Actor, comedian and regular Saturday Night Live contributor Jay Pharoah has performed stand-up in clubs in his native Virginia since the tender age of 15, citing his love of impressions, and more specifically Gilbert Gottfried's portrayal of Iago in Disney's 1991 movie Aladdin. Joining SNL in 2010, his impressions of fellow black actors Jay-Z, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Lil Wayne, and Denzel Washington received critical acclaim, following his rise to Youtube fame for his impression of Barack Obama.