Cause Of Death Of Comedian Jak Knight Revealed
By Kristin Myers on July 19, 2022 at 8:05 AM EDT
Comedian Jak Knight tragically passed away at only 28 years old.
The stand-up comic, writer, and actor was best known for co-creating and starring in the Peacock original series “Bust Down” alongside Chris Redd, Sam Jay, and Langston Kerman.
Officials Say Jak Knight Took His Own Life
On Friday night, Deadline reported that his family said that he had died on Thursday in Los Angeles. They did not disclose whether he was at home when he passed away or the circumstances surrounding his passing.
A coroner's report obtained by PEOPLE sheds more light on his death. The report says that his body was found on Thursday night in an embankment in Los Angeles suffering from a gunshot wound. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has ruled his death a suicide.
Knight played Devon on the popular animated Netflix series “Big Mouth” and wrote for the show for five seasons. In 2018, his half-hour Netflix comedy special aired as part of The Comedy Lineup series and he launched a worldwide stand-up comedy tour, bringing laughter to his many fans.
Knight was also a co-executive producer on HBO’s “Pause” alongside Sam Jay. He had most recently finished filming Chelsea Peretti’s directional debut for the film “First Time Female Director.”
On Friday night, just after news of his death broke, many comedians in the industry took to social media to share their condolences for their passing.
Tributes Pour In For Late Comedian: 'What A Tremendous Loss'
It still doesn’t feel real. Comedy won’t be the same without you and it hurts so much. RIP Jak Knight.
— Josh Johnson (@JoshJohnson) July 16, 2022
"The Daily Show" Writer Josh Johnson tweeted, "It still doesn’t feel real. Comedy won’t be the same without you and it hurts so much. RIP Jak Knight."
I am so heartbroken to hear about Jak Knight’s passing. So funny, so lovely and smiley and just a fearless comic. ♥️♥️ he will be tremendously missed.
— Debra DiGiovanni (@DebraDiGiovanni) July 16, 2022
Comedian Debra DiGiovanni tweeted, "I am so heartbroken to hear about Jak Knight’s passing. So funny, so lovely and smiley and just a fearless comic. ♥️♥️ he will be tremendously missed."
I didn’t know Jak Knight personally but I loved his genius writing. I think about how brilliant this song is often. RIP to Jak Knight and condolences to his friends and family. 💔 @bigmouth #jakknight pic.twitter.com/lVWsQpVHAp
— Sydney Duncan (@Syd_Duncan) July 16, 2022
Comedy writer Sydney Duncan admitted, "I didn’t know Jak Knight personally but I loved his genius writing. I think about how brilliant this song is often. RIP to Jak Knight and condolences to his friends and family."
This is the saddest thing. Jak was such a bright star. Enthusiastic, smart, fun, goofy, hilarious, kind. There are so many adjectives to describe him and they’re all positive.
What a tremendous loss. https://t.co/C8jEOaAeWA
— Steve Hofstetter (@SteveHofstetter) July 16, 2022
Comedian Steve Hofstetter retweeted the news of his passing, adding, "This is the saddest thing. Jak was such a bright star. Enthusiastic, smart, fun, goofy, hilarious, kind. There are so many adjectives to describe him and they’re all positive. What a tremendous loss."
Jak Knight made a lot of s--- you could love but Bust Down is one of the most joyfully weird collaborations I’ve ever seen and it is one of my favorite shows of the past few years. I hope you check it out, and his stand up too.
— Sara Benincasa (@SaraJBenincasa) July 16, 2022
Comedian Sara Benincasa tweeted, "Jak Knight made a lot of s--- you could love but Bust Down is one of the most joyfully weird collaborations I’ve ever seen and it is one of my favorite shows of the past few years. I hope you check it out, and his stand up too."
Sad to hear about Jak Knight. I did open mics with him when he was just a shy kid with a backpack and we all knew he was already a star. A big loss for comedy.
— Erica Rhodes (@ericarhodes) July 16, 2022
Comedian Erica Rhodes tweeted, "Sad to hear about Jak Knight. I did open mics with him when he was just a shy kid with a backpack and we all knew he was already a star. A big loss for comedy."