Comedian and impressionist Jay Pharoah has revealed that he has attention deficit disorder (ADHD) but said that he has turned it into a “superpower.”
The former Saturday Night Live star opened up about his condition during a recent chat on the Club Random with Bill Maher podcast. Pharoah was telling an unrelated story when he happened to mention in passing that he had ADHD.
Comedian and writer Maher waited for a second to return to the subject, asking the TV star: “You really do have ADD?”
“Oh yeah, yeah,” Pharoah replied. “It’s bad, it’s bad.”
He went on: “I have learned how to combat it with weed but for the most part it’s… I could be all over the place or whatever.”
“I have learned how to turn it into a superpower,” he added.
Newsweek reached out to a representative for Pharoah for comment.
Jay Pharoah attends the UK gala screening of “Bad Boys: Ride Or Die” at the Cineworld Leicester Square in June 2024. The comedian has opened up about having ADHD.
Kate Green/Getty Images
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition. Symptoms can vary in severity, but those with the disorder may be restless, struggle to concentrate and act on impulse. It’s estimated that 8.7 million adults in the U.S. have ADHD.
The 36 year old, whose real name is Jared Antonio Farrow, is best known for starring on sketch show Saturday Night Live. But fans also know him for his impressions of celebs, with former US President Barack Obama and Hollywood actors Will Smith and Denzel Washington among the big names he has taken off in the past.
He was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2010 to 2016, when he left the series. In 2017, he opened up about his departure in a radio interview.
He was quoted as saying on New York City’s Hot 97: “If you have multiple people on the cast saying things like, ‘You’re so talented and you’re able and they don’t use you and it’s unfair. And it’s making us feel bad, because they don’t use you and you’re a talent.'”
The comedian also suggested that his impressions of some people had put him into what he felt was an “impression box” on the series.
“They put people into boxes,” he said . “Whatever they want you to do, they expect you to do.”
Pharoah is also known for TV shows such as A Million Little Things and Family Guy, where he has voiced numerous characters including Kanye Canes, Brick Baker, Reverend Lucius and Moses Beauford.
He has appeared on the big screen in movies including Spinning Gold, Resort To Love and The Blackening, and also had a minor part in the 2014 buddy cop film Ride Along, which starred Ice Cube and Kevin Hart.
