draw people’s attention.
“Whenever you’re starting to come up in New York doing standup comedy, you go to a lot of mics. There weren’t a lot of Black queer Mississippians at those mics,” he told CBS This Morning in February.
“People are scared to talk about race in a way that a lot of Mississippians are comfortable talking about race, because a lot of us folks from Mississippi, we don’t have anything to lose.”
Jurden performs without restraints, riffing on topics such as cancel culture and his bisexual identity. He came out while attending the University of Mississippi, which is where he met his husband.
Before moving to NYC, Jurden earned his MFA in acting at the University of Alabama, where he also taught. In an interview with INTO’s Joshua S. Mackey, he says he exposed his students to other Black queer comics, including one of his idols, Wanda Sykes.
“When I was a graduate teaching assistant, I used to show my class the special after she comes out, ‘I’ma be me,’” he said. “It was really fascinating to get to watch these undergrads at the University of Alabama enjoy this Black queer woman from the South talking about her experiences while having a queer Black male teacher from the South enjoying it.”
With multiple appearances on The Tonight Show and an array of other accolades, it’s fair to say people from all over the country enjoy Jurden’s irreverent wit.
While some comedians dwell on politics or have agendas when they get on stage, Jurden says he has one goal when people come to his shows: make them laugh!
“If you come to a Jay Juden comedy show, what you can expect and what you will get is jokes,” he said. “By jokes, I mean rapid fire, punchlines for 60+ minutes. I’m a bit of an old school, very set up, punch, and very, I love showcasing my writing. I also love showcasing that I’m a pretty dynamic performer. I try to give people a really good experience.”
An Emmy-award winning writer for his work on The Problem with Jon Stewart, Jurden knows how to craft a good punchline. “I like JOKES. I very rarely listen to people who can’t write a good joke,” he told Vulture.
While we appreciate good jokes, too, we also appreciate a good speedo collection. Did we mention that??
bodied pic.twitter.com/gLvDt6YE8K
— JAYPRIDEMONTH (@JayJurden) June 16, 2024
🌞🌞🌞 pic.twitter.com/DBHQYnH5C1
— JAYPRIDEMONTH (@JayJurden) June 16, 2024
kind of crazy pic.twitter.com/RRVjbpYrAf
— JAYPRIDEMONTH (@JayJurden) June 17, 2024
💕💕💕 pic.twitter.com/yyLvWWsM0V
— JAYPRIDEMONTH (@JayJurden) June 18, 2024
🏝️🏝️🏝️ pic.twitter.com/6sA6NMpu4A
— JAYPRIDEMONTH (@JayJurden) June 17, 2024
Whether it’s standup or thirst traps, Jurden always makes us want to come back for seconds… just like we’re in the lunch line!
“I want people to walk away [from my shows] thinking they got more than their money’s worth,” he said. “I want to be that one lunch lady who went to college with your mama, so when I see you in my lunch line, I’ma give you two scoops of jokes. I’ma give you two scoops of jokes, baby!”
Suddenly, we are very much in the mood for dessert!
Related*
Don’t forget to share:
Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told…
We can’t rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That’s why we don’t lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?
Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated